tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post6004531443270090470..comments2023-11-03T06:32:28.410-04:00Comments on Staring At Empty Pages: Driven to distractionBarry Leibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-55032789983924712872009-07-27T19:26:53.869-04:002009-07-27T19:26:53.869-04:00Are we the only population of people on Earth who ...Are we the only population of people on Earth who focus on everything else in a car instead of driving it?<br />I often wonder. Thank you for the post, Barry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-78212048438542502062009-07-27T11:56:30.182-04:002009-07-27T11:56:30.182-04:00In my town just a few years ago a man was killed c...In my town just a few years ago a man was killed changing a tire when a kid slammed into him. The kid was fiddling with his CD player. <br /><br />And I agree completely that there is a cognitive difference between holding a conversation with a person in the car who is there (WHO IS ALSO A DRIVER and also who is not pontificating or self-centered and not paying any attention to your driving), and talking with a person on the phone. We all need to have the sense to drive while we're driving, that's the problem. When my children were little, if they would start to fight in the car, I'd pull over. It was just too distracting to deal with them and also drive. And they hated that, so it had the bonus of making the fighting stop b/c the last thing they wanted was to be strapped into a carseat in a stationary car. Now I use them to make phone calls for me if I feel I simply must talk to somebody while on the road and don't want to pull over.<br /><br />Remember when there were no cell phones? Somehow we managed.<br /><br />And you do see the same kinds of behaviors in people talking on cell phones that you see when people are drunk -- they drive way too slowly, they drift around, they don't notice police cars, ambulances, they almost miss their exit -- plenty of behavior that can be observed and that is already enough cause to be pulled over, I believe. Driving to endanger? Twice now I've seen people actually stopped in the middle of an intersection having a heated conversation on their cell phone while traffic moves around them. We have to do something about this.Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16681883169121834569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-18669578809352027392009-07-27T10:19:23.992-04:002009-07-27T10:19:23.992-04:00Forgetting, for the moment, the odd aspects of tra...Forgetting, for the moment, the odd aspects of traffic court, I think what you do is fine them for "distracted driving", or some such, based on observed behaviour. The police officer sees you drifting into the next lane, and perhaps sees you fiddling with a CD case. Something like that. Just as you can be ticketed if the officer sees you with a mobile phone in your hand.<br /><br />Far harder is ticketing you for talking on a hands-free phone (how does the officer know, if she can't see you holding the phone?) and that may be one reason no one is trying to work against that, specifically.<br /><br />Listening to music to keep you awake is a fine thing. Pull over to change the disc, and don't get so into the music that you lose attention to the driving.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-28236567701312620852009-07-27T10:13:17.982-04:002009-07-27T10:13:17.982-04:00I'm trying to figure out how you fine someone ...I'm trying to figure out how you fine someone for listening to a cd... or using a GPS. I agree that fumbling around with either of those while you're driving is a distraction, but getting instructions or listening to music to keep you awake? Especially if you only program it before you leave or at rest stops - or don't change the disc while driving?The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.com