From: Ret. on
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


"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
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
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
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