Driving and Cell Phones

SMHarman · 07-10-2008, 15:03

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedi...,5731693.story

Do you think maybe, just maybe that if she had not been yakking on the phone she might have spotted the lorry and avoided all this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scary drive for pregnant woman

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | jennifer.kelleher@newsday.com
October 5, 2008
Danielle Gruttadaurio was a day away from her due date and she was tired of being cooped up at home waiting. So she ventured out for a shopping trip with her mother-in-law.

But while driving to meet her Wednesday, Gruttadaurio was in a crash that sent her car airborne.

About seven hours and an emergency Caesarean section later, Gruttadaurio, 26, gave birth to a son. Despite their harrowing ordeal, mom and baby are healthy - and happy.

Gruttadaurio, of Speonk, was driving west on Sunrise Highway, near Robert Moses Causeway, about 11:45 a.m. when an 18-wheeler truck clipped the back of her car, her husband, Jason, 31, recounted from her hospital room last night. Her car then hit the guardrail, sending her about 10 feet into the air, he said.

The Gruttadaurios happened to be on the phone with each other during the crash.

"She was on hands-free with me," Jason said. "I could hear everything. I was screaming her name. When I didn't hear anything back, I knew something was wrong."

Russ · 07-10-2008, 15:07

In Britain we call them 'mobile' phones

Anyway it must have been awful for him to have heard all of that happening.

I'm not sure if her being on the phone was the main cause, drivers can get distracted by anything these days.

07-10-2008, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Do you think maybe, just maybe that if she had not been yakking on the phone she might have spotted the lorry and avoided all this?

The lorry hit her though, from behind?

But, in the few times I have used the hands-free unit in the car, I have found myself not concentrating. I don't know how it's any different from having a conversation with someone in the car though. it just seems that way.

smeagoly1 · 07-10-2008, 15:31

Can't remember or find the link to the article, but in the uk a few weeks back a series of tests where carried out. To everyones shock, mobiles and hands free kits while driving, impaired the drivers abilty more than alcohol, by quite a big percentage.

May have no baring on this case, as she was shunted from beind, but does go to show you, mobiles "hands free or not" should be a no no while driving.

SMHarman · 07-10-2008, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ B

In Britain we call them 'mobile' phones

Anyway it must have been awful for him to have heard all of that happening.

I'm not sure if her being on the phone was the main cause, drivers can get distracted by anything these days.

I've been here a while now!

Going native

---------- Post added at 12:06 ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by kryogenik

The lorry hit her though, from behind?

And she could not have used the 'small, economical, 3.0l V3 "under the hood" to accelerate away from the imminent danger.

demented · 07-10-2008, 17:14

I think there's far too much mobile use whilst driving going on with or without handsfree and I see far too much of the handling side of mobiles than the other. Quite often there are places to stop but you see people trundling along carrying on talking instead of pulling up, perhaps going at a poor speed, weaving, not giving way, RLJing.

It's hard to say in that circumstance,and I'm glad the baby survived and all seems to have gone well.

Halcyon · 07-10-2008, 18:24

People should really enforce bigger penalties for catching people on mobile phones.
They are a lethal hazard and cars in the future should be built with poor mobile reception to minimise mobile use.

07-10-2008, 20:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMHarman

And she could not have used the 'small, economical, 3.0l V3 "under the hood" to accelerate away from the imminent danger.

Assuming that was a doable situation though? Without knowing the scenario, it's probably not fair to say she could have. I've been shunted in traffic both stationary and moving and simple facts are, it's not always possible to evade.

Still, I'm in agreement that talking on hands-free does reduce concentration, based on experience.

Wicked_and_Crazy · 07-10-2008, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halcyon

People should really enforce bigger penalties for catching people on mobile phones.
They are a lethal hazard and cars in the future should be built with poor mobile reception to minimise mobile use.

Whats that got to do with the fact that the lorry hit her?

---------- Post added at 20:29 ---------- Previous post was at 20:28 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMHarman

And she could not have used the 'small, economical, 3.0l V3 "under the hood" to accelerate away from the imminent danger.

Do you spend all your time looking in the rear view mirror (checking your make up

)

SMHarman · 07-10-2008, 21:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wicked_and_Crazy

Do you spend all your time looking in the rear view mirror (checking your make up

)

I find cruise control helps so much when putting on mascara. However I have to take my glasses off so it does reduce my distance vision considerably.

I would like to think that I would have noticed that I recently passed an HGV (tractor / trailor) or if I was running in traffic that there was one nearby, certainly if all lanes were running at similar speeds I would hang back until I could pass it, not run parallel to it. Also it was changing lanes or doing something the engine noise may have changed, something you are less likely to hear if you are listening to a phone call not the surroundings. Would I have spotted it? I don't know, but I do think that her chatting on the phone while on a hands free and legal was a contribution to this accident.

Mr_love_monkey · 08-10-2008, 22:40

Quote:

"She was on hands-free with me," Jason said. "I could hear everything. I was screaming her name. When I didn't hear anything back, I knew something was wrong."

No ***** Sherlock....

nffc · 09-10-2008, 00:56

Illustrates the point that hands-free usage can be as dangerous as a hand-held phone, IMO.

The safest thing to do seems to be to ignore it completely, or to find a safe place to stop and answer it whilst not moving.

DanielleG · 10-08-2009, 19:22

Good Morning Everyone, I am the lady who got into the car accident. I feel you should know the whole story before judging someone, for example I was in the right lane on an OVER PASS, I had a car infront of me and a car behind me. I saw that the tractor was trying to get into the right lane but couldn't go foward or slow down I also couldn't get into a shoulder because I was on an overpass. I had to wait and get hit, and thank god for my cell phone because my husband went straight to the hospital if he didn't hear me then he wouldn't have found out till later that I was in an accident. Yes, phones are not the best thing but it was handsfree and I was obeying the law, it would have been worst if I was flipping channels on the radio and wasn't paying attention, so please before you judge me contact me.

---------- Post added at 18:22 ---------- Previous post was at 18:20 ----------

SM Herman please explain to me how I should "hang back" if I have a car behind me. Please I would love to know what you would have done seeing that you are infact Mr. Perfect.

Russ · 10-08-2009, 19:27

Using a mobile phone while driving takes your concentration off the road in any case. I'm not going to judge you but if you're doing something distracting and you end up having a car accident then there's no-one to blame but yourself.

Xaccers · 10-08-2009, 19:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ B

Using a mobile phone while driving takes your concentration off the road in any case. I'm not going to judge you but if you're doing something distracting and you end up having a car accident then there's no-one to blame but yourself.

I take it you drive in silence then Russ?
Must be bliss for your passengers

She was in lane 1 (this is in the US so right hand lane is the one by the edge of the road not the central reservation) of a flyover with no hardshoulder, there was a car infront of her so couldn't go any faster to make space for the lorry.
How exactly is it her fault???
That she was on a handsfree mobile is neither here nor there, the lorry driver didn't know she was on the phone when he decided to move across and clipped her.