I don't care if you believe me or not. That doesn't make it any less true. My comment wasn't directed at him. It was a generalization.

However, this post (made before mine) appears to be directed at him specifically.

I don't think cell phones should be banned from cars but I do think that they need to enforce the headset rule more than they do.

As for DVD players. Any DVD player that is visible by the driver while on the road is technically illegal.

You are correct. I should have been more specific in my reply. "Hand-held" cell phones should be banned from cars. "Hands-free" cell phones are fine.

Well, "distracted driving" is already a law and coveres all sorts of distractions (hand-held cell phones, texting, DVD, navigation systems, etc). But that doesn't mean people actually obey the law. Trust me, I frequent many automotive forums and there are always people asking how to bypass the safety feature in in-dash DVD players that prevent them from being viewed when that car is in gear.

My instantaneous mileage display is another information source.

If I focus on that source in traffic then my situational awareness suffers substantially.

This reduces my "edge" far beyond my legal responsibilities. It reduces my ability to anticipate the stupidity of other drivers and their actions that could endanger me and my passengers.

I usually drive alone without normal distractions that are a unavoidable part of other drivers circumstances. I see many other drivers talking on cell phones, with a cup of coffee, and three kids in the car. I see women driving down the road, tailgating the car in front of them, with their heads turned around messing with a child in the rear seat, enadngering the lives on everyone near them.

I can only dream of driving on a quiet country road where there would be no outside influences on my driving technique. In my normal 30-40 mile daily routine, I regularly have to navigate through over 50 traffic lights. idiot drivers, construction, not to mention weather conditions that the same idiots seem to think has no effect whatsoever on their ability to maintain control of their vehicle.

In 42 years behind the wheel, 90% of the incidents I have been involved in, were the fault of the other driver. I have pulled off the road to keep an idiot from slamming into me, while stopped. Almost creamed by a SUV on a motorcycle more than once. Hit 6 times in 6 months in the rear end by other idiots.

As you stated maximillian once you have watched any information instrument for some time, your actions become second nature. For that reason I do not see additional information as a distraction that affects my driving skills, unless I am stupid enough to risk the lives of everyone near my vehicle by allowing my situational awareness to be affected to even the most minor percentage.

regards
gary

I just ran some errands and tried to pay attention:

1) I almost never glance at my gauges. I shift by engine sound and I know the roads so well I don't really even need the speedometer much.
2) When I forced myself to look at the gauges, all it did was take away a bit from my mirror checking.
3) My trips are very uneventful. On the 45 min trip home I saw only two cars once I got out of the town proper.

I conclude that you guys are correct and that it was a misperception created by my being unused to looking at stuff. Ultimately, the answer seems simple: I almost always drive the same route over and over and it's boring! Of course I mostly remembered the ScanGauge as it was far more engaging. I don't even notice all the beautiful mountain scenery anymore (I should work on that...).

Had I kept the computer I'm sure I would've adapted. Thanks for all your input guys.

Still, I look at my gauges, even if I already know how fast I'm going (Like when I use the cruise control) because I also monitor my alternator, H2O temp, oil pressure, and Transmission temp. If my engine starts running hot, my alternator dies, or I lose oil pressure I want to know before any permanent damage is done, or I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere.

-Jay

My Accent just has fuel, tachometer, and speed. Well, and the time. :)

It's not like I never look at the gauges, just a lot less than when I had the ScanGauge.

I use the gauges to tell me when something is about to go as well. my car has a little over 183k on the clock and the MPG meter has actually tell me that something is wrong. my EGR valve was clogging up and I knew something was up a few months beforehand but just chocked it up to winter driving. the CEL finally came on and told me that it was the problem.

to clarify, I didn't know it was the EGR until the CEL came on but I knew something wasn't right because my mileage went down a little. made me feel better when my mileage came back up. I really should have noted that in my gas log. oh well.

Talked with an auto body guy a few years back...according to him, far more accidents were caused by fatigue than by cell-phone distraction. Of course, this was just one guy. At least you can hang up a cell phone. Sometimes, passengers in the car can create distractions far worse than a cell-phone, and usually you can't just turn them off.

Only the guilty need feel guilty.:rolleyes: