akirk wrote:WhoseGeneration wrote:Put simply, there is no need for anyone to communicate whilst driving.
Emergency Services excluded.
Or talk to your passengers
Or listen to the radio
Or think about / plan / go over conversations or issues at work
Or be angry / tired / frustrated / excited / etc.
Or have low blood pressure through not having eaten recently
Or eat while driving to avoid low blood pressure
Or eat a sweet or anything above functional fuel
Or smoke
Or drink (fluids)
Or drive for more than xxx (insert optimal time per person) in one stage
Or be conscious of needing the loo
Or driving with a cold / under the weather
Or...
Passengers? Yes, in-car conversations are a distraction and yes, they have caused me to miss things even on test/assessment.
Radio? It's non-interactive. Yes, a vivid radio play could have the same effect as a conversation but music/waffle is pretty benign.
Consciously thinking about work? Yes, it's a problem. You should be aware enough to not do it. If you can't or need to then choose a different method of transport.
Angry/tired/etc? Yes. They are problems and we should all be aware of our own mental/health state and make the correct decision not to drive if we are not up to it.
Blood pressure/sugar problems? See above. If it is a medical problem that needs controlling then a GP/DVLA might make that decision for you.
Eating a sweet? Really? How desperate do you want to get in your analogies.
Smoking? Nobody *NEEDS* to smoke at all, and certainly not while driving. Wait until you are stopped.
Drinking? Same as smoking. I would make a exception for a non-spill bottle of water that can be used with one hand. Nobody *NEEDS* to drink hot coffee etc while driving.
Driving hours? For some vehicle classes they are controlled. See tired above?
Call of nature? Why would you let it get so bad that it becomes a problem. Stop when you feel the need. As LBJ said to Alan Shepard, "There are two things that you should never pass up - A free lunch or the opportunity to take a piss."
Illness? Same as Angry/tired/blood sugar etc.
How far are you willing to stretch credibility in an effort to justify phone use. WG's statement above is correct. You do not NEED to communicate while driving. You choose to do it because it is a convenience for you and you are prepared to accept the added risk. Why not just say that instead of the increasingly bizarre analogies.
We all make decisions to drive when circumstances are not ideal and we all assess and balance the risk, whether consciously or not. We all balance ideals with reality but this is nothing to do with AD; it is, or should be, normal everyday driving. Unfortunately, for many the scales are somewhat skewed.
ETA: Oh, and it's only going to get worse as more of the driving task is taken away from the driver by "progress" in driver aids.
very succinct...
instead it is about pursuing a goal, while balancing that with reality.