<p>oldfort, re: policemen texting. I drove back and forth through a road construction area recently, and the flagger lady was checking Facebook on her phone while holding the stop/slow sign and regulating the traffic flow. It is a boring job, I get it, but it is also a dangerous one - you are standing right next to a constant stream of cars, and 25 mph is still fast enough.</p>
<p>I rarely even take my phone out of my car and I deliberately didn’t get a data plan (email/internet) for it. I am on the computer enough at home. </p>
<p>H always has his phone in his hand - and why I know it is because of work (he gets calls/email 24/7) I hate it - especially when we are out. S also has his in his hand or out next t to him, too. </p>
<p>If we are with other people H will usually only glance at phone to see who is calling/emailing and if it is not important he does leave it for later. Most of the people we go out with/have dinner parties with are not on their phones much at all. </p>
<p>Warning about leaving phone in car–don’t leave it in the sun! I left mine in the sun in hot car by accident once and it got VERY hot. Had to take off the cover and cool it off in A/C store before it would work again. Never had it overheat like that before or since, but it’s bad for the electronics to fry it that way. </p>
<p>For me the phone is just to be used when you need to communicate something important… such as missed the train, I am running later, my car has a flat tire and of course I do need to speak with my daughters and they will usually call while they are walking from subway to and from work or home.
I don’t do Facebook and I cannot understand what is so compelling about Facebook. Yesterday I was on line for the ladies room during intermission at a Broadway show and of course it was a lengthy line and limited time… so the young woman in front of me waited until she is next in line for a stall in the ladies room to check her Facebook. was she going to update her status? I don’t get why people feel the need to share everything they are doing or where they are all day, everyday. </p>
<p>In our house, family dinner at home or in a restaurant was dinner conversation with one another. When dining was friends, no one uses their phones unless to answer an emergency call from kids. Years ago when DH was on call 24/7 as a senior executive with a federal agency there were times that he did have emergency calls and always excused himself to step away from the table. To me this is common courtesy, second nature. </p>
<p>I’ve had plenty of times while commuting that I’ve asked people to either lower their voices or step over to the exit door area if they planned to continuing talking loudly for the entire 45 minutes. </p>
<p>I leave mine in the console. There are times I don’t even check it for days. If it’s very important the people who need to reach me know my home phone #. I do check it more frequently when I am out of town and keep it in my bag. </p>
<p>I agree with the FOMO idea. I don’t have it when I’m out socially, but if I’m home and relaxing or at work and plugging through work for the day, I definitely have FOMO moments. In defense of that, I would also say that’s how I get most of my daily news - current events and otherwise!!</p>
<p>I don’t really care too much about social situations. What drives me nuts is the number of people who cross into my lane while driving because they are on the *&^%ing phone.</p>
<p>Interesting thoughts. I like the concept of FOMO. There was a young woman at work who COULD NOT stay off her phone, despite repeated warnings. She eventually lost her job because of it. </p>
<p>There’s a difference between “important” and “urgent.” If the outcome of something actually depends on an immediate response, fine. Otherwise it can wait until the dinner is over. IMO</p>
<p>I have a serious question to ask:</p>
<p>What do you do when you’re on the road and someone is obviously on the phone, holding it? (For some reason, those with a hands-free don’t do this.) They drive too slowly and obviously distracted. It’s not necessarily texting, although there’s that going on too. </p>
<p>I’m not trying to get someone arrested, but I sure don’t want to be in an accident because of this idiot. </p>
<p>What do you do??? (I try to pass them, but that’s not always possible. I honk my horn, but they’re oblivious to that too. Any other thoughts?)</p>
<p>I’ve done a lot of head shaking directly at the person on the phone if I get along side of them. </p>
<p>Had relatives from France visiting this weekend - in France the law does not allow ANY phone use in the car. Get caught talking on the phone? Ticket and 2 points on your license. They were astounded when I told them here (in Ohio/Michigan anyway) you could chat all you want while driving. (which I don’t agree with). </p>
<p>@abasket - so they don’t allow use of GPS apps on smart phones while driving? That wouldn’t fly well with me, especially if I was a tourist and needed the GPS to get anywhere. </p>
<p>What if one of your passengers is using a phone? Is that OK?</p>
<p>Move to NJ. We have very restrictive cell phone rules when driving. If you are caught using it while driving, then the ticket is quite high. </p>
<p>Remember that some people run their businesses with their phones. If they are away from their computer, then their phone becomes their main business tool. </p>
<p>If we are out to dinner with someone who is otherwise engaged on their phone and it’s a thing with their kid, I don’t care. This too will pass. </p>
<p>If we are out to dinner with someone who is just on the phone texting or checking scores, I’ll text them what’s going on at the table. I have a rep as a smart ass so they think it’s funny. If it happens repeatedly? I stop issuing or accepting invites. I can always text them to catch up. That’s just me. </p>
<p>We were at a very nice restaurant recently for my birthday. I couldn’t help noticing that the couple next to us rarely made ANY eye contact and spent just about the entire two hours on their electronic devices, throughout the entire meal–nice wine, appetizers, main course and dessert. I thought it was very weird, but D didn’t bat an eye. H, the kids, and I try not to look at electronics at all when we are at meals. It just seems quite rude. Come to think of it, when the extended family gathers for events, the only time folks use their phones or electronics is to take photos or show photos that are on their phones.</p>
<p>@teriwtt, from what I understood from them (we do have a bit of a language barrier) it is ok if someone else in the car is on the phone. They told me en route to our house the driver’s girlfriend called, so they pulled off the road, switched drivers and then he called her back from the passenger seat.</p>
<p>Re: GPS, they said they are allowed to use GPS w/it mounted on the dash. I didn’t ask specifically, but they happened to answer that in conversation. </p>
<p>Here’s one woman who nearly died because of texting while driving. As she said in interview in the hospital, it was totally preventable.</p>
<p><a href=“Woman Crashes Car, Impales Buttocks After Texting While Driving”>http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news-channel/woman-crashes-car-impales-buttocks-after-texting-while-driving-324080195932</a></p>
<p>When I need to be texting and on my phone, H drives and asks me to speak very quietly so as not to distract him. It works well for us. I also bought a handsfree speaker device made by Jabra that sits on my driver side car visor and is bluetooth enabled. I try to limit my use of it, but it does come in handy when it is unavoidable that I have to communicate while driving. It is legal to use in our state while driving, as long as you don’t touch your phone at all.</p>
<p>I took my daughter and her college roommate to our city’s big annual rodeo, and on the way out the girls wanted to stop and hear a a band playing on the fairgrounds and perhaps dance. Once inside the tent they started to feel awkward and both got their phones out and started texting other people. I had no phone and my husband had stayed home. But I was having a nice time watching the dancing. In no time, a handsome gentleman came and asked ME to dance! When I was able to catch my daughter’s eye, I motioned to her to put her phone away. She did, and was quickly asked to dance by a guy. Her cute roommate never did put up her phone and never got asked to dance…</p>
<p>I have friends from Israel who say that it’s a zillion-dollar ticket (well, 4 zillion-shekel) ticket for the driver to touch a phone in the car. They were amazed that I used my phone as a GPS while driving when they visited me.</p>
<p>At least a couple of times a week, driving in NYC, I have to honk my horn when a red light changes because the car in front of me just sits there. I know the drivers are checking their phones or texting. For what it’s worth, there’s a pretty hefty fine for talking on a cell phone unless it’s hands-off and a much bigger one for texting but, like for many traffic violations here, enforcement is very spotty.</p>
<p>I think there are a lot of sub groups of this issue. Driving while on the phone, families using phones at meals, etc. A lot of it drives me nuts and some of it infuriates me but last night just seemed almost surreal. I mean these people are in their fifties. We hadn’t had a get together with them in months. The hostess had worked hard to prepare a lovely meal for us. And yet, they can’t focus on the conversation. It’s as if we are just too boring to maintain their attention. How can we compete with twitter and facebook and the latest thunderstorm alert. When they finally, occasionally, put the phone down, the damn things keep beeping alerts at them as if they are personally in charge of preparing the region for a thunderstorm. I guess I just needed to vent. </p>
<p>The posters who said that it is ruder to point out rude behavior than it is to display it…hmm. Not sure I agree. Kind of a shame on you for noticing how rude I am thing.</p>