How Often Do You Use The Phone?

[MichaelB]

DW and I get our money's worth with our iPhones. Lots of chats and video calls along with the more traditional voice calls. We use a combination of Verizon, WhatsApp, Skype and iMessage to stay in touch with family and friends that live around the world.

I ignore most calls when I'm driving, but might take one, just to agree on a time when we can talk. A couple of family members have heavy schedules and will call when they are on the road. While I'd rather they not, I still take the calls.

 

[OldShooter]

I'm surprised so many people don't talk on the phone in their car and even called it reckless.
Why is it different than talking to a passenger?

I have read about this. It's psychological. We are willing to instantly detach our attention from someone in the car, apparently because he/she will know why that is happening. With someone on the phone, a major portion of our attention is kept busy and unavailable for the driving task.

This is a horrible explanation, but the difference between phone and passenger conversations is major. A little googling will probably produce a better explanation than mine. (edit: like here https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/chatty-driving-phones-vs-passengers/?mcubz=3)

The research also says that there is essentially no difference between conversations hands-free and conversations holding the phone. In both cases the driver's capability to drive the car becomes essentially the same as that of a drunk.

The cell companies have sold an agenda that hands-free is better but the data doesn't support that. Obviously they want to keep those minutes up and prohibitions against drivers' using cell phones hits their bottom line.

 

[ivinsfan]

I'm surprised so many people don't talk on the phone in their car and even called it reckless.
Why is it different than talking to a passenger?

A passenger is involved in the trip. When in the car with my DH sometimes we talk sometimes we dont. In heavy traffic or bad weather I zip my lips.I'm fact I become another pair of eyes.The stats on distracted driving are clear. I've been behind drivers that can't even regulate their speed.

 

[Katsmeow]

To a large extent it is a moot point for me since I don't drive home from work now and don't have a reason to call DH. That said, I think a problem with a lot of the studies is that they are looking at a large general group without really looking at how the exceptions differ from the larger group.

That is true in a lot of studies. For example, I constantly read about some diet study and successful dieters lost maybe 10% of their weight and gained back half of that in a year. I've read that well over 90% of people who lose weight regain. I do not dispute that. And, yet, there are people who have lost a lot of weight who maintain the weight loss (DH and I have both done that). I think there should be more done to recognize that there are exceptions and figure out why they are different than just saying no one can permanently lose weight.

So, yes, I recognize that some people are distracted while driving, even hands free. But, I think that people who are aware of the issues can mitigate. For example, I know one reason it is said that it is less distracting to talk to passengers in the car is that the passenger will stop talking when they recognize a situation where the driver needs to concentrate solely on driving and not talking. And, I've read that some drivers are reluctant to tell someone they are talking to by phone that the driver can't talk for a minute. I don't have that problem. I will say hold on at any point where I would quit talking if I had a passenger in the front seat.

There are also situations where I don't talk on the phone at all (such as unfamiliar driving situation, bad weather, heavy fast moving traffic). In those situations if I really need to talk on the phone I will pull over and stop in a parking lot and talk from there. I just think that using sense it is possible to safely talk on a cell phone while driving in some situations.

 

[audreyh1]

I notice a lot of people are already on the phone when they get to their car in the parking lot.

Heck, lots of folks are talking on their phone in the store!

DH and I are together most of the time, so we rarely talk on the phone, and it's usually just a very quick note. We're more likely to send a text.

I call some family members regularly. That's about it.

Unless I have to call a business for some reason.

 

[Nemo2]

Heck, lots of folks are talking on their phone in the store!

"I'm in the Frozen Food aisle...what laundry detergent do we use?" AAAAARGH

 

[audreyh1]

"I'm in the Frozen Food aisle...what laundry detergent do we use?" AAAAARGH

Yeah , but then I notice they just keep talking!

 

[Car-Guy]

I really don't like cell phones but I always carry one with me while traveling. When I do use a phone while driving I always use the hands free capability, if available. (My vintage cars don't have that ) All my newer cars have it and one has outstanding voice quality and voice recognition capabilities. The voice quality is so good in that car it almost makes using a cell phone a pleasure.

 

[aja8888]

The cell companies have sold an agenda that hands-free is better but the data doesn't support that. Obviously they want to keep those minutes up and prohibitions against drivers' using cell phones hits their bottom line.

It's my understanding that cell companies make the most revenue from data plans (high bandwith use), not phone call minutes. This would include running apps, downloading videos and music, website connections, etc. And that usage is traditionally not happening while driving.

 

[OldShooter]

It's my understanding that cell companies make the most revenue from data plans (high bandwidth use), not phone call minutes. This would include running apps, downloading videos and music, website connections, etc. And that usage is traditionally not happening while driving.

Well, that may be true recently but cell phone companies have been fighting for years to keep states from prohibiting cell usage by drivers. The reason was that prohibitions cut into their revenue. The "hands-free" myth developed from that and was pretty successful.

... The voice quality is so good in that car it almost makes using a cell phone a pleasure.

Until you hit something. Glad to see that you are a couple thousand miles away from me.

 

[aja8888]

Well, that may be true recently but cell phone companies have been fighting for years to keep states from prohibiting cell usage by drivers. The reason was that prohibitions cut into their revenue. The "hands-free" myth developed from that and was pretty successful.

They may have been fighting it, but, for instance, in California, it's illegal to use a cell phone while driving. And in our area, it has been made illegal just recently and is being enforced (not just in school zones).

Revenue generation or not, it's my feeling that cell phone use in cars (by the driver) will be slowly made restrictive in some form or fashion.

 

[OldShooter]

... Revenue generation or not, it's my feeling that cell phone use in cars (by the driver) will be slowly made restrictive in some form or fashion.

We can only hope. I just saw a story about a cop picking up roadway debris who got killed by a driver who was texting and talking. She was uninjured, of course.

 

[Dawg52]

I average maybe 1 phone call per week. All my relatives are out of town and when we communicate it is generally through an email or text. With friends, usually via text. I carry my cell with me just in case of an emergency.

 

[ivinsfan]

We can only hope. I just saw a story about a cop picking up roadway debris who got killed by a driver who was texting and talking. She was uninjured, of course.

Also under the influence and driving without a valid DL...hopefully there is some jail time in her future.

 

[Ronstar]

OP - you're normal - your friends are crazy.

using a phone while driving is beyond crazy. Even hands free talking can be a distraction.

I very seldom use a phone. I'll sometimes go a week or more without talking on the phone.

 

[scrabbler1]

We can only hope. I just saw a story about a cop picking up roadway debris who got killed by a driver who was texting and talking. She was uninjured, of course.

Reminds me of a book I read a few years ago about a young man named Reggie Shaw who was texting while driving and killed 2 rocket scientists in Utah.

The book is named "A Deadly Wandering" by Matt Richtel. Shaw has been on a campaign to educate others about the dangers of texting while driving.

 

[folivier]

I seldom talk on the phone. In fact when I retired I turned off my phone and refused to even answer the house phone. Just wanted the freedom. Now I use the phone more for reading books than anything else.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I rarely use my phone.
When I would work, I would phone BEFORE driving off in the car to DW to tell her I was heading home, it was not neurotic but needed.

I worked unrestricted hours so sometimes I finished 1 hour early, or 1 hour late, so the agreement was I would phone when walking out the door, that way she knew she had about 40 minutes until supper.

This kind of made me laugh. I am thinking of your DW looking up a fantastic recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook that was handed down from her Mother and cooking it on a Lady Kenmore.

 

[W2R]

For all you "poll" folks, sorry...this isn't one.

A few days ago, we had some friends over for dinner and the one of the conversation topics was the use of cell phones and how they have come to rule society. I made a mention about how I rarely make phone calls (with the exception of my Dad's check in once a day) and that I hadn't talked to my DW on the phone in over a month. That's when my friends mentioned that they don't really talk on the phone, either. BUT...they do talk to each other EVERY SINGLE DAY when one of them is driving home from w*rk! Yes, so every day the husband leaves w*rk, he calls to talk to his wife...whom he will see 30 minutes later. It occurred to me that another friend had mentioned that his wife calls him EVERY DAY when she's driving home from w*rk too!

So, am *I* the crazy one? Perhaps I see my DW more often than my friends do since I am retired, but since my DW is still w*rking, I don't think we see each other more often than couples of our age. After the friends left, the DW and had a ling discussion as to if we had communication issues in our relationship. We came to the conclusion that we were good to go (not that there was really any concern) and our friends were just crazy.

So, what say you?

I guess we talk on the phone once or twice a day. Seems to me that you are also asking about communication in a relationship, so I'll address other ways we communicate besides the phone.

Since he sleeps later than I do, Frank calls me every day to tell me he is awake and soon will be ready to go out to lunch. That gives me a little time to get ready before he picks me up. Since we are both retired, and live next door to each other, he usually just comes over when he wants to talk at other times and we sit and talk for hours sometimes.

For example last night he came over to take out my trash (what a sweetie! He doesn't have to, but knows I really love that). Then we talked for an hour or so. He went home, and around midnight he came back because he saw my light was on, and wanted to give me a podcast (on his thumb drive) that he had just stumbled across and thought I might like. We also send at least 2-3 e-mails to each other every day with links that we think sound interesting. We have been known to text one another but we are not used to doing that often since we are old fogies.

Also, just after a doctor or dentist appointment or something like that, I call him to tell him I am done, on the way home, and will pick him up so we can continue our daily adventures (errands, pleasure drive, or whatever).

I think we are very close and communicate more than many couples that live together.

We never talk on the cell phone while driving. If I get a call, I pull over ASAP, park somewhere, and talk from there.

 

[braumeister]

the agreement was I would phone when walking out the door, that way she knew she had about 40 minutes until supper.

This kind of made me laugh. I am thinking of your DW looking up a fantastic recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook that was handed down from her Mother and cooking it on a Lady Kenmore.

Too funny! I had the exact same image pop into my mind. 40 minutes should be plenty of notice, so I assume you beat her soundly if the meat and potatoes were not on the table when you walked in the door.

 

[kcowan]

I used to alway talk in my car when I worked 1 hour commute. A couple of times, I was engaged in active conversation and drove right past my turnoff. Handsfree but not brain free!