My mom got into an accident...

[mchel210]

when she was on the phone with me!! Omgoodness....scared me to death. She was talking to me and just left her house 2 min. before...and she screamed...dropped the phone and all I heard was tires. Then nothing else. I figured she would come back on the line...but no one ever came back but it didnt disconnect. I was terrified!!!

 

I called my dad right away on my cell and was shaking like crazy. I had no clue where she was. He found her and called my sister in Ohio by accident instead of me in a panic...and hung up on her. So she called me in a panic. I sent my hubby, a police officer here in my city 10 minutes south, to go check her.

 

I guess she ran a red light and tboned a work van. Thank God it happened that she hit the back passanger part...not the drivers door...so both walked away...but her honda mini van was totaled in front. THe whole engine dropped. She is super sore...but nothing broken. She has a knee that hit the dashboard and is swelled up huge! Her chest hurts a lot from the airbag...but she walked away. My hubby says if she would have hit a little bit closer to driver, he may have been killed the way it was. His van flipped over a couple times! SOOOOO scary!!!

 

I cant believe how scary that is. I didnt know what to do as I had no clue where she was. So...long story short...get a handsfree in your car!!!

 

She is getting charged with the accident...but what can you do! I imagine that is why they are called accidents. The guy is ok. He was released a little before her. Both will be super sore now for a while.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Very scary! I'm so glad that no one was seriously hurt or killed. I hope she feels better soon.

[Perry]

So...long story short...get a handsfree in your car!!!

 

:grouphug:

Sorry about your mom. But I have to jump in and give my PSA...

 

There is lots of evidence that hands free phones are not any safer. It's the act of talking on the phone, not dialing or holding it that causes the distraction.

 

Hope she's feeling better soon.

[Stacie]

So...long story short...get a handsfree in your car!!!

 

She is getting charged with the accident...but what can you do! I imagine that is why they are called accidents. The guy is ok. He was released a little before her. Both will be super sore now for a while.

 

I'm glad she's okay and had her family to look out for her. Unfortunately cell phone use causes this to happen much too often. Handsfree isn't considered much safer, either.

 

I always tell my children that accidents happen when someone isn't being careful. Paying attention to what you are doing is the top priority. I'm glad the other driver wasn't hurt, and I'm glad she's not having to process taking a person's life today. It could have so easily happened, and I sincerely hope she's learned a valuable lesson.

[Evergreen State Sue]

I'm so sorry this happened and glad everyone is okay. It could have been much, much worse like you said.

 

Oprah Winfrey is on a no cell phone while driving campaign. She did an entire show on people who were killed while someone was using a cell phone. I can't remember the stats, but the driver using a phone is impaired far worse than drinking while driving. You can go to her website and see the show or sign a pledge not to use a phone while driving.

 

I don't have a cell phone, but my dh does for work. It really has started me to stop and think before I would call his cell if I suspected he was driving at the time. Would I want him to answer the phone and chance him being in an accident?

[Guest Katia]

:grouphug:

Sorry about your mom. But I have to jump in and give my PSA...

 

There is lots of evidence that hands free phones are not any safer. It's the act of talking on the phone, not dialing or holding it that causes the distraction.

 

Hope she's feeling better soon.

 

I have always wondered about this. Not that I'm trying to refute it, because I don't think cell phones should even be allowed in a car.....but.....honestly, why would talking to someone on a phone while you are driving (hands-free) be any different than having a conversation with a passenger in the car?

 

When we drive, that seems to be the best time for heart-to-hearts with either dh or with the kids. We don't gesticulate or look at each other (eye-contact), we just drive and talk.

 

Isn't that what is done with a hands-free phone? Is there evidence that the driver talking to anyone in the car is dangerous? I would just think these should/would have the same stats, but I've never heard that a driver shouldn't talk to passengers.

[hornblower]

BC has new no cell phone while driving laws but they're still allowing hand-free.

 

I agree with Perry's PSA - it's not holding the phone - it's talking to someone who is not there that's the problem. I'm implementing my own personal cell phone ban; if my kids are in the car with me, they can answer & talk on the phone. If I'm alone, it goes to voicemail & I'll pull over to check it if I'm expecting an important call.

 

OP - I'm so glad nobody was seriously hurt in this one! And how scary for you to be listening.

[AngelBee]

:grouphug: Glad your mother is ok.

 

Oprah did a BIG show on cell phones and driving not long ago. I have vowed not to talk and drive anymore after watching the show.

[Perry]

I have always wondered about this. Not that I'm trying to refute it, because I don't think cell phones should even be allowed in a car.....but.....honestly, why would talking to someone on a phone while you are driving (hands-free) be any different than having a conversation with a passenger in the car?

 

When we drive, that seems to be the best time for heart-to-hearts with either dh or with the kids. We don't gesticulate or look at each other (eye-contact), we just drive and talk.

 

Isn't that what is done with a hands-free phone? Is there evidence that the driver talking to anyone in the car is dangerous? I would just think these should/would have the same stats, but I've never heard that a driver shouldn't talk to passengers.

 

From Wiki

 

As compared to conversation with a passenger

 

The scientific literature is mixed on the dangers of talking on a cell phone versus those of talking with a passenger. The common conception is that passengers are able to better regulate conversation based on the perceived level of danger, therefore the risk is negligible. A study by a University of South Carolina psychology researcher featured in the journal, Experimental Psychology, found that planning to speak and speaking put far more demands on the brain’s resources than listening. Measurement of attention levels showed that subjects were four times more distracted while preparing to speak or speaking than when they were listening.[18] The Accident Research Unit at the University of Nottingham found that the number of utterances was usually higher for mobile calls when compared to blindfolded and non-blindfolded passengers across various driving conditions. The number of questions asked averaged slightly higher for mobile phone conversations, although results were not constant across road types and largely influenced by a large number of questions on the urban roads.[19] A 2004 University of Utah simulation study that compared passenger and cell-phone conversations concluded that the driver performs better when conversing with a passenger because the traffic and driving task become part of the conversation. Drivers holding conversations on cell phones were four times more likely to miss the highway exit than those with passengers, and drivers conversing with passengers showed no statistically significant difference from lone drivers in the simulator.[20] A study led by Andrew Parkes at the Transport Research Laboratory, also with a driving simulator, concluded that hands-free phone conversations impair driving performance more than other common in-vehicle distractions such as passenger conversations.[21]

In contrast, the University of Illinois meta-analysis concluded that passenger conversations were just as costly to driving performance as cell phone ones.[7] AAA ranks passengers as the third most reported cause of distraction-related accidents at 11 percent, compared to 1.5 percent for cellular telephones.[9] A simulation study funded by the American Transportation Research Board concluded that driving events that require urgent responses may be influenced by in-vehicle conversations, and that there is little practical evidence that passengers adjusted their conversations to changes in the traffic. It concluded that drivers' training should address the hazards of both mobile phone and passenger conversations.[22]

 

 

 

 

so there's some conflicting information, but the best studies show worse outcomes with phones vs. passengers.

 

 

I know that when I talk on the phone while I'm driving (which I almost never do, anymore) I feel more distracted than when I have a conversation with a passenger. I also recall reading that when people talk on the phone, the almost universal response is to slow down, which isn't necessarily a good thing. We don't usually do that when we're talking to a passenger.

[cajunrose]

I'm sorry your mom was in an accident..I'm glad she is ok.

 

 

I have always wondered about this. Not that I'm trying to refute it, because I don't think cell phones should even be allowed in a car.....but.....honestly, why would talking to someone on a phone while you are driving (hands-free) be any different than having a conversation with a passenger in the car?

 

When we drive, that seems to be the best time for heart-to-hearts with either dh or with the kids. We don't gesticulate or look at each other (eye-contact), we just drive and talk.

 

Isn't that what is done with a hands-free phone? Is there evidence that the driver talking to anyone in the car is dangerous? I would just think these should/would have the same stats, but I've never heard that a driver shouldn't talk to passengers.

 

My husband's company is big anti phone...not even hands free. The trainings they have had say that there IS a difference. I tried to argue that with him...that it's no different than him talking to me while I'm sitting there. They told them that the difference is that another passenger in the car is another set of senses. If there is a car that you don't see, the passenger will yell or if you miss a light, the passenger will alert you.

 

He has a point.

[PollyOR]

Michelle, that had to be so scary for you when she didn't pick up the phone again. Give your mom an extra hug :grouphug:. And I'm glad the other folks weren't seriously hurt.

[PinkInTheBlue]

Oh my goodness!! I can't imagine how freaked out you were. I'm so glad she's ok (well, comparatively) and the other guy is also. That's just amazing and a freaky thing to have happen. Wow...so sorry

[SonshineLearner]

What a good reminder!! I'm so happy for you family that it turned out alright!!

[Garga]

Hands free do seem to be pretty much just as dangerous as hand held phones.

 

One theory is that if you have a live passenger, they can modulate what they're saying based on the traffic around them. For example, if they see the driver looking back and forth, back and forth about to cross a busy intersection, they naturally back off talking until you're thru. But on a phone, they just keep yabbering and distracting the driver.

[Guest Katia]

Hands free do seem to be pretty much just as dangerous as hand held phones.

 

One theory is that if you have a live passenger, they can modulate what they're saying based on the traffic around them. For example, if they see the driver looking back and forth, back and forth about to cross a busy intersection, they naturally back off talking until you're thru. But on a phone, they just keep yabbering and distracting the driver.

 

 

I do think this is true. When I am driving and it gets intense, I will turn off any music we are listening to and tell my dc to be quiet so I can concentrate. Since their lives are at stake, they are very co-operative. They can also see for themselves that traffic has picked up or that the weather is bad and needs attention and quiet.

 

I've told my dh that I can't talk and drive, but he calls me when I'm in the car constantly. If my dc are in the car, I let them answer the phone; but now I make sure it's turned off when we get in the car. I can always check messages later.

 

But, I have asked my dc to get my phone and call their dad to ask him about something while I am driving. I hope it's good for them to see that it's ok for a passenger to make a call, but not the driver. When they are done, they turn the phone back off.

 

Now, my problem is getting dh on board. He gets very irritated when he can't reach me because my phone is off, and he insists that driving in the car is the perfect time to have a phone conversation because, "you aren't doing anything else". He does have hands-free in his car, but there are many times he is driving the dc and I somewhere and just keeps messing with his phone! I tell him to leave it alone, he is driving; but he thinks that if the phone rings, he Has.To.Answer.It. Right that second. Or, if he thinks of someone he wants to call, he has to dial right while he's driving. It scares the daylights out of me. Other than refusing outright to get in the car with him (which is kind of silly since I've been doing it for over 28 years now), how can I convince him to make the car a phone-free zone?

[hornblower]

It scares the daylights out of me. Other than refusing outright to get in the car with him (which is kind of silly since I've been doing it for over 28 years now), how can I convince him to make the car a phone-free zone?

 

You know what - there was a time when people I knew regularly had a couple drinks and drove. They didn't think of it as 'don't drink and drive', they thought of it as 'don't get totally plastered and drive'. If you could stand without wobbling too much, if you'd only had 1 stiff one + a few glasses of wine with dinner, then of course you were fine to drive. What is YOUR problem, they'd say.

 

The only way to deal with it is to cold turkey say "Nope. Not getting into the car with you."

 

You're scared because it's dangerous. That's all there is to it.