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From: Ret. on 18 Mar 2010 08:14 Albert T Cone wrote: > Ret. wrote: >> Conor wrote: >>> On 17/03/2010 10:10, Ret. wrote: >>> >>> >>>> It has nothing to do with intelligence Conor - it has everything to >>>> do with the biological limitations of the human brain. >>> >>> Rubbish. I can put a RJ45 connector on CAT6 in about 15 seconds, >>> almost without thought. I expect it'd take you a good few minutes >>> concentrating extremely hard. >> >> Sorry Conor, you cannot escape from the simple fact that the human >> brain is useless at multi-tasking: > >> snip report summaries < > > The study of the physiological operation of the brain is very much in > it's infancy - it is not a mature science, and there are no good > models > of how the brain operates. The papers you cite are fitting models to > observed data, but I'm pretty sure that the authors would not claim > those models to be an accurate representation of what is really > happening. Moreover those studies specifically do not tackle the > ability of the brain to automate tasks - even decision making tasks - > despite the fact that this is one of the primary functions it > performs. > > You can walk down the street, navigate around objects and select > routes, all without conscious thought[1], entirely because you have > spent a lot > of time doing exactly that. the more you do something slightly > repetetive, the more automated that task becomes. Extrapolating > slightly, it would seem logical then that those people who drive more > will require less conscious thought to deal with those driving > situations which are commonplace, quite possibly including hazard > avoidance. > > I'm not making an argument in favour of using a mobile phone whilst > driving, but I can see that it may affect some people more than > others, > and as Adrian has previously said, I think that the logical thing to > do > is to prosecute with a DWDCAA if it is merited. *After* a crash has occurred - or before? Kev
From: Brimstone on 18 Mar 2010 12:27 "Adrian" <toomany2cvs(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:80f27gF518U19(a)mid.individual.net... > Conor <conor(a)gmx.co.uk> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were > saying: > >>> I have been driving for 46 years and was a Grade 1 Advanced police >>> driver. I would never ever claim to be able to drive safely on >>> auto-pilot whilst giving my driving little attention. > >> Who mentioned anything about driving on autopilot? > > <shrug> It's precisely what 90%+ of the car operators (I refuse to call > 'em drivers) are doing 90%+ of the time. > > Yes, it's the US - but... > http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/288870 How long did it take you to think up the right search terms to find that one?
From: Ret. on 18 Mar 2010 12:45 Conor wrote: > On 17/03/2010 19:02, Ret. wrote: > >> OK, we'll just have to accept that you are Superman - or just >> abnormal. > > Not abnormal at all. When you've been driving down the road, have you > sung along to a song on the radio? Have you retuned the radio? Did you > crash as a result? No. Why? Because it was a non event. Not at all comparable Conor. And in any case, no-one is claiming that if you use a mobile phone while driving you *will* crash. They are simply saying, quite correctly, that concentrating on a telephone call reduces your concentration on your driving - no more no less. It doesn't mean you *will* crash - it just means that your chances of having an accident are increased. All the research, not just into the specifics of mobile phone useage and driving - but also into the human brain and multi-tasking, support that view. Kev
From: Ret. on 18 Mar 2010 12:57 Conor wrote: > On 18/03/2010 12:14, Ret. wrote: > >> *After* a crash has occurred - or before? >> > > So seeing as you think its so dangerous, what caused all the accidents > before the mobile phone was invented? What about those from before > even car radios were common? All the research shows that conducting a conversation on a mobile phone is particularly distracting when driving. It has been tested, over and over again, using different people in different countries - and all the tests show the same thing - reaction times are slower, hazard perception is reduced, etc. Using a mobile phone simply makes a driver less safe - and that's a fact. Kev
From: Ret. on 18 Mar 2010 18:43
Conor wrote: > On 18/03/2010 16:45, Ret. wrote: >> Conor wrote: >>> On 17/03/2010 19:02, Ret. wrote: >>> >>>> OK, we'll just have to accept that you are Superman - or just >>>> abnormal. >>> >>> Not abnormal at all. When you've been driving down the road, have >>> you sung along to a song on the radio? Have you retuned the radio? >>> Did you crash as a result? No. Why? Because it was a non event. >> >> Not at all comparable Conor. > > Rubbish. You're doing two things at once. So you see no difference between driving and picking your nose - or driving and, say, creating an e-mail on a laptop on the passenger seat? In both cases you are 'doing two things at once'? Get real. It's not just the fact that you are doing two things at once - it is a question of how much concentration the secondary task is requiring in addition to your driving. > > And in any case, no-one is claiming that if >> you use a mobile phone while driving you *will* crash. They are >> simply saying, quite correctly, that concentrating on a telephone >> call reduces your concentration on your driving - no more no less. >> It doesn't mean you *will* crash - it just means that your chances >> of having an accident are increased. > > Its been strongly implied.. As a result of carefully constructed research carried out in several different countries. >> >> All the research, not just into the specifics of mobile phone useage >> and driving - but also into the human brain and multi-tasking, >> support that view. >> > Yet you breath whilst you walk, you can have a conversation while you > tie your shoelaces... See above. It's not just a question of doing two things at once - it's a question of just what those two things are, and how much concentration each require. Kev |