Classic case of why some people should never touch a phone when they're driving:

Driving home yesterday, we were in a 110km/hour zone, and pulled into the passing lane to go around a truck. As I came along side, there was a car in front doing less than 100km's (in the passing lane remember). I cruised for a couple of minutes, and these were the things I noticed.

several small children in the back jumping about although properly seatbelted. Someone in the passenger seat (presumably mother to the rugrats). The driver of the car was a woman probably in her 60's. During this time she not only answered her phone after rummaging around for it in her bag, she then passed it around the car, took her eyes off the road for several long periods to look into the back (at which point I started flashing my lights at her) and was swerving all over the lane (remember she's beside a very large truck).

Eventually she moved out of the lane and I cruised past with my carload of kids who all started whooping as we went past when the woman driving gave me the finger! What a stupid old cow is all I could say to the kids.

She should have been booked for any number of offenses, the least of which was talking on the phone while driving imo.

One of the guys I work with got T-boned on the way home last week. The woman in a minivan, chatting on her phone, ran a flashing red light at 60 mph. Fortunately for the my man, she was being followed by a retired NJ state trooper who gave a statement to the police.

I think the biggest effect a national ban would have, is the legal ramifications. Your phone records could be examined by court order, in establishing blame or denying insurance payment, after an accident.

It also starts to get more complicated in legal terms when you consider the person on the other end o fthe phone. I'm not sure, but I think over here, if you knowingly talk on the phone to a person who is driving and they crash, you are an accessory to that crime...i think. I remembr seeing something like that used in a drama...but don't know if it actually applies in law.

DC has a cell phone ban in cars. They set up sting operations with cops hiding behind trees with binoculars and such. Most of them are right before the bridges exiting the District so as to catch all the Maryland and Virginia drivers as they are leaving.

Maybe they outa get all the crack dealers off every corner of nearly every street first and then tackle this issue. I think more lives would be saved this way.

The UK does it. We can do it. The MP's do it, everyone else can too. It would not take long before the word got out. Same thing happened with child car seats. It took a while but everyone got on board with it and now it is an accepted norm. Drive with unrestrained children and you get a ticket.

Woman. Minivan. Cellphone.

Yep.

Not being sexist against my own sex. Sometimes the stereotype fits.

My older brother used to chew my mom and I out for talking and driving. He totalled his recently bought truck reaching in his pocket to get his cell phone. The irony.
My mom tends to answer her phone for anything at anytime. Thank goodness she finally got a bluetooth.
I will talk and drive but I judge the situation I am in and if I can drive responsibly and talk. I eat, drink (non-alcoholic), text, change music, reach in my purse...all while driving. The eating is really the most distracting, I can forego all the rest, but if I'm hungry and I've got food nearby, I can't resist.
Some people can multitast and drive, some can't.

The most involved thing I do when driving is sing along with the radio. While I am sure it is an offense against good taste, it does keep me awake for the long stretches of interstate.

I'd love a 'driving mode' on my phone -- it would ring once, then immediately put the caller through to my VM with a statement that I was driving, I'd call them back soon...

Thats easy, just turn your phone "off" and thats what happens.

I slammed on my brakes because I couldn't tell if this lady on her cell phone was paying attention the other day. As it turned out, she wasn't....And then she gave me one of those, you'll forgive me because I am smiling and being cute now, thanks for not killing me...and I could see her giggle in her car.

Just so you guys know, other women drivers don't neccessarily fall for your cute act in place of basic driving procedures....In fact that annoys me even more than if you had acknowledged the seriousness of your actions and had just given a wave.

The fact that she also had trouble getting her act together after the incident in question and remained on the phone really, really, annoyed me. Then it leads to thoughts about how some people even manage to live to that age.

If you know you can't use your phone and pay attention hands free or not, don't do it. It's that easy....

The fact that so many people don't get that and a law has to be made about it just sucks all the more. The fact that we are incapable of moderating out own usage is the burn. That's the rub.

I am much more acutely aware of it when I am on my bike. Drive like everyone is trying to kill you. Ladies on the cell phone in an SUV are the worst.

Well that's who she was. To be fair, I have seen guys on their cell phones screw up and not even give a shit enough for an acknoweledgement..In their work-trucks...

Then I am usually forced to stare at all the dangerous looking pipes or equipment stored on the bed of their truck...

No doubt, dudes are at fault as well.

Yes, but I won't hear it ring. So I can't see that it was my mom, and I better pull over rsn to check what she wants, or there will be hell to pay.