OT: Allow mobile phones when driving? Or ban the disabled from driving?

[Commander Kinsey]

I like normal when it's used to mean what yanks say "regular" for. I don't like it for "perpendicular".

[Commander Kinsey]

Please tell me you deleted that stupid Nokia themetune.

[Commander Kinsey]

If they have trouble sleeping, then they have to be blotto to sleep, clearly.

[Commander Kinsey]

"I just didn't change gear while steering"

By the way, this video clearly shows a phone can be used while doing something else demanding:

[F Murtz]

In Australia it is an offence to touch a phone unless it is in an approved cradle but the law has not caught up with wrist watch phones in so far as the police policing the touching of same.(or at least catching you at it)

[NY]

In most cars, you'd need to be very supple to be able to turn your upper body far enough to the left to be able to use your right hand to change gear (for a RHD car) - irrespective of whether you are going in a straight line or a curve. I imagine if the plaster cast is firm enough to cushion your broken arm, it could be used to hold and maintain the wheel in any position (by pressing the arm forward onto the wheel) but this would block you from reaching across to the gear lever with the other arm, so it's only viable on a straight where the self-centring of the wheel will keep you on course while you don't have either hand on the wheel.

By the way, I've seen some road tests of classic cars and it was mentioned that Citroen was unusual in having steering which self-centred if you took your hands off the wheel. I thought *all* car steering self-centred to some extent, and the only difference was how *much* force was needed to hold the wheel on its non-straight course to "fight" the self-centring. Isn't this due to steering geometry (as well as power steering if fitted) and the reason why it's much easier to drive a car forwards than to reverse it, because the force which tries to keep the wheels going straight when travelling forwards tries to do the opposite (send the wheels towards one lock or the other) when going backwards.

[rbowman]

What theme tune? If you mean the ringtone

[Commander Kinsey]

I do mean the ringtone and I'm not clicking that. I'm the sort that gets "tunes" stuck in their head.

[rbowman]

Bad to the bone, baby.

[Commander Kinsey]

My head is too full and everything reminds me of something else. Try this, remember something, what does that remind you of, what does that remind you of, and so on. I can bring up a memory about 1-2 per second. But you will screw up your head.

[Commander Kinsey]

I will admit my brain doesn't selectively remember very well. I remember pointless stuff and forget important stuff.

[Commander Kinsey]

You don't have to change gear right then. You can just use higher or lower than normal revs for a bit until you get onto a straight.

[Commander Kinsey]

As above, 27% have trouble sleeping, what do you suggest they do?

[Commander Kinsey]

That is not the only cause.

[Commander Kinsey]

Wrong. Sitting in your chair right now, try to pick up a cup of coffee sat on the other side to the hand you use. Very easy indeed.

I agree, every car I've had self centres. Even broken ones self-centre to slightly off centre. Nothing goes off at a ridiculous tangent.

I've never noticed when reversing that steering is harder. Usually you're turning anyway, but if you reverse a long distance in a straight line, I assume it's harder because you have rear wheel steer.

[Commander Kinsey]

My current car allows driving from about 750 revs to about 5500 revs. Plenty room to stay in the wrong gear a bit longer than you normally would.

[Commander Kinsey]

No. If I'm going along at 1500 revs, I can slow to half the speed without changing gear. I can also dip the clutch to prevent a stall.

[Commander Kinsey]

Those probably do you more harm. They indicate not to use them for a long period.

[Commander Kinsey]

You can slip the clutch. Anyway the point is you have more flexibility when required, you can delay the gearchange a bit until you're on the straight. It's worked fine for me.