Wow, seems there are a slew of cell phone topics going now. I've been meaning to start this one for awhile. My town is getting ready to require hands-free devices while operating a motor vehicle. I do have a [stupid] bluetooth earpiece since you have had to have a hands-free device on military bases for years now, at least the two Army posts I have most recently been assigned.

Am I the only one that finds those stupid earpieces far more distracting than just holding the phone? I mean, I can't hear the conversation as well so I'm diverting more attention to listening. Often, the other person can't hear me quite as well so I have to repeat myself. The voice recognition is almost always off. I say "call Maggie" it says "did you say, Check Minutes?" Of course I would prefer a nice car audio integrated system but that either comes with another car or as a part of a car audio upgrade (or some other external crap to clutter up the car) and all of that can be a significant expense. Then I know you can get better quality earpieces but you never really know and that's more money still.

Then don't even get me started on all these people that just walk around, looking like Uhura, with these stupid things stuck in their ear. Like they're so goddamned important that they need to walk around with some God awful blue flashy thing stuck in there ear.

Obligatory [/rant] tag.

Hands-free devices certainly have their uses; I use one at work when I am working with a vendor and need my hands free to work on equipment while I talk on the phone.

They are pretty annoying, though. It bugs me when I see people wearing theirs to dinner, while in a movie theater, etc. I don't know why anyone need to wear their ear piece while having a bucket of chicken at KFC with their kids.

I use a hard-wired piece. Clarity is good, volume is good, works great, but it's not "cool."

You always just not call people whilst driving.

I hate those laws. The problem with talking on the phone while driving is not holding the phone: first of all, most people I know drive with one hand ANYWAY because they have automatics. But mostly, the problem with talking on the phone is being mentally distracted while driving...so requiring a hands-free device is completely missing the mark while creating yet another arbitrary law people have to follow.

And personally, I don't call people while driving unless it's fairly urgent, and even then I give full priority to driving, so talking to me when I'm in the car is a difficult and short event. I do answer the phone, but again, it's pretty useless unless you want to hear a lot of "ummm.......................................yeah."

wut

Sometimes I drive with no hands.

I mean most of my friends drive with just the one hand on the wheel and don't even have to use the other one to shift or anything. I only drive with one hand on the wheel when I'm shifting, if possible.

Anyway, the point is, it's the mental distraction, not the hand situation that is the real problem.

I was under the impression that you still had to occasionally move the weird paddle lever thing when driving an automatic?*

[*I do not know how to drive an automatic car.]

[* Boco does not know how to drive a car at all]

No, automatics require going form P to D and that's it. You're thinking of the ****ty flappy paddle shifters, sort of semi-automatics that allow manual control without a clutch [read: pussy].

I've decided I'll never regularly drive a non-manual car again.

The most common automatics basically just have a shifter with positions for "go", "do whatever", and "park". All you really need is one hand to steer and one foot for gas or brake. Doesn't mean it's smart, but it's all you really need.

Actually no it's just that every automatic I can remember seeing pictures of had 2 mysteriously numbered positions. I've never actually been in an automatic car.

oh, yeah, they usually have positions to force the car into specific gears, but no one ever uses those, the "drive" position shifts through them all as needed automatically.

Park
Reverse
Neutral
Drive
2
1

the last two are for times when you don't want the car to shift. I use 2 in low traction situations, because the tires will accelerate more slowly.

Yeah Boco, you typically use Park and Drive, nothing else. Park is for... being completely parked. Drive is for driving. There's also neutral, but that's usually only used for if something's wrong with your car And of course, reverse, for reverse.

The others aren't necessary at all, and each car has a different selection as well. Another drive (no overdrive/last gear) is common, which gives better performance on city roads, but is useless on the highway (almost no one does this). Then there's the numbered ones, like 3,2,1. They force the engine to use that gear, or lower.

The reason you'd want to do that is often for steep hills (engine braking).

All in all though, I'd say about half of all automatic drivers don't even know what those gears do, and almost none use them on a regular basis. Thus, automatics.

Edit: lul forgot reverse

To be honest, I don't understand the manual transmission fanboy thing. Don't get me wrong, I own a manual car and it's fun as hell. But I also have an automatic car that I enjoy just as much. Nothing like dropping that bad boy into drive and cruising around town

You don't often run into driver who don't know how to drive an automatic. Pull the lever down to gear of choice, and mash the gas pedal! Column shift is the only way to go.



Torque converter prevents the engine from stalling while you are in gear and stopped. When I was young this baffled me...... if the engine and wheels are connected how can it stay running when it's stopped?!?!?!! The numbered positions will allow the transmission to shift up to, but not beyond, that # gear. These are good for towing to keep it out of weak higher gears and to allow for engine braking when going down steep hills.

I prefer an manual because manual transmission will last a gazillion times longer than an automatic, I find it to be way more fun, and I'm a control freak and like to be in charge.

I also have an auto that I use on long trips or whatnot. Once I got really comfortable with a manual, though, I completely forgot that I was driving one. It comes naturally.

This is very true. I had an automatic that went out and I replaced it with a used POS manual that had more miles than the automatic did, for chump change, that I bought out of some dudes garage. Got me back on the road, 1 year later still going, and instead of $1800 for an automatic rebuild I spent under $600 for all the parts to convert the car over to manual, thats including the transmission itself. Best thing I ever did to my car.

You do still have to change clutches though, which kinda blows. But still way better than an auto rebuild.

Not to be confused with sequential gearboxes used in real cars with paddle shifters

I like having a proper gearbox. I like mashing the thing into gear.

I didn't say it wasn't more fun

Bingo. You know, I actually don't use my cell phone much at all, let alone when I drive. But if I do want to make and/or take a call while I am driving I think it is idiotic that I am legally forced to do so in a manner that is far more distracting.

Yes.

Sequential gearboxes are also be used with stick shifts, just not the typical H pattern.

If you guys think talking on the phone while driving is distracting, then riding in the car with you must be pretty boring (silent)