Poll: Distracted Driving

[msommers]

Please read the criteria to understand which response you should provide

I'm interested to see how distracted driving tickets have influenced driving behavior pertaining to mobile devices. I'm hoping to get more realistic stats based on anonymous poll responses than thread posts, which I'm hoping will lead to genuine responses. I'm not interested if you only use your phone on deserted highways or redlights or wherever you think it's OK. Just basic yes or no - I'll explain below.

Yes: (guilty of one or more criteria)
I read texts, email, facebook etc using the phone screen
I respond to texts, email, facebook etc using the phone screen/buttons
I don't use hands-free for phone calls

No:
I use hands free entirely for everything and never check my phone physically. Or I pull over to a safe spot to use my device.

Yes responses are based on criteria above and depending on the officer's discretion could lead to a ticket.

[Mista Bob]

No.
I don't use my cellphone at all when I'm driving. Mainly because I don't see the point.
If people want to contact me, they can wait.

Plus I ride motorcycles and fully expect to be killed one day by some texting piece of shit while at a red light.

[killramos]

+1

Who gives a rats ass about the phone. I used to have a car kit but haven't bothered getting a new one for the iPhone 5.

I may be guilty of some things driving but paying attention is not one of them.

[jdmXSI]

I try not to use it while im driving but dont see the issue in checking an email/ text while stopped at a light that just turned red.

[tch7]

I answered no, but my reasoning has nothing to do with being ticketed. Nearly all of the near misses I see involve somebody on their phone.

[speedog]

These little computing marvels we can now hold in our hands are such captivating devices - capable of providing almost instantaneous information in a growing variety of ways.

Even a young baby boomer like myself can find this all consuming at times and I'll readily admit that I have been guilty of distracted driving because of such effortless access to said information.

But I have stopped touching that device while operating a vehicle whether in motion or not as I do recognize that even a few seconds of distraction could have very dire effects on myself, those that are dear to me and many others around me that I have no current connection to - being personally responsible for a distracted driving accident would be something I would find very difficult to live with.

So that distraction - it's been set aside. Yupp, it's so enticing to grab it while stopped at a light or while stuck in seemingly 'not difficult' to deal with traffic scenarios but I just remind myself of what could happen and know that anything on that device can wait until I can safely check it.

Yeah, I know there's many that will debate that that little device doesn't distract them and I won't argue with them anymore as they're allowed to have their beliefs - I just dearly hope that a momentary distraction in their travels doesn't ever impact me.

[GTS4tw]

Yes. I check texts while stopped and talk on it while driving all the time. I don't consider that distracted driving though.

[finboy]

i don't use my phone but i do still use my ipod while driving. mostly I will set it up on a playlist for driving. it still sucks that pressing the forward button for less than a second could land me a ticket, when eating a burger and having to hold onto that for 5-10 minutes is legal.

[Maxt]

I dunno, maybe I have been multi tasking so long behind the wheel I don't see the danger of it. Back in the early 90's I had an alpha numeric pager and I had a motorola brick phone with a data connector coupled to a an IBM laptop I got in 92 ish that gave me portable computing before most people knew what portable computing was. Also way before I had a dyno I tuned my car a ton using the nearest hilly highway as a loading tool. With all that early tech, I am pretty use to reading and typing while I drive and I really don't intend on changing my habits.
Some people can do, some can't..
But as I said in the other thread, the actual creation of the distracted driving law has made the situation a lot worse than use to be. At least before, people would hold the phone up in their vision and do what I call the "figher pilot" using their eyeballs somewhat independently and simultaneously looking past their device. Now people are hiding the phone, and having to totally look away from the roadway. To me it seems incidents are up since the law was passed.
But now they are talking about doubling the fine and demerits, why not just scrap the whole thing and go back to handing out the original careless driving tickets with the demerits and fines? Probably because that ticket actually would only be handed out when an incident happens which means a lot less tickets than just being able to drive around handing tickets to people who may not be a danger to anyone at all.

[heavyfuel]

Distracted Calgarian drivers, in a nutshell.

[frizzlefry]

I drive too fast to use a phone. I don't even use the speaker phone. I silence my phone when I'm in the car. I just enjoy driving and don't want it interrupted by a phone. I get work emails and calls 24/7. Being behind the wheel is a good excuse to take a break from it as my company has a safety policy of no phones while driving so I can't get in shit for ignoring the phone while in the car so I take advantage of it.

[Feruk]

I'll check a text message when I'm stopped; I think it's pretty stupid that the law calls that illegal. Texting while driving? Never. As for answering phone calls while driving... I'd be lying if I said it never happens.

[msommers]

Originally posted by killramos
+1

Who gives a rats ass about the phone. I used to have a car kit but haven't bothered getting a new one for the iPhone 5.

I may be guilty of some things driving but paying attention is not one of them.

Given that you don't have a car kit (I'm guessing this is handsfree), did you answer Yes in the poll?

Originally posted by jdmXSI
I try not to use it while im driving but dont see the issue in checking an email/ text while stopped at a light that just turned red.

This qualifies as a Yes answer in my poll. Is that what you used?

Originally posted by tch7
I answered no, but my reasoning has nothing to do with being ticketed. Nearly all of the near misses I see involve somebody on their phone.

What was your reason for answering NO? Did it meet the criteria I laid out for the poll?

Originally posted by speedog
These little computing marvels we can now hold in our hands are such captivating devices - capable of providing almost instantaneous information in a growing variety of ways.

Even a young baby boomer like myself can find this all consuming at times and I'll readily admit that I have been guilty of distracted driving because of such effortless access to said information.

But I have stopped touching that device while operating a vehicle whether in motion or not as I do recognize that even a few seconds of distraction could have very dire effects on myself, those that are dear to me and many others around me that I have no current connection to - being personally responsible for a distracted driving accident would be something I would find very difficult to live with.

So that distraction - it's been set aside. Yupp, it's so enticing to grab it while stopped at a light or while stuck in seemingly 'not difficult' to deal with traffic scenarios but I just remind myself of what could happen and know that anything on that device can wait until I can safely check it.

Yeah, I know there's many that will debate that that little device doesn't distract them and I won't argue with them anymore as they're allowed to have their beliefs - I just dearly hope that a momentary distraction in their travels doesn't ever impact me.

I take it you answered No given your reasoning?

Originally posted by GTS4tw
Yes. I check texts while stopped and talk on it while driving all the time. I don't consider that distracted driving though.

As long as you answered Yes in the poll.

Originally posted by Maxt
I dunno, maybe I have been multi tasking so long behind the wheel I don't see the danger of it. Back in the early 90's I had an alpha numeric pager and I had a motorola brick phone with a data connector coupled to a an IBM laptop I got in 92 ish that gave me portable computing before most people knew what portable computing was. Also way before I had a dyno I tuned my car a ton using the nearest hilly highway as a loading tool. With all that early tech, I am pretty use to reading and typing while I drive and I really don't intend on changing my habits.
Some people can do, some can't..
But as I said in the other thread, the actual creation of the distracted driving law has made the situation a lot worse than use to be. At least before, people would hold the phone up in their vision and do what I call the "figher pilot" using their eyeballs somewhat independently and simultaneously looking past their device. Now people are hiding the phone, and having to totally look away from the roadway. To me it seems incidents are up since the law was passed.
But now they are talking about doubling the fine and demerits, why not just scrap the whole thing and go back to handing out the original careless driving tickets with the demerits and fines? Probably because that ticket actually would only be handed out when an incident happens which means a lot less tickets than just being able to drive around handing tickets to people who may not be a danger to anyone at all.

Hoping you answered Yes in the poll.

Originally posted by frizzlefry
I drive too fast to use a phone. I don't even use the speaker phone. I silence my phone when I'm in the car. I just enjoy driving and don't want it interrupted by a phone. I get work emails and calls 24/7. Being behind the wheel is a good excuse to take a break from it as my company has a safety policy of no phones while driving so I can't get in shit for ignoring the phone while in the car so I take advantage of it.

This qualifies as a No in the poll.

Originally posted by Feruk
I'll check a text message when I'm stopped; I think it's pretty stupid that the law calls that illegal. Texting while driving? Never. As for answering phone calls while driving... I'd be lying if I said it never happens.

This would qualify as a Yes response.

Thanks for those who have participated in the poll. I'm really surprised by the numbers and almost skeptical that people aren't answering based on the criteria I have asked for, defeating the purpose of the poll.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I used to never use the phone in the car. Now I'm single and flaky young women treat a 30 min break in texting like a relationship ender. So I'm a yes. I miss being a no lol.

I do have hands free finally, and I don't know how I lived without it! I actually wait till im in the car to make some calls haha. Makes the drive go by easier.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[speedog]

Did answer No this time, would have been a Yes in the past.

When I see the eyes down at a red light and completely oblivious to the ambulance coming up behind them - that is being distracted to me.

Have a kid run out from between two parked cars after a ball and give yourself a huge-ass scare, yeah you stopped in time but think of what might've happened if your head had been down for a second or two. I've had a kid run out in front of me from between parked cars - stopped in time and didn't hit the kid but I do know that a second or two's worth of distraction would've probably meant a kid under my vehicle opposed to standing wide-eyed in front of it.

In the end I'd rather live with having to wait to find out what that incoming text was about as opposed to having to live the rest of my life with the guilt of killing someone's kid because of my selfishness - whether it be reading a text while driving when that kids runs out or reading a text when stopped at a light while an ambulance is delayed precious seconds with a critically ill kid in the back.

[ZMan2k2]

When this law came out, I went out and bought an earpiece. My phone reads and writes texts for me (Note II), and I can answer calls without taking my eyes off the road. So I answered no, I don't consider myself a distracted driver, as I do things within the law.

[leftwing]

I answered yes in the poll. I still use my phone just as much as I always have when driving, the only behaviour of mine that has changed since the legislation is that now I check around for cops before I use it.

I feel that if you are smart about when you check your phone while driving, you should have no issues. For example reading an email while merging onto Macleod vs reading same email when stopped at next red light. Or, texting while in stop & go traffic vs texting once on a open road with less traffic. Not saying my actions are right, but have had no near misses or close calls, I just don't see the issue if you are smart about it.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Hard question to answer really:

Am I guilty of breaking the distracted driving law from time to time?
Yes

Was I at any time unsafely distracted from driving?
No


I answered yes in the poll because I would be guilty on a technicality

Same for me.

[btimbit]

Voted Yes.

I use hands free for phone calls, but I'm guilty of looking at and replying to texts and emails. I can text and whatnot on my touchscreen headunit, which while still against the law, I find a lot less distracting than holding the phone and doing it normally. No harder than picking a new song.