Worst invention ever ??

[Bigfoot]

I don't know about you, but if I can't be reached for more than 5 minutes at a time, all hell breaks loose. I answer e-mails on the toilet, while walking across the street to another building, and definitely while in a meeting, listening to some lady going on about a new 401(k) plan. As long as it's not distracting to the presenter or other attendees, I see nothing wrong with typing messages in a meeting. Several of the executives are known for doing it while talking to your face, 1-on-1. That, I think is a bit rude... But you can't tell the boss that.

It was just my opinion c-bug, but I stand by it.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

I am pretty sure Ivan was being a little sarcastic, especially since he was plowed into by some jerk-off who was texting while driving.

OK, so what your saying is I need to find someone else to pick on?

WHAT, DO I LOOK NEW?
OK, I am.

Sooo, text me and we'll talk.

[MeatTooth]

About a year ago I was rearended by a texter....an intocicated texter at that! I was in my cage with the family at a red light. Luckily I seen him coming in my rearview and notified the family to brace for impact. The impact wasn't that hard but it was enough to screw up my left shoulder where the belt crossed it. I've had to have two surgeries on my rotator and collar bone to fix it and three of my fingers are still numb. Try playing the guitar with three numb chord fingers. Needless to say I have major issues with texting while driving.

[MeatTooth]

My new truck has the bluetooth built in and all I have to do to make a call now is push a button on the steering wheel and say the name of the person I want to call and that's it....my eyes never leave the road. This is the truck I bought with the money the court awarded me from the drunk texter.

[trbig]

Texting during a meeting is disrespectful and rude.

I have to agree...

I don't know about you, but if I can't be reached for more than 5 minutes at a time, all hell breaks loose.

That's because you've allowed yourself to become available 24/7. If you were to start weening things down a bit.. return messages every couple hours maybe unless they are of dire circumstances.. you will find that all hell will still be intact and the earth will continue revolving. Unless you're a top exec at a Fortune 500 firm, (Which you'd have a secretary to take care of all of that for you anyway..) your texting isn't nearly as important as you make it out to be, and it actually diminishes your job productivity and performance. And yes, there's plenty of studies to back up what I am saying.


And on another page.....

However, when you set it up correctly, in advance, I see nothing wrong with holding a voice conversation while driving as long as you can use a hands-free setup of some kind.

My new truck has the bluetooth built in and all I have to do to make a call now is push a button on the steering wheel and say the name of the person I want to call and that's it....my eyes never leave the road.

Although better than texting, read the studies. Hands free phone operation is virtually NO better or safer. Both still greatly reduce your mental and situational awareness, and this is what's causing the wrecks... not holding the phone to your ear. Meattooth, you got a new truck from someone who was basically guilty of doing the same thing you are doing. You just haven't caused a wreck...... yet.


Tod

[egleaves]

Although better than texting, read the studies. Hands free phone operation is virtually NO better or safer. Both still greatly reduce your mental and situational awareness, and this is what's causing the wrecks... not holding the phone to your ear. Meattooth, you got a new truck from someone who was basically guilty of doing the same thing you are doing. You just haven't caused a wreck...... yet.

Bingo, Tod. Eyes on the road isn't all there is to it, your mind has to be there to process what your eyes are seeing. Talking to a passenger is one thing; they can usually tell when the sh*t's about to hit the fan and react accordingly. The conversation may suddenly turn into profanities and girlish screaming, but at least they understand that you have some important business to tend to for the next few seconds. A person on the other end of the phone just doesn't have the same input and can easily become a major distraction.

Hands-free is better than not, but it's still not safe. I think it's kinda like deciding not to be drunk while making toast in the shower; better to be sober, but still not a good idea.

[DGXSER]

As an offender of the hands free phone use, and having had no bluetooth for a while, I will defintiely tell you I am much more attentive to the road with the hands free device.

I do somewhat disagree with about it being more distracting than a passenger. I am a heck of a lot less distracted by discussing business with a client and I can assure you they have heard "Holy SH&T, Sorry, some truck just tried to remove m front bumper so he did not have to slow down." from me before. On the other hand , SWMBO would have turned that same comment into a twenty minutes disertation on how it would not have happened if I had slowed down. Now THAT is distracting. I agree that it does take a conscious effort to stay focused on the road first and not the conversation, but based upon some people I have seen or been in a car with, the same could be said for the radio.

As a sidetrack to this discussion, I have often wanted to ask those of you who drive the big rigs, WTF is up with the "roadblock" technique when traffic is merging a mile up the road? Around here at least, I see this all the time. One truck swings out in the lane that has to merge and has a truck right behind him in the lane you have to merge into basically right beside him so no one can go by and then the second truck lets the first truck only get in front of him and they refuse anyone else the right to merge when you get to the cones. The concept is that you have two lanes for a reason, if everyone just gaps the cars everyother one from each lane, it would go much faster and less torture all the way around. Instead they are forcing the merge one to sometimes two miles ahead, and have this "screw you for not merging three miles ago" concept going on.

[cywelchjr]

The thing is, if you start looking at the data it doesn't seem to hold up that cell phone use is necessarily as bad as they say. If it was, you would have seen an increase in the accident rate matching (or at least following) the number of phones in use. This has not happened. I can and will agree that cell phone use CAN be an issue, but I contend that they can be (and in a large number of cases are) used in a safe manner. That's not to say there are not a lot of people out there using them unsafely, but the fact is that the statistics just don't support the theory (and it IS a theory, it's only been even tested in simulators, which are NOT the same as real life). Now, there is NO WAY to safely text or email while driving, on this I believe we can all agree, and anyone who thinks they can type a message, or read one for that matter, and still be paying attention to the road is either a fool or an id10t.

[Bigfoot]

As a sidetrack to this discussion, I have often wanted to ask those of you who drive the big rigs, WTF is up with the "roadblock" technique when traffic is merging a mile up the road? Around here at least, I see this all the time. One truck swings out in the lane that has to merge and has a truck right behind him in the lane you have to merge into basically right beside him so no one can go by and then the second truck lets the first truck only get in front of him and they refuse anyone else the right to merge when you get to the cones. The concept is that you have two lanes for a reason, if everyone just gaps the cars everyother one from each lane, it would go much faster and less torture all the way around. Instead they are forcing the merge one to sometimes two miles ahead, and have this "screw you for not merging three miles ago" concept going on.

I am not a trucker but I think I can answer this one. It is due to all of the A-holes that think they are more important than everyone else. Most people read the signs and start to merge in a responsible manner. Then some idiot races up to the front of the line until they have no option but to merge and cut in, stopping everyone in the long line of cars that they just passed. I applaud the truckers when the do this, even if I am stuck behind them.

[latexeses]

I have discovered a neat little feature on my cell phone. When I don't want to be bothered or distracted I turn it off completely and put it at the very bottom of my right front pants pocket. Works every time.

Bigfoot,
I agree...

[bikerphil]

I have discovered a neat little feature on my cell phone. When I don't want to be bothered or distracted I turn it off completely Works every time.

+1

That's brilliant! Thx.