Is it a good idea to use the cell phone or other devices while driving?

Answer 1

Its illegal to drive while talking on a cell phone without a headset in California.

Yes and No. Many countries all over the world have banned the use of hand held cellular phones while driving. In USA, New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia (DC) have banned use of hand held cell phones while driving. Some other states like Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, and Illinois have similar legislation pending.

A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that drivers who used mobile phones while driving were four times more likely to crash than those not, a rate equal to that for drunken driving at the .01 level, which is 20% higher than the current .08 in all U.S. states.

At least 25 countries restrict or prohibit cell and other wireless technology: Israel, Japan, Portugal and Singapore all prohibit mobile phone use while driving. Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Drivers in the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom may use hands free cell phones but can be fined if they are involved in crashes while using such a phone.

More and more people are relying on cell phones and most of these use their cell phones while driving. There is an increased incidence of accidents due to people talking on cell phones while at the wheel of their cars. A person might take his hands off the wheel in order to dial a number or to receive a call on his cell phone. Even if you are using a hands free cell phone, you are very likely to get distracted by your conversation and not realize what is happening around you. This can be very dangerous especially while driving. Ideally you should avoid using a cell phone while driving, but if you must then here are some safety measures that you can take to avoid accidents:

Use a hands free cell phone.

Do not use your cell phone in heavy traffic situations.

Wait for a stop light to dial or ask a passenger if you have one.

Never have an emotionally heavy conversation while driving.

Use speed dialing and memory dialing. Become skilled at using your phone without seeing it.

Use your cell phone for only short talks.

Be ready to abruptly and hastily terminate your call.

Do not take any notes over your cell phone which you may have to write down.

Keep your cell phone visible and handy at all times so you don't have to look around for it if it rings suddenly.

Cell phones are certainly here to stay and till such time that their use while driving is completely banned everywhere, the only thing people can do is be a responsible citizen and use your cell phone properly, especially while driving. Remember that it is a potential hazard and also remind other cell phone users of it. Better still, DO NOT use your cell phone at all while driving. Wait till you have reached your destination or at least pull up to the side of the road.

In many states you can only use a cell phone while driving with a handsfree device. What is even worse than talking on the phone is texting while driving. If you have a handsfree device, make sure you have a lot of minutes, because it is easy to talk a long time when you are driving.

Answer 2

Quite possibly. Proper driving requires using all the senses available to man - the possibilities are endless for anything and everything happening within fractions of a second - this requires extensive concentration on the part of the driver. Talking on a phone while driving should be banned in every state, as it detracts from other events happening around the vehicle. I've witnessed drivers chatting hitting pedestrians in a crosswalk - they were not even aware of their surroundings while operating a two ton instrument of death.

Save a life, either drive the car or pull off the road to chat - never do both at the same time - the life you save might be your own.

ANSWER

Using a cell phone when driving can be dangerous. In my opinion, when your driving you really need to be focused on what is occurring around you. If you are busy dialing, or looking for an address it can take that focus away, and all it takes is one second for something to go wrong. Even when we use hands-free, we tend to concentrate on the conversation taking away - once again - our focus. You have to be quite careful, and the best thing to do - although not many do it - is to pull over when making a call. In addition, in all cases you must be aware of what other drivers are doing. This means driving defensively. You really can't be totally focused and drive defensively while using a cell phone when driving.

+++ Yes it's dangerous as explained - and in the UK it's illegal.

Answer 3

previous answers are all wrong.

In many countries its forbidden to use a cell phone while driving, you got to have a hands free kit installed in your car.

like someone said, its distracting and lowering the response time,

Answer 4

They tell us that you are more likely to be in a collision while driving with a cell phone conversation going on, than driving while intoxicated. Pull over.

Answer 5

In most places, it is illegal to drive while using your phones and you could get arrested because it often causes serious road accidents.

Answer 6

I know for sure that in California, it has to be HANDS-FREE. So if you have a Bluetooth or a headset, you're okay, but I'm not entirely sure about other states.

Answer 7

i work for the USPS and they use the nextel push to talk phones can they be used by truck drivers in Maryland

Answer 8

No, use no devices that can distract you from the road.

Answer 9

Never