Hands-free cellphone kits are not safe when driving

Of course it's safer.

Not as safe as not talking, but safer than holding a phone.
 
I wonder how having a conversation with someone over the phone via bluetooth compares to having a conversation with someone sitting next to you in the passenger seat, in terms of driver distraction?
 
Ancalagon said:
I wonder how having a conversation with someone over the phone via bluetooth compares to having a conversation with someone sitting next to you in the passenger seat, in terms of driver distraction?
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Depends what the passenger is wearing in terms of mini-skirts and low-cut tops, and the quality of the flesh in view ;)
 
Sinbad said:
Depends what the passenger is wearing in terms of mini-skirts and low-cut tops, and the quality of the flesh in view ;)
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What if they are sitting on your lap so you can't see anything?
 
I actually don't understand the test, it sounds like the GPS instructions was on purpose being erratic. Anything can take your attention away, having a kit allow you with more room and time to react. Bad drivers are bad drivers, there is no cure other than patience.
 
I do not question the results. I find it difficult to concentrate even when talking over the hands free kit. I think the difference is because you only rely on hearing to to communicate. When you talk to someone in the car, you have the non-verbal component and the other person is also aware of the environment, i.e. experiencing the movement of the vehicle around corners, braking, noticing the view.

The real question here is: MYTH BUSTERS, REALLY??
I expected that some road authority or safety research group might have identified it long ago and made a thorough investigation. Not just a sample of thirty people in a television show. Even worse is that Dial Direct adjusted their risk evaluation based on this!
 
What about those (mainly female) drivers who have to look at their passengers when talking to them? I bet they are even more dangerous.
 
"Direct" being the key word in their name.

Get decent insurance and not with Out Insurance either.
 
evilstebunny said:
Next up, listening to the radio is a distraction..
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This.. i don't see anyone advocating that so bleh.

But the following GPS to get to destination in an unfamiliar environment i suspect is more of the issue. Send a groupd with just that and they will end up on the wrong side and crashing too ;)
 
Hemi300c said:
"Direct" being the key word in their name.

Get decent insurance and not with Out Insurance either.
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Yeah go through a proper broker,dial direct outsurance etc are all part of the same group so basically one company and usually those are the ones you find on Hippo etc.

False competition.:wtf:
 
Skerminkel said:
I do not question the results. I find it difficult to concentrate even when talking over the hands free kit. I think the difference is because you only rely on hearing to to communicate. When you talk to someone in the car, you have the non-verbal component and the other person is also aware of the environment, i.e. experiencing the movement of the vehicle around corners, braking, noticing the view.
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If I'm talking to someone in the car while I am driving I rely solely on hearing to communicate. At no time do I take my eyes off the road to look at them or my hands off the controls to use hand gestures.

It would be very easy to tell someone on the phone that you're driving and thus will be giving primary attention to that, not the phone conversation.

MickZA said:
... that type usually have a tendency to use hand gestures for emphasis into the bargain :D
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Not long ago I was driving behind a woman who was regularly taking both hands off the wheel to make hand gestures and repeatedly turning her head to look at her passenger.
 
If you crash your car using a hands free set...you shouldn't be on the fcking road, period.
Sounds like people want to blame everything else, except their bad driving skills.
 
Skerminkel said:
The real question here is: MYTH BUSTERS, REALLY??
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And not only pseudo-science at best, but ""experiment"" conducted in a driving simulator, not real world. Actual science proves that simulations and real world offer different results.
 
Sl8er said:
If you crash your car using a hands free set...you shouldn't be on the fcking road, period.
Sounds like people want to blame everything else, except their bad driving skills.
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More like.. if you crash in Gauteng, chances are good that either you or other party did not obey a traffic rule or not paying attention to whats in front of you.

PS. I don't get why insurance companies penalise the victim in SA. The last accident i created was in 2008 yet I am penalised because in 2012 and 2013 idiots in Sandton drove into me almost exactly 12 months apart both while i was stationary..
 
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