Any link"

Any action that causes you to take your eyes off the road contributes to the distracted driving issue. Whether it's trying to find the volume control on a new or unfamiliar vehicle or texting your girlfriend, your focus is not on your driving.

Most new vehicles sold today come standard with a host of electronic features which didn't exist just 5 years ago. Learning to use these features while driving most certainly contributes to the problem.

My personal opinion is that ANY cellphone use should be prohibited.

It's human nature to pay more attention to listen to what is being said whether holding the stupid thing to your ear or using Bluetooth.

How did mankind ever survive before cellphones ????

Why we texted and sent text messages using everything from clay to paper.

We had CB, amature (ham), and commercial radios...

Oh, and just where do you think cell phones came from in the first place?

Yup, the ham guys had these things called repeaters where the hooked into phone lines and used electronic patching, so from their radios in their cars they'd make phon calls... There were some restrictions... But they were sound it long before cell phones were on the scene..

Phone patches to radio equipment has been around for over 60 years. The patching between phones and radios was even portrayed on M*A*S*H episodes several times. The connection of repeaters to phone lines didn't happen until the late '60's or early 70's when touch-tone dialing became common. Patching was still primarily simplex n that only one frequency was used for both sides of the conversation. Two-way of duplex requires different transmit and receive frequencies at both ends wjere on unit's transmit frequency is the other's receive frequency. The earliest phone patches often where simply a telephone handset held near a speaker or the microphone with the operator keying the transmitter.

BoxCar, I agree whole heartedly.. My Dad used to tell me tales of phone patch being done back in the early 40's.. He's had his ticket since he was 12...

I was really pointing out the first mobile phones were realistically found in the cars of the hams when they could be controlled via the dtmf pads. I never considered mobile patching via simplex that required someone else to create the patch as a viable mobile phone use... Of course there were some who tried to control phone patch systems through sub-audable PL tones but as I understand it those systems primarily were rigged to dial only one number... But I've never seen one of those systems...

If I understand it correctly, before dtmf's became available, there were some rotary dial systems in cars, which tried to control phone patches, but it was more of a bit and miss as missing one of the contact sounds sent across the air could (and I presume likely did) produce some interesting if not unexpected results..

I certainly tinik we're violently agreeing with our perspectives... But then again, I have been known to have arguments with myself!