iPhone 101: Safe driving with iPhone

Seriously though. How about you take out the radios and take down all the ads along the highway, and don't allow passengers too! Matter of fact, lets tie your hands to the steering wheel and get a vice for your head so you do nothing but drive. I think this comes down more to relaxed requirements to drive. Japan has tv's in their cars and yet they have less accidents than us. Why? Cause it costs thousands of dollars and years before you get a license. Please stop blaming the phone for everything.

Any more studies done on driving distractions, and pretty soon the law will be no talking, no drinking, no eating, and no passengers.

What this subject is REALLY about is driving while distracted. (DWD)

Many things can distract you in similar ways to using a cell phone - eating a hamburger, fiddling with the radio, yelling at the kids, arguing with the spouse, keeping an eye on the cute chick in the car next to you, watching that cop in the rear view mirror to ensure he isn't coming after YOU, or any one of another thousand things or activities.

...and you find millions of people doing ALL of these things every day.

A columnist in the Washington Post some ten years ago wrote a column about this (DWD), and asked readers to call or write in with examples they'd seen on the road. One woman responded with the sighting of another woman on a freeway, driving at 55 on a crowded road, steering WITH HER KNEES, eating a bowl of cereal (with milk!).

So what, do we need a law prohibiting eating cereal in your car while driving?

I've got news for all of you, this kind of behavior is ALREADY illegal in all fifty States, because every dog-gonned one of them have laws that make it illegal to perform activities while driving that distract your attention from the road.

What we do NOT need are more laws, what we DO need are educational campaigns that educate all Americans to the dangers of Driving While Distracted. Yes, given the current tsunami of reports about folks using cell phones, we need to perhaps concentrate on that subject, but we don't need more laws to make doubly illegal what already is, we need to TEACH people how dangerous it is to be distracted while driving - for ANY reason!!!

In Norway it is forbidden to talk via the handset itself or to send text messages whilst driving. If you use a "speaker system" or a handsfree you may talk yourself to death.

TH

My sister's friend's 19 year old son died when texting while driving. Single car accident.

Yeah, don't use the iPhone while driving.

You're operating heavy machinery at high speeds, and believe it or not, you usually do need all of your attention on the road in front of you.

There is no such thing as being so proficient at using the iPhone that the usage minimally affects your driving. Unfortunately, we're a few decades away from socially accepting a ban on device usage while driving, and enforcement will remain difficult.

Yes, I like nanny states where nannies actually keep us safe. Take your Bible-thumpin' libertarian me-me-me attitudes far away from us.

I use a wired headset in the car, sparingly. Can't wait to get a 3GS for voice dialing, my old LG freebie phone had that for crying out loud. I agree that the safest thing is not to use the phone at all, but reasonable care can make phone use relatively safe. I do not dial in the car and almost never (yes, almost, sorry) select a name from my favorites or contact list. I also ask callers to hold a moment when a traffic issue becomes more pressing, like a busy turn or a dangerous intersection.

It is not illegal to text while driving in New York (yet). About two years ago, five girls were killed in a crash, because the driver was using her phone. They had just graduated from high school.

I think TUAW even covered the story.

I'm driving right now. I'm so good at driving and typing, I can type 30 words per minute with my iPhone on the road. 60 if I'm not driving. It's very important for my line of work, IT support. Sometimes I will RDC into a clients server while driving. (only if it's an emergency though.

Do you guys have any advice on how to wipe my butt?