h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Don't use a mobile and drive at the same time. Keep all your concentraion on the task at hand, DRIVING. Remember you're controlling the most dangerous weapon currently allowed on the streets.
I for one do not want to get mown down by some idiot who insists on having a conversation instead of watching what is going on. The sooner the police and other authorities clamp down on this the better.
Sorry DD, but i think this should have been rejected on safety grounds and has no place in the official guide.

Here Here!
Hands free sets are just as dangerous,if not more so. Some business traveler types seem to view them as a means to keep their hands free to consult their diaries, make notes etc.

Also, wasn't there a recent report that suggested hand free kits actually increased the dangerous emmisions?

Just this week, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA (a suburb in the New York metropolitan area) passed legislation making it illegal for a driver to operate a hand-held mobile phone. Hands-free units are permitted. It made the national news in the US as Marlboro is only the fourth town in the country to pass such legislation.

I agree; I can barely find anything on my desk while talking on the phone, so how could I really drive a car and chat at the same time?

I don't think that the phones are solely to blame for people driving badly, or not keeping their attention on the task of driving. There have been countless times when I'm driving and I see some one reading a newspaper, fixing there makeup, shaving, staring at a prize that they picked out of there nose, etc. People have just taken a relaxed approach to driving in general.

A general discussion of driving safety could be added, but I don't think it fair to eliminate the whole entry. The devices exist, and they are already being used. Removing the entry would be tantamount to pretending they don't exist.

I don't have a problem with the entry, I'm just saying people are generally pretty lax-a-daisy about driving and no mater what laws or regulations are made people are still not going to give driving their complete attention.

I'm not sure how helpful this entry can be on that matter. Most of these people seem to know they are doing something dangerous, and have decided they don't care. Perhaps they don't entirely understand the risks involved. But it seems society as a whole tends to concentrate on drunk drivers, but ignore other major causes of accidents like:

* sleep deprivation, which causes drivers to fall asleep at the wheel
* ignoring labels on prescription drugs that cause drowsiness
* speeding
* road rage
* activities like reading, grooming, and using cell phones while driving

Again, I don't see where this guide entry is culpable for such a huge social problem. The author has gone out of his way to suggest pulling over if the conversation has become distracting. I have a feeling an entirely negative view on the devices would not have been approved. I feel that, in this context, the entry is balanced and fair.

Speeding???

I was under the impression that the good ole U.S. of A. repealled its double nickle (55mph) speed limit for the very reason that studies showed that it was causing more deaths than it was saving. I believe it was a newspaper article I read that said that.

Unless you are referring to excessive speeding which is part of what I believe is better refered to as reckless or careless driving.

Sorry to get my back up like this. People use the phrase 'speed kills' too often to support local revenue collection agency (read police forces) when more accuratley the saying should be 'reckless driving with excessive speed kills'. I am happy to say that it appears that the local forces in my city are starting to focus more on these reckless drivers rather than collecting revenue from archaic speed limits.

As for sleep deprivation, I totally agree. I used to be a hazard that way myself. I found myself unable to stay awake driving even with a 'good' nights sleep. After consulting a doctor and getting tested I discovered I had a condition called Sleep Apnea. Basically I stopped breathing while sleeping and hence never did get a 'good' nights sleep no matter how long I slept. It has been suggested that Sleep Apnea is much more prevalent than previously thought. Luckily there is a simple and effective way to control Sleep Apnea.

Enough for now.

Cripes I didn't realize tensions would fly so hi. As a former comercial driver may I say that I have done many stupid things while driving, reading a road map, removing a jacket, checking my diary. All of t he above have involved taking my eyes off the road or hands of the wheel or both, at least using a hand free attachment on my mobile phone my hands anad eyes remain firmly on what I am doing.

I was only referring to excessive speeding. Accidents typically have nothing to do with speed limits, speed traps, or mild speeding. The accidents happen because of careless drivers, and because of huge speed disparities between cars.

The reason the US 55mph law was repealed is that it created a greater disparity between legal speeds and typical excessive speeds. A 30mph speed difference is more difficult to judge than a 10mph speed difference, hence more accidents.

My father had sleep apnea also. We had a very tough holiday one Christmas when his sleeping grounded us in a deep ditch in -20 degrees F weather. We ended up sleeping on the floor of a local church, and I remember being very glad that everyone in my family was still alive.

That about speed differences makes sense to me and your note stimulates a vague memory of reading about that also.

As for the sleep apnea I am glad to report I thankfully never had any accidents. I few near misses though. Scared the stuffing out of me, so I went to see my doctor.

Have a good one.

As I am a Mobile 'Phone Engineer, I suppose I had better say something here.
Hands Free Kits, either installed or Walk'n'Talk are designed my the manufacturer to make things easier for the user. IT DOES STILL NOT MAKE THE LEGAL FOR USE IN A CAR!!

British Police advise is to STOP when you wish to make or receive calls, as doing ANYTHING that distracts you from driving is an OFFENCE punishable by an on the spot fine!!

I reccomend you use 'callback' when driving. You can always call your customer from the next service station........NOT THE MORGUE!!!!

AS to radiation levels, I would say that mobiles are perfectly OK for normal use......
But I would not use one for longer than a couple of minutes.
A half hour conversation is taking things a bit too far, and is asking for trouble, as that would give the RF time to penetrate the skull.

Thanks for the duration tip. I myself am guilty of having 30-minute-plus chats on the mobile phone...guess I should get a special lead-lined helmet

Aluminium foil would do the trick.
Try putting a strip in a microwave oven and see what happens.....
Mobiles and ovens work on roughly the same frequency.

Aluminium foil would do the trick.
Try putting a strip in a microwave oven and see what happens.....
Mobiles and ovens work on roughly the same frequency.

So what is worse about talking on a hands free then talking to your mate in the car, or argueing with the radio (something my mum does all the time)!!!