[OT] Metric Woes & Hands Free

I recently had to have my car worked on in the body shop... which reminds me, hands free for the phone only works after you dial!!! Please pull over to dial or only dial when stopped at a light! It ain't worth it. Luckily I didn't hurt anyone!!!

Anyway, I pickeup up the car last Friday and hadn't really driven it much until yesterday. On the way home I noticed the air conditioner cycling on and off every few seconds. I brought it in this morning and after an hour, the guy comes back out and says, "we found the problem! It was our mistake, your charge is specified in KILOMETERS and our gage reads pounds". I didn't bother correcting him, I just hope he got the conversion right

Some cell phones have voice activated dialing. But that is beside the point. It has been conclusively shown in studies that it isn't the hand manipulation part of talking on a cell phone while driving which most detracts from the ability to control a car. It's the actual conversation itself which distracts the attention. The two-way listening to a voice, deciding its meaning, coming up with a reply and speaking it which distracts incredibly from the attention which should be totally given to driving. This is much more so than listening to a radio. In other words, don't use a cell phone AT ALL while driving.

I've read the same studies. Seems like talking to someone in the car falls under the same category - but the studies don't mention that.
I hate it when I spill my coffee while trying to turn the page on my newspaper.

Norm, glad you're OK.

At least he didn't say Newton-meters ...


Mike

I would think the most extreme distraction is a bunch of tired children all yelling "are we there yet?", "he's touching me!", "I have to go NOW!" at the same time. And I'm sure that long-distance running dieters know the proper kilometer per pound conversion.

Well, studies be as they may, my issue was definately a dialing issue.


This link has a list of some common sense things to do (and not do) if you continue to use your phone while driving:
http://www.smartmotorist.com/pho/pho.htm

An interesting quote from the above article:

Even after hanging up the phone, the subjects' performance did not return to normal for several minutes.

Click to expand...

I recently had a hands free kit fitted in my car. It had come with an integrated system but you needed to buy and fit the adaptor separately (as obviously they don't know what sort of phone you own).

The radio stops if someone phones and their voice comes through the speakers.

The button to answer and hang up is built into the steering wheel.

In my humble this is just as unsafe as having a conversation with a passenger in the car...

ndzied.. cars can be replaced, people can't. I'm glad to hear there was nobody hurt mate.

The difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger is that the passenger is usually aware of changing traffic conditions as well and will stop talking and start screaming (or nagging if passenger is your wife).

Alaric said:

The difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger is that the passenger is usually aware of changing traffic conditions as well and will stop talking and start screaming (or nagging if passenger is your wife).

Click to expand...

Very good point and well made

I definitely think that nagging a bloke while he's driving should be outlawed....