That is my only beef with cell phones, I agree it’s rude. If my phone rings, and i’m in the checkout line, I’ll let it go to voice mail.
I think it is rude to be on your phone when you are at dinner or what have you. I have been to parties and there was a basket at the front door to place your phones in. The hosts wanted us to spend time with the people there not on our twitter or facebook accounts. lol.
That isn’t just rude. That is dangerous. The studies show that even talking on a hands-free device is distracting enough to make a difference in the crash statistics, but doing anything that requires the use of your hands is that much worse.
Texting has replaced mere talking, WAY worse. Like being completely drunk or on drugs, you aren’t seeing what’s in front of you or paying enough attention to drive, even on a street, let alone a highway.
It is hard to do, but our travel estimates now need to include time to pull over and make a phone call or read a text, if it becomes necessary.
In Iowa, texting and driving is a secondary offense, meaning you have to be pulled over for speeding, running a red light, etc. to be charged with texting and driving. If you are going to ban talking on your phone while driving, you might as well ban the car radio, screaming kids in the back seat, carrying on a conversation with your spouse in the front seat, drinking that morning pop while on your way to work, driving with the window down and your left hand hanging out the window, etc.
You are right:
Being alarmed at people who text while driving is not being an “over zealous safety freak.” It is entirely possible to carry on a conversation with a passenger while driving. Texting is in another category completely.
True, I have never had the experience so I don’t know what it is like. However, in the heat of the moment, I doubt the person having the heart attack can come to the phone. I understand once they are in the hospital wanting to call as soon as they are capable of answering the phone
Yes, I am of the opinion ignorance is bliss. If someone was diagnosed with a fatal disease I would spend as much time as possible with them before they go. However, if it is an emergency where nothing I could do would prolong their life, I would be one to roll the dice and prefer to not know about it and miss my chance.
In this circumstance what the caller needed was not an emergency and there was no reason to answer the call half way between a hand. He could have waited for the hand to be over and then excused himself to deal with the text.
Please, I was asking what constitutes an emergency to try and understand other people’s point of view. It was genuinely to be able to take other people’s feelings into consideration. But with your last statement, I semi suspect an argument is being made. That is NOT my intention. My intention is to understand. Yes, I will always find cell phones annoying, but if I can understand where the other person is coming from, I will be better equipped to be considerate
Yes, because texting takes your eyes and your hands away from driving, on top of distracting your attention.
)I would say that that situation doesn’t exist at all. I can’t even imagine what text would be urgent enough to require an immediate reply that put my driving in danger other than something like, “my sister is choking, should I do the heimlich?”
In the case of a true texting “emergency,” you can always call that person on the phone, and at least keep your eyes on the road.To address one of your other posts, people that are having a heart attack can talk on a cell phone. My dad had a heart attack while on a business trip six hours away. He called 911 first and then called my mom to tell her the situation and get in the car and get to the hospital he was being transferred to. I missed her phone call because I had my cell phone off and she couldn’t wait for me to go with her since I couldn’t be reached. I needed to be reached because I had power of attorney for my dad. I needed to be at the hospital because the situation warranted it.Hi Patrice,
I am asking this in a sincere way so please don’t think I am criticising. And I am NOT talking about your kids because in my mind that is a different issue. Let’s say a loved one (other than a kid) has a cardiac arrest while you are out with friends. I am hoping that whoever is with them will call 911 first. So, I guess what I can’t comprehend, is why would you need to know ASAP? By the time you got there, (which would be after the ambulance), what could you possibly do that couldn’t wait?
Let me explain. I bumped into a friend at a coffee shop and he told me he just got a cell. He said to me ‘Think about it, what if your house caught on fire, you could know right away.’ All I could think was by the time I got home, the house would already be burnt to the ground so I might as well enjoy my coffee and find out about it when I get home.
Speaking of cell phones going off in church. I heard a story about a guy whose cell phone went off and he step into a hallway to answer it. He was talking so loud, everyone could hear so the priest said ‘Must be a call from God’
Lastly, the reason I brought this up is because I was at a card game and this guy right in the middle of the hand answered a text
Sometimes the person you need to contact can’t take a phone call.I would say that that situation doesn’t exist at all. I can’t even imagine what text would be urgent enough to require an immediate reply that put my driving in danger other than something like, “my sister is choking, should I do the heimlich?”
It basically removes you from driving and puts you doing another activity, while still being behind the wheel. Ultra-dangerous.Yes, because texting takes your eyes and your hands away from driving, on top of distracting your attention.
(Well, for some who converse in the Italian fashion, maybe there is not a lot of difference–I’ve heard that people who chat in ASL while driving are a true terror!
How could that possibly be true? If you have a true emergency, and it is important enough that you desperately need to a response from a person RIGHT NOW, and not in a minute when they pull off the road, I’m thinking they’d be able to take the call. After all, you’d have to balance the risk to the lives of the people on the road with the life of the person in the emergency. Seriously - a person in an emergency would inconvenience someone else with a text or call, but NOT be willing to take the return call? The only possible situation I could see is a hostage situation, in which case, a call to 911 from the recipient of the text would be more prudent than some back and forth texting while driving - is that really the scenario that is being referred to here?
No, no, I am talking about why you’d pull the car over to check a text message, instead of finishing that leg of your trip before even looking at the thing.
Generally speaking, yes, but if the moderator isn’t staying on schedule, the speakers should not be surprised to see people in the audience madly texting the people they’re going to have to stand up in order to hear the end of their talk.
I am sorry if I have offended you. That was not my intention.
If the man had waited for the hand to be finished and excused himself, I would not mind the 2 minutes he took. However, he was semi expecting the call (because he told me what it was about). And it was something that could wait for the hand to be finished. So it how he went about it, not the 2 minutes.