Phoning while driving is a bad habit.

Let's get something straight here. All evidence indicates that talking on the phone while driving --both with a phone or hands-free -- makes a person more likely to be distracted, have a slower response time, fail to notice a sudden change in environment, etc.

When we say, "No. I'm really conscientious. I can do both just fine." what we're really saying is "I don't care how much evidence is presented, I'm going to talk on the phone in the car because my need to have this conversation outweighs any concern I may have about exits I may miss, accidents I may cause, or stupid driving mistakes I make." Let's at least be honest with ourselves, huh?

Because I preach "no talking on the phone in the car" I kind of have to practice that. And I will tell you it's really easy and it's really hard. (Next time I get on a soapbox it's definitely going to be about something that's easier to practice myself.) And sometimes when it's really hard I become a hypocrite. A well-meaning, good-excuse-making one. But a hypocrite nonetheless.

Progress is better than perfect. So except on those very rare hypocritical occasions, I don't talk on the phone in the car because with that time I can...

• ...listen to CDs that will make me smarter
• ...listen to funny or educational stuff on the radio
• ...listen to music which elevates my mood...every time
• ...set a good example. I have a 9-year old son who will be driving someday and when that time comes I want it "burned in his brain" that talking on the phone while driving is as dumb as not wearing a seat belt.
• ...have a conversation with my son, thus proving to him that he IS more important to me than any call I might get or make
• ...revel in the complete silence of the road
• ...focus on deep, cleansing breathing
• ...imagine myself running faster and stronger, so the next time I run I can emulate that picture
• ...think up stuff to write in this blog
• ...notice the scenery
• ...wonder how much it costs to fill up a Hummer these days
• ...think of better ways to serve my clients
• ...think about what I would do with a million dollars. (Hire a driver so I could talk on the phone in the car?  Maybe not.)
• ...think. About nothing at all.

I'd love to hear what you think about this. You can agree with me or present an alternate viewpoint. You can share some other ideas for what one might do with phone-free car time. Let me hear from you.

Comments

[Mary]

Nothing like a spirited debate! That's one of the great things about blogging, so thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Paul.

[Paul Swarthout]

In my job its important to be able to listen to a customer's brain dump of instructions,
boil away the useless information, and concentrate on the core information so that I can
arrive at a meaningful solution. The discussion regarding gabbing on the cell phone while
flying down the highway at breakneck speeds contains a lot of meaningless rhetoric.
'IT' is a distraction. 'IT' is not safe. 'IT' causes accidents. 'IT' will cause you to
make stupid driving mistakes. 'IT' slows your response time. 'IT' will cause you to fail
to notice a sudden change in environment.

But what is 'IT'? The people who would make it illegal to use a cell phone in the car
would have you believe that 'IT' is a cell phone and the act of using one, and
concentrating on the conversation while operating a moving vehicle. But that is just
not right.

'IT' is DISTRACTION itself.

Driver distraction causes accidents. Driver distraction causes drivers to miss turns.
Driver distraction causes slower response times. Driver distraction causes drivers to
fail to notice environmental changes. Basically driver distraction generally causes
drivers to do those things that create dangerous situations that often lead to serious
consequences.

People drink their favorite beverage, eat lunch, change clothes, read the newspaper,
read their mail, put on makeup, shave, scream at their kids in the backseat, talk
with their passengers, talk on the cell phone, change the radio station, concentrate
on that self-help CD and attempt to understand what its telling you, focus on other
things besides driving, think about things to do today, tomorrow, and the next day,
and many more activities, all while driving down the road, often with many other
vehicles with drivers doing the same thing. Everything in this paragraph is a
distraction, when you are driving. And we have all done at least a couple of the
other things (besides cell phone use) from this list, probably in the last day or
two. And many of us, probably do a few of the other things from this list, every
time we get behind the wheel!

It does not take a lot of brain power to realize that most of what we do while
driving does not account for driving, whether we use a cell phone or not. Its
not about what you could do instead of talking on the cell phone, its that you
are supposed to be driving. Drivers need to focus on their driving. Many drivers
feel that their time in the car is wasted, and they try to do other things so the
time is not wasted. But good driving is a full time job. Drivers need to focus on
their driving....not on what is for dinner, or what I could learn from a self-help CD,
or what else I could get done when I'm not on the cell phone. Like it or not, what we
SHOULD be doing is driving....period.

Banning cell phones won't solve the problem. In fact, in my opinion, its not likely
to even help with the problem of the distracted driver. Drivers are a resourceful
bunch. They will find another distraction to take the place of the cell phone. And
in 10 years we will be back here talking about how that new thing is a bad idea for
drivers. The cell phone makes for a good scapegoat, probably because its one of the
few things that I've listed that can be regulated, and tracked. The real solution
requires really teaching people how to drive, and teaching them what is acceptable
behavior and what is not for our time behind the wheel.