Cell Phone Etiquette and Driving

HeavyMetal BankFisherman · 01-31-2003, 12:21 AM

Sometimes there's nothing more irritating than having some salesman pull out in front of you while talking to some potential client on his cell phone. Without paying attention to the traffic on the road. Or the houswife in the minivan full of children. Talking on the phone. Trying hopelessly to control her children. Causing you to miss the light because she didn't notice it turned green.

I myself am guilty of answering a cell phone while driving. But I have the inexpensive hands free setup and always pull over if I can. I never dial calls from the car while driving. Kind of a safety thing. When i'm driving I should be paying attention to the road.

In restaurants I think cell phones are OK for lunch but turn them off for dinner. At least set them to vibrate and take your call away from the table. Like many of us, it may be important for us to receive a call when and if we get the chance to even take lunch. But at 6pm I think most of us are tired of hearing everybodys cell phones ring.

I had to drive from Beaverton to Portland several times today and I avoided several accidents. Two on I84, and one on US 26. If it were not for my exceptional driving skills "I want to be a NASCAR driver" it could have been bad. I know for a fact that at least two of the drivers were talking on cell phones. I saw them yacking away as they almost smashed into me.

I bring this up because I see more and more drivers that obviously dont understand the destruction a vehicle going 55mph can do when it comes into contact with another vehicle travelling at similar speeds. If they did they would pay more attention to thier driving.

[ 01-31-2003, 01:31 AM: Message edited by: HeavyMetal BankFisherman ]

Smj · 01-31-2003, 06:03 AM

I think there must be a law or rule of some kind that says you must phone some body on your cell phone as soon as you get in your vehicle and start driving. WHY ELSE would I see so many people on their cells with the steam still coming from their tail pipe!?

My wife works in the grocery buisness and it makes her crazy when people are so rude that they stand there talking on their cells when they should be paying for their groceries.

I've been caught twice by a guy with the "hands free set" on the street, I think this guy is speaking to me and reply, but he's on the phone. D'oh

Smj

fish assassin · 01-31-2003, 06:39 AM

"I've been caught twice by a guy with the "hands free set" on the street, I
think this guy is speaking to me and reply, but he's on the phone. D'oh"

And here I thought *I* was the only one being caught by that.

Lot of that going around work these days. Makes people look like they
have gone totally crazy and are talking to themselves (IMHO).

-assAssin-
Hang up the phone and DRIVE!!!

Straydog · 01-31-2003, 06:53 AM

Just yesterday some young gal was walking through one of my accounts talking to herself............. so I thought.

I said something to one of the emplyees about the gal talking to herself but was told she was talking on the phone! [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

I turn mine off or leave it in the car for meetings, lunch, dinner and appointments with customers. If it rings while driving I see who it is and may or may not answer it.

I do use it while driving on the Freeway at times but try to avoid that as well.

I have been on the road over 25 years with 0 accidents. Not bad.

By the way Heavymetal, yes I am being a bit sensitive here but please, tell me, just how do you know all those rude drivers are salesmen??????? :whazzup: Almost everyone has a cell phone these days. Kind of sounds like the guy that is always losing a "24 lber" right at the boat........ he never touches the fish but by golly it weighed 24 pounds!!

[ 01-31-2003, 07:55 AM: Message edited by: Straydog ]

CATCH AND EAT · 01-31-2003, 07:25 AM

Please continue to use your cell phones while driving. Body shops appreciate it. And you contribute to the economy.

Please turn them off during church, concerts, ball games and the likes. It is extremely rude and distracting. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

HeavyMetal BankFisherman · 01-31-2003, 01:07 PM

Before I continue, I had better apologize to the houswives. Raising a bunch of kids is tougher than any job I have ever had. But please be safe with the cell phones.

Straydog

I don't know if these guys were salesman. They may have been lawyers. Just kidding. As far as I know they were unemployed. Regardless, they were a hazard to all drivers.

As far as salesmen are concerned. I wouldn't want thier job either right now. Things being as tight as they are. The best thing that could happen would be for all salesman to be successful. A signal of an improving economy.

I swear that Steelie that got away from me last week was at least 25 lbs.

Rocky · 01-31-2003, 03:09 PM

as far as im concerned anyone using a non hands free phone while driving should be cited unless the call they are making is an emergancy

Ron

Straydog · 01-31-2003, 05:32 PM

Metal,

You are a smart man.......... put the housewives before the Dog. :grin:

You are right, they can be a menace to our roadways and are often intrusive in other settings.

[ 01-31-2003, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: Straydog ]

Straydog · 01-31-2003, 05:35 PM

Oops.......
:blush:
New 'puter, sensitive touchpad!

[ 01-31-2003, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: Straydog ]

Hogmaster · 01-31-2003, 06:55 PM

It isn't just cell phones!

Look what just happened to a friend of mine:

Driving to my office this
morning on Interstate 5 near Laguna Woods, I
looked over my
shoulder to the left and there was a woman in a
brand new
Mustang, with her face up next to the rear view
mirror putting on
her eye makeup. I looked away for a few seconds,
and when I
looked back, there she was halfway over in my
lane, still working
on her eye liner. It scared me so bad I dropped
my
electric shaver, which knocked the Krispy Kreme
out of my
other hand. In all the confusion, of trying
straighten out the
car
with my knees against the steering wheel, it
knocked my cell
phone away from my ear which fell into my
Starbucks coffee between
my legs, splashed and burned BIG BOB and the
TWINS, ruined the
phone and disconnected an important call.
- DAMN WOMEN DRIVERS!

:grin: :grin:

roadsend · 01-31-2003, 08:38 PM

Wednesday, a young lady began to change lanes as I was passing her. She did not turn to the side and look as she was lighting a cigarette. She must have caught sight of me in her side mirror. She rapidly corrected her lane change nearly running onto the curb in the process.
I will support banning cell phones while driving when we also ban while driving: cigarettes, food, drinking, changing the radio (CD, tape, etc), reading, and applying makeup. We might also consider banning drive through windows at fast food joints as these lead to eating and drinking while driving.
We might also consider mandatory sound proof barriers between driver and passenger compartments so as to preclude distractions from noisy children or especially obnoxious adult passengers.

fishwhenican · 02-02-2003, 09:52 AM

I use the phone when driving. I also don't answer it if traffic is heavy or pull over if I need to write something down. The most important thing is driving, the phone conversation is secondary. I have hung up on my wife, my boss and others when conditions change or there is not a place to pull pver. I even use my turn signals while having a phone conversation. If you can't walk upstairs and chew gum at the same time you shouldn't use the phone on the road. Oh yea, I don't "talk" with my hands either.

I know lets legislate common sense and courtesy! it has worked so well for so many other things. Maybe we can even have make new laws for misdemeanor stupid and FELONY STUPID.

AtWorkALot · 02-07-2003, 04:56 AM

I'm kind of partial to this bumper sticker,
"You might drive better with that cell phone shoved up your a$$".