Very possible!

I believe it.

It really bothers me to see a mom with a child or children and mom is just chatting away on her cell and ignoring the children.

I find this statistic hard to believe.

Whatever the right stat is, there are far too many lousy parents around. Today's tech products simply provide new distractions for inattentive parents, it's not the cause of the parenting problem we have in the US.

What bothers me the most is that too many of those minutes or hours spent using smartphones is done while driving. Maybe it's different in where y'all live, but the rules prohibiting holding phones or so-called texting while driving are inadequately enforced where I am.

I was at the mall today, and it seemed like everyone was on the phone. Too bad, I think you miss out on a lot by not being "in the moment".
Snidely, I work in a court in NY, and I can tell you more and more people are getting ticketed for cell phone use and texting. The State police are getting taller unmarked SUVs so they can see down into the cars. NYS has a point system, and a cell phone or hand-held device ticket carries 5 points. It is a county wide policy that there will be no reductions in court on these tickets.And if you get 6 points on your license the DMV sends you a bill for $300.00, and $75.00 for every point over 6. That is on top of the fine and surcharge that will be assessed by the court, (in our court that is usually about $130.00 for a first offense).
A few years ago we had a terrible tragedy here when five cheerleaders from a local high school (all graduating seniors) were killed in a car accident that has been blamed on texting while driving. Hopefully the new laws will make some kind of an impression on people.

Insurance companies and law enforcement should push for laws requiring non-emergency vehicles to block calls when the vehicle is in motion.

People got along fine for decades without making calls or texting from cars. If a call is important, it's important enough to give it your full attention, by pulling over if necessary. "Hands Free" accomplishes very little. Your *mind* needs to be focused when you're driving.

We can't block other distractions like conversation with passengers, listening to the radio, applying makeup, etc. But technology can stop calls to and from a moving vehicle. We should all weigh the right to primarily unimportant calls and texts against lives ruined and the tremendous cost of 'distracted driving' accidents. (Remember when people didn't want seat belts because they 'infringed on your freedom'?)

It sounds like NY is least trying to attack the problem. I haven't seen many signs of that here in Calif. Hands-free devices are cheap, and many cars come with such capabilities already installed. The linkup is automatic after the first time, I really don't get why anyone is holding a phone anymore.

Chisue, part of me wants to agree with you and part of me doesn't. The handsfree laws are easy enough to enforce but nothing happens without making it a priority.

Applying makeup? Don't get me started with how dumb that is. In the same vein, I much too frequently see people holding a book or a kindle between their hands against the steering wheel while driving. I'm sorry to say, this observation is almost entirely of female drivers.

Children have always imitated their parents, and kids are getting their own electronic devices earlier and earlier. I hate to see this trend. And when I heard about this Fisher-Price product for infants I was appalled. At first I thought it must be a joke, but no, here is, and it's real. Strap your little baby into a device and force her to stare at an iPad. Unbelievable.

Our new car is equipped with voice activated phone service that's turned on by a button on the steering wheel. One little tap with a finger, say the name of who you want to call, and the conversation occurs through the stereo speakers!

Alisand, I saw that product on the news and was truly sickened. The younger generation already has a difficult time communicating with human beings. Sticking them in front of an electronic baby sitter when still an infant is despicable.

We were following a tractor-trailer and he was drifting across his lane (3-lane highway). We finally passed him, hoping he wouldn't drift into us, and I saw that he had his left leg propped up, his left elbow on his knee, talking into his cell phone. Far too casual posture and inattention to be driving a rig!!

The only problem I have with a car not starting if a cell phone is in use, what if it's the passenger who is doing the talking? Same as the GPS. I like to hold it and see where I'm going ahead of time, instead of waiting for Martha to give me step by step directions. In the case of hubby doing the driving. I like to know ahead of time how to get there.

We can't stop careless drivers from reading or applying makeup. We can stop cell phone transmission within a moving vehicle. Seat belts and air bags help after an accident. This can *prevent* accidents. Trucking and other companies that issue phones to drivers already use this technology; they have a financial interest in not being sued.

Balance the importance of most calls made to or from a vehicle against the cost of accidents caused by drivers concentrating on a call, not the road. How important would calls have to be to weigh more heavily than a life saved by preventing this distraction? (You could still call once you'd parked.)

Have you been in an accident caused by a driver whose mind was distracted from outside the vehicle? I have. A limo driver was talking to his 'base' when he drove us into a school bus. My DH was broadsided in our town by a teen who was texting. (Yes, that is illegal, but we're talking 'teen' here.) We've been narrowly missed while walking our Westie beside the road because a driver is 'on the phone' -- hand held or not, it's obvious by the glazed eyes and moving lips.

Why wouldn't we stop these accidents before they happen? Are some financial interests opposed? Can't the public break a bad habit?

I understand the concern for cell phone use on the road, but I also understand the need for business use on the road. Dispatchers need to be able to get information to drivers. We have semi's on the road all the time. On any give day we may find the destination site is broke down, the lines at the unloading site are hours long or the hours at the unload site have changed and thus we need to re-route our driver. But there is a federal law that restricts commercial truck drivers from using their cell phones while driving. It also applies to farmers who drive a commercial vehicle, even if they donâÂÂt have a CDL. The fines are steep. The driver can be fined thousands and the company can face fines of over $10,000. Certain hands-free mobile devices are still allowed. As a truck owner I'd be grateful if someone reported a situation of a driver as jasdip described. Many larger commercial truck carrier operations have a sign on the back of trucks with a phone number to report "how am I driving" so actions can be reported.

hilltop -- Thanks for the input. Not being able to talk to your drivers 24/7 is an inconvenience and makes your operations less efficient. That's hardly a show stopper when held against greater public safety, IMO. Truckers would probably prefer 90 MPH speed limits too. How did you communicate with drivers before cell phones?

Wouldn't it be safer for an observer to stop before reporting a bad driver? The observer is probably pretty upset when making that call.

Telling people not to use phones while driving doesn't stop the practice. (The texting teen knew it was illegal.) If you simply cannot make or receive calls while the vehicle is in motion, you'll stop when you see that a call is waiting -- and expect it to be worth stopping for!