I believe there is a different level of consciousness between talking on the phone and talking to your spouse or anyone else in the car. I know what you are saying, but I can speak from personal experience that with one hand off the wheel, holding a phone to my ear, engaged in a conversation with someone far away, I am not concentrating on the road.
Think about when you are on the phone at home and somebody else in the room disrupts your conversation with a question or comment to you. It's like a lightening bolt. You lose your train of thought and rhythm with the give and take of your phone call.
On the phone, there are more levels of attention given to the conversation when compared to a face to face discussion. On the phone, you are more careful to use the proper inflection and structure because you can neither see their facial reaction, nor they yours. So, I believe phone conversations are different that "in person" ones.
Somehow, phones suck us into a dark hole while we use them, whereas speaking to someone in person is less so.
JLK
Quote:
Originally Posted by memason
OK....I'll get hammered for this, but I don't believe talking on a cell phone [hands free or otherwise] is any worse than listening intently to talk radio, searching for just the right song on the CD or talking to your spouse, while you're driving. All of these things are distractions from driving...
Now, where'd I put my cigarettes.....
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