Advocacy & Safety - Some idiot JAMs just refuse to get it.

:notamused:Some idiot JAMs just refuse to get it. Even some that work in the insurance industry.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110629_Cellphone-driving_violations_multiply.html


"Cellphones aren't distracting; it's the number of drivers out there who lack driving skills that's distracting," said Wilson, 25, a system administrator for Farmers Insurance Hawaii.

Almost all drivers are above average. Just ask them. That's why. It's only those other idiots that the law should apply to.

I was walking to my car recently when I saw a guy driving incredibly slowly on a two lane one-way street. I don't know why I say he was driving, because he was talking on the phone, the driving wasn't going so well. He made a left turn across the other lane of traffic, and wobbled his way up to a parking space, which he took just about forever to parallel park in. I was considering going up to him to tell him that if there is anyone that can safely drive while talking on the phone, he wasn't that guy. It's incredible that people don't realize how out of it they are while talking on the phone.

But some JAMs are getting it. One of the columnists in my local paper who is a notoriously bad driver (he has written in the past about rear-ending other cars and falling asleep at the wheel) wrote this: http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26447041-41/driving-phone-cell-talking-welch.html.csp

If this guy can come around, I figure just about anyone can. A quote from his column:

In retrospect, my decision to quit was the culmination of incremental incidents: It began with work colleagues who chided me about it. It intensified when my own mother refused to talk to me on the phone while I was driving, shooting down my hands-free argument. (To back it up, she cited a 2008 Carnegie Mellon study showing that, hands free or not, listening to someone on the phone significantly impairs your reaction time.)
In 2009, I saw a British TV public service announcement about text*ing that chilled me. I’ve never texted while driving — at 57, I have a hard enough time texting while not driving — but the dramatic re-creation of an accident seared into my soul what can happen when you’re not paying attention at the wheel, period

So, keep up the public and personal pressure on motorists who text/cell while driving. Eventually, they may come around.

Not going to stop them, look at how much it costs in fines and lost wages for DUIs, and there are motorists who still drive drunk.

But some JAMs are getting it. One of the columnists in my local paper who is a notoriously bad driver (he has written in the past about rear-ending other cars and falling asleep at the wheel) wrote this: http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26447041-41/driving-phone-cell-talking-welch.html.csp

If this guy can come around, I figure just about anyone can. A quote from his column:


So, keep up the public and personal pressure on motorists who text/cell while driving. Eventually, they may come around.

We need more ads on US TV and cable like the British ad he mentions.

In 2009, I saw a British TV public service announcement about text*ing that chilled me.

Not going to stop them, look at how much it costs in fines and lost wages for DUIs, and there are motorists who still drive drunk.

I believe that talking on the phone is significantly different in that people really don't need to do that. Younger people don't talk on the phone, they text. The problem is that texting actually does seem to be addicting.

Not going to stop them, look at how much it costs in fines and lost wages for DUIs, and there are motorists who still drive drunk.

It doesn't cost nearly enough. A DUI should really be a life-changing experience, (as in at least 180 days in jail (pretty much guaranteeing job loss) followed by a year without a license and a lot more jail time if caught driving with a revoked license, plus having to go back through driver's ed to get the license back) but for most of them, it just means burning some vacation time at work and a couple weeks' pay.

Put in penalties that really scare the crap out of people and make it a virtual certainty that they will face those penalties when caught, and things will improve.

I'm not a very social guy (who'd have guessed?). I receive maybe two phone calls per day. In spite of that low number of calls, I recently had a week where I had to hang up on four people who had telephoned me while driving. (Hey, I said I wasn't social.) Am I the only jerk who will hang up on people if they call while driving? To me, talking to a driver on the phone is like serving alcohol to a drunk who will drive home. I also won't serve alcohol to guests who arrive by motor vehicle since I don't want to be even partially to blame when they crash into someone.

Am I the only jerk who will hang up on people if they call while driving?

Nope. If the caller ID shows it's someone who might have a legitimate emergency that I need to know about, I'll give them 10-15 seconds to get to the point, then hang up on them. Anybody else gets sent straight to voicemail. The only time I'll have a long conversation while driving is if they're giving me turn-by-turn directions.

I also hang up on people if they call and are driving. I even hung up on my manager.

I also hang up on people if they call and are driving. I even hung up on my manager.

Managers are pretty high on the list of people who may think they have an emergency I need to know about right away, but since I'm not a firefighter, EMT or member of any other fast-response team that deals with life-threatening time-critical situations on a regular basis, they're also really high on my "send to voicemail and check it at the next red light" list. Wife and mom both take care of my daughters on a regular basis, and my neighbor never calls (it's easier to wait until I get home and chat in the driveway) unless there's something seriously wrong in the neighborhood, so their special ringtones get answered, and they all know to get right to the point.

:notamused:Some idiot JAMs just refuse to get it. Even some that work in the insurance industry.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110629_Cellphone-driving_violations_multiply.html

At the risk of appearing dense, does JAMs mean Jack Assed Motorists?

I'm not a very social guy (who'd have guessed?). I receive maybe two phone calls per day. In spite of that low number of calls, I recently had a week where I had to hang up on four people who had telephoned me while driving. (Hey, I said I wasn't social.) Am I the only jerk who will hang up on people if they call while driving? To me, talking to a driver on the phone is like serving alcohol to a drunk who will drive home. I also won't serve alcohol to guests who arrive by motor vehicle since I don't want to be even partially to blame when they crash into someone.

I don't "hang up" but I do tell them to call me back when they are not driving.

My whole family won't talk to anyone while either party is driving. We simply consider it a courtesy. Part of the "new etiquette," if you will. We also don't take or make calls when dealing with store clerks, or in restaurants. All just simple courtesies.

At the risk of appearing dense, does JAMs mean Jack Assed Motorists?

yes

Managers are pretty high on the list of people who may think they have an emergency I need to know about right away, but since I'm not a firefighter, EMT or member of any other fast-response team that deals with life-threatening time-critical situations on a regular basis, they're also really high on my "send to voicemail and check it at the next red light" list. Wife and mom both take care of my daughters on a regular basis, and my neighbor never calls (it's easier to wait until I get home and chat in the driveway) unless there's something seriously wrong in the neighborhood, so their special ringtones get answered, and they all know to get right to the point.

I would never answer a work-related phone call while driving. It's not like I'm going to be able to immediately do anything about whatever it is while I'm driving, so there's really no point. It can ALWAYS wait until I get to my destination. If I'm on a longer trip, I'll have my wife check my email/voicemail on my phone and read me anything that sounds important if she's there. If she isn't, I'll check it when I pull over for some reason and take a few minutes to respond. Bosses should be able to accept that, if you make it clear that you will not answer immediately when you're driving but WILL be responsible about responding promptly within a relatively short time.

I also object whenever I see anyone else use the phone while driving while I'm there. Making them feel social pressure not to do it is the only way they're going to stop, because most of them have a kind of addiction to it. I'll offer to drive, too, so that they can concentrate on their phone call if needed. Few take me up on that, admittedly, but it does usually embarrass them to be called out on it when I offer an alternative.

We need more ads on US TV and cable like the British ad he mentions.

Probably this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0LCmStIw9E

I'm not a very social guy (who'd have guessed?). I receive maybe two phone calls per day. In spite of that low number of calls, I recently had a week where I had to hang up on four people who had telephoned me while driving. (Hey, I said I wasn't social.) Am I the only jerk who will hang up on people if they call while driving? To me, talking to a driver on the phone is like serving alcohol to a drunk who will drive home. I also won't serve alcohol to guests who arrive by motor vehicle since I don't want to be even partially to blame when they crash into someone.

If you are driving, why would you even answer the phone?