Cell phones - need for regulation or discretion

[Dantana]

Cell phones are very useful in today's society. We all have them, well,
my wife and daughter do. We probably have all seen the wobbly,lane
crossing, red light running drivers on our roads. Cell phone drivers
trying to punch in a phone number on those tiny number pads while
driving 70 MPH down the freeway. BIKERS beware! Cyclist are the last
thing these IGOTTACALLSOMEONE drivers are watching for, they can barely
keep their vehicle in their own lane. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not one
of those swerving drivers, you can chew gum and drive just fine. PLEASE,
if you drive and use a handy (euro), drive with care. I SUPPORT
REGULATION FOR CELL PHONE USAGE ON THE ROAD. You should too!

Dan
Houston
(let her rip)

 

[Bill Baka]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:21:21 GMT, Dantana <[email protected]> wrote:

> Cell phones are very useful in today's society. We all have them, well,
> my wife and daughter do. We probably have all seen the wobbly,lane
> crossing, red light running drivers on our roads. Cell phone drivers
> trying to punch in a phone number on those tiny number pads while
> driving 70 MPH down the freeway. BIKERS beware! Cyclist are the last
> thing these IGOTTACALLSOMEONE drivers are watching for, they can barely
> keep their vehicle in their own lane. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not one
> of those swerving drivers, you can chew gum and drive just fine. PLEASE,
> if you drive and use a handy (euro), drive with care. I SUPPORT
> REGULATION FOR CELL PHONE USAGE ON THE ROAD. You should too!
>
> Dan
> Houston
> (let her rip)

Right there with you on this one. The last time I almost got creamed
was one of my rare car driving trips to Wal-mart and a mother type
almost got my car while talking on the phone, backing her
mini-van out and yelling at two kids in the back seat. I was past her
parking spot and waiting for someone in front of me so she almost
clipped my rear right side. Lucky for me I had room to pull up a few
more feet. I hope soon this will be outlawed in all areas, and
enforced with vigor, just like speeding tickets.
Just to be on topic, many of my close brushes with cars have been
due to the cell phone usage, calls being more important than
watching out for some insignificant biker.
Bill Baka


--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

 

[psycholist]

"Dantana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Cell phones are very useful in today's society. We all have them, well,
> my wife and daughter do. We probably have all seen the wobbly,lane
> crossing, red light running drivers on our roads. Cell phone drivers
> trying to punch in a phone number on those tiny number pads while
> driving 70 MPH down the freeway. BIKERS beware! Cyclist are the last
> thing these IGOTTACALLSOMEONE drivers are watching for, they can barely
> keep their vehicle in their own lane. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not one
> of those swerving drivers, you can chew gum and drive just fine. PLEASE,
> if you drive and use a handy (euro), drive with care. I SUPPORT
> REGULATION FOR CELL PHONE USAGE ON THE ROAD. You should too!
>
> Dan
> Houston
> (let her rip)

Eighteen months ago I sustained a compression fracture of the spine, a
broken hip, pelvis and ankle, plus a severe laceration of my lower left leg
thanks to a teenage driver talking on a cell phone. I was passing through
an intersection on a downhill stretch. She was flying up in the opposite
direction and made a left turn (unsignaled) directly in front of me. I'm
sure the first she saw of me was when I smashed into her windshield.

Cell phone usage while driving is one topic for discussion. Teenage drivers
in general are another. She had a couple of friends in the car with her
and, from witness accounts, driving was about the last thing to which she
was attending.

Thankfully, mommy and daddy had good insurance and the deputy who arrived on
the scene actually knew the law. Today I'm physically fine and financially
better. But that's thanks to the Lord working in His mysterious ways. It's
also thanks to cycling. The ER doc said if it weren't for my outstanding
physical condition at the time of the accident, I'd have been dead.

Oh ... by witness accounts, I glanced off the windshield and went 20 or more
feet up into the air ... and landed on my head (hence the compression
fracture of the spine). I really get a kick out of these idiots who argue
statistics about how much or how little bike helmets help or don't help. I
have absolutely no doubt mine saved my life that day. But near as I can
tell, there weren't any statisticians around to record the event.

Bob C.

 

[foldedpath]

Dantana <[email protected]> wrote in news:Xns954155156FAB3dant@
24.93.43.121:

> Cell phones are very useful in today's society. We all have them, well,
> my wife and daughter do. We probably have all seen the wobbly,lane
> crossing, red light running drivers on our roads. Cell phone drivers
> trying to punch in a phone number on those tiny number pads while
> driving 70 MPH down the freeway. BIKERS beware! Cyclist are the last
> thing these IGOTTACALLSOMEONE drivers are watching for, they can barely
> keep their vehicle in their own lane. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not one
> of those swerving drivers, you can chew gum and drive just fine. PLEASE,
> if you drive and use a handy (euro), drive with care. I SUPPORT
> REGULATION FOR CELL PHONE USAGE ON THE ROAD. You should too!
>
> Dan
> Houston
> (let her rip)

Well, the good news is that more state and local laws are either in place,
or on the way. Here's a good overview:

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/esnr/cellphoneupdate1203.htm

The bad news (for the total anti-cell phone zealots) is that every law
currently in place, and most of the ones under consideration, have an
exemption for hands-free devices.

There aren't many drivers yet who are used to setting up voice recognition
call lists, so they're still going to be fumbling around with their keypads
even if they're wearing an earbud. But maybe this will get better over time
as the technology improves, and more people get used to it.

I think it's unlikely that we'll ever see a total ban on cell phone use in
vehicles. Going hands-free is a good start.

--
Mike Barrs

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 17:01:35 -0000, foldedpath
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>The bad news (for the total anti-cell phone zealots) is that every law
>currently in place, and most of the ones under consideration, have an
>exemption for hands-free devices.

Which is perverse since there is no detectable difference between
hands-free and handheld - both are equivalent in their effect on
driving of around 100mg blood alcohol, accordingt o the last study I
saw.

Of course we mustn't do anythign to upset the poor oppressed
motorists, poor dears, since if they didn't kill so many people the
state might have to pick up the tab for supporting more old folks.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

 

[Chalo]

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Oh ... by witness accounts, I glanced off the windshield and went 20 or more
> feet up into the air ... and landed on my head (hence the compression
> fracture of the spine). I really get a kick out of these idiots who argue
> statistics about how much or how little bike helmets help or don't help. I
> have absolutely no doubt mine saved my life that day. But near as I can
> tell, there weren't any statisticians around to record the event.

When I was 16, I rolled my dad's car end-over-end, and was chucked out
the side window. I hit my head hard enough to leave a laceration
(requiring maybe a dozen stitches) and to inflict two compression
fractures on my spine. No concussion, though, no skull fractures...
and no helmet.

Am I an idiot because a helmet _didn't_ save my life that day?

Are _you_ an idiot for not wearing a helmet in the car, where most
fatal head injuries occur?

Would a helmet aficionado be an idiot to wear a lightweight peforated
foam cap of no proven protective value, when there are plenty of
proven helmets available for motorcycling and other high-speed sports?

Just wondering.

Chalo Colina

 

[gooserider]

"Bill Baka" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> >
> Right there with you on this one. The last time I almost got creamed
> was one of my rare car driving trips to Wal-mart and a mother type
> almost got my car while talking on the phone, backing her
> mini-van out and yelling at two kids in the back seat.

You just hit on another sore spot. I was watching CNN yesterday, and there
was a story about cell phones and hands free devices. One of the people they
interviewed was a young mother. CNN put a camera in her car and taped her
for a day. This woman routinely used a cell phone, taking her eyes off the
road to dial. But the WORST was watching her deal with her toddler in the
back seat. She kept reaching to the back seat to do stuff for the kid, even
turning all the way around! Unreal. But of course she claimed to be an
excellent driver. There's a reason some auto manufacturers don't put
cupholders in their cars----you're supposed to be DRIVING, not talking on
phones, eating, reading, feeding your kid, or whatever. And people laugh at
me for wearing a BMX helmet. LOL

 

[Pat]

> Just wondering.
>
> Chalo Colina

No, you're trying to start a flame war by changing the subject. Stick to the
man's subject: don't go off on a tangent.

Pat in TX

 

[psycholist]

"Chalo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Oh ... by witness accounts, I glanced off the windshield and went 20 or
more
> > feet up into the air ... and landed on my head (hence the compression
> > fracture of the spine). I really get a kick out of these idiots who
argue
> > statistics about how much or how little bike helmets help or don't help.
I
> > have absolutely no doubt mine saved my life that day. But near as I can
> > tell, there weren't any statisticians around to record the event.
>
> When I was 16, I rolled my dad's car end-over-end, and was chucked out
> the side window. I hit my head hard enough to leave a laceration
> (requiring maybe a dozen stitches) and to inflict two compression
> fractures on my spine. No concussion, though, no skull fractures...
> and no helmet.
>
> Am I an idiot because a helmet _didn't_ save my life that day?
>
> Are _you_ an idiot for not wearing a helmet in the car, where most
> fatal head injuries occur?
>
> Would a helmet aficionado be an idiot to wear a lightweight peforated
> foam cap of no proven protective value, when there are plenty of
> proven helmets available for motorcycling and other high-speed sports?
>
> Just wondering.
>
> Chalo Colina

Somewhere in there it seems to me you answered your own question. You
remind me of the guy we called Weird Harold in high school. He liked to
show the scar where he shot himself in the head with a .22 rifle when he was
a kid. Then he'd say in his drooling lisp, "it never affected me a bit."

Bob C.

 

[\El Paisano\]

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Dantana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Cell phone drivers
> > trying to punch in a phone number on those tiny number pads while
> > driving 70 MPH down the freeway. BIKERS beware! Cyclist are the last
> > thing these IGOTTACALLSOMEONE drivers are watching for, they can barely
> > keep their vehicle in their own lane.

Q: What is the best way to respond to a troll?
>
>
> Oh ... by witness accounts, I glanced off the windshield and went 20 or
more
> feet up into the air ... and landed on my head (hence the compression
> fracture of the spine). I really get a kick out of these idiots who argue
> statistics about how much or how little bike helmets help or don't help.
I
> have absolutely no doubt mine saved my life that day. But near as I can
> tell, there weren't any statisticians around to record the event.
>
A: With another troll.

 

[Joe Faust]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:21:21 GMT, Dantana <[email protected]> wrote:

>Cell phones are very useful in today's society. We all have them, well,
>my wife and daughter do. We probably have all seen the wobbly,lane
>crossing, red light running drivers on our roads. Cell phone drivers
>trying to punch in a phone number on those tiny number pads while
>driving 70 MPH down the freeway. BIKERS beware! Cyclist are the last
>thing these IGOTTACALLSOMEONE drivers are watching for, they can barely
>keep their vehicle in their own lane. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not one
>of those swerving drivers, you can chew gum and drive just fine. PLEASE,
>if you drive and use a handy (euro), drive with care. I SUPPORT
>REGULATION FOR CELL PHONE USAGE ON THE ROAD. You should too!
>
>Dan
>Houston
>(let her rip)

Besides cell phones, apparently DVD players are also a threat to
everyone on the road.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A man accused of killing two people in
2002 when his speeding pickup truck struck another vehicle as he
watched a DVD movie was acquitted of murder by a jury in Alaska on
Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5928829


Hmmm, perhaps I can fit a DVD player to my handlebars, alongside my
cell phone, GPS, cyclometer, headlight, Heart Rate Monitor, rear view
mirror, and map holder.

I'm also working on an airbag and seatbelt for cyclists. If I can just
get the weight down to a few grams....

 

[Chalo]

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "Chalo" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > "psycholist" wrote:
> > >
> > > Oh ... by witness accounts, I glanced off the windshield and went
> > > 20 or more feet up into the air ... and landed on my head (hence
> > > the compression fracture of the spine). I really get a kick out
> > > of these idiots who argue statistics about how much or how little
> > > bike helmets help or don't help. I have absolutely no doubt mine
> > > saved my life that day. But near as I can tell, there weren't
> > > any statisticians around to record the event.
> >
> > When I was 16, I rolled my dad's car end-over-end, and was chucked out
> > the side window. I hit my head hard enough to leave a laceration
> > (requiring maybe a dozen stitches) and to inflict two compression
> > fractures on my spine. No concussion, though, no skull fractures...
> > and no helmet.
> >
> > Am I an idiot because a helmet _didn't_ save my life that day?
> >
> > Are _you_ an idiot for not wearing a helmet in the car, where most
> > fatal head injuries occur?
> >
> > Would a helmet aficionado be an idiot to wear a lightweight peforated
> > foam cap of no proven protective value, when there are plenty of
> > proven helmets available for motorcycling and other high-speed sports?
>
> Somewhere in there it seems to me you answered your own question. You
> remind me of the guy we called Weird Harold in high school. He liked to
> show the scar where he shot himself in the head with a .22 rifle when he was
> a kid. Then he'd say in his drooling lisp, "it never affected me a bit."

It's an acknowledged logical fallacy to respond to a reasoned argument
by using personal insult. To do so makes you look witless and
intellectually impotent, while at the same time discrediting whatever
presumably erroneous point you were trying to make.

Here's another account of a "helmet saved my life" scenario where the
victim wasn't wearing a helmet:
http://www.google.com/[email protected]

You, and about a squillion other suggestible folks, are all convinced
that their foam hat was the only thing standing in between them and
certain death in their time of crisis. The fact that there are a
whole lot more folks with such tales than there were ever cycling
fatalities, should tell you something about the accuracy of people's
judgment when they make such claims.