Is phone considered a need?

[vole]

It isn't. Both are equally dangerous. As noted, it is the process of having the conversation that is dangerous. Both holding a phone and using a hands-free device should be avoided while driving and, in my opinion, should be illegal. If the call is that vital, pull off the road and talk.

I suppose holding the phone is a bit more dangerous because it takes one hand off the wheel and could possibly partially block your peripheral vision on that side.

So why wasn't this an issue with CB radios? Almost every trucker was using them as well as lots of cars.

[disneysteve]

So why wasn't this an issue with CB radios? Almost every trucker was using them as well as lots of cars.

I was around and driving during the CB craze.

1. CB usage then was minimal compared to cell phone usage today. Several, certainly not all, of my friends had CBs. I don't think any adults I knew had them. Now, everyone I know has a cell phone from my 13-year-old daughter to my almost 80-year-old mother and everyone in between.

2. There are far more cars on the road today than there were 25 years ago.

3. People have added distractions like GPS units, entertainment systems, etc. not to mention sending and receiving text messages and e-mail.

[SacredFaerie]

It's the act of conversation that can cause accidents. However, the same thing can happen if someone is in the car and you're discussing something with them.


As long as both my hands are on the wheel people should mind their own business.

[disneysteve]

As long as both my hands are on the wheel people should mind their own business.

Having both hands on the wheel doesn't mean that your attention is on the road.

[Goldy1]

These days the question should be DOES AN 11 YEAR OLD NEED A CELL PHONE! LOL

[Goldy1]

I am 33 and do not text. My dad is 52 and he does. I have no interest at all. no thanks. I would have liked it in my early 20's when dating and whatnot I could text a guy w/o the whole "am I being too forward by calling/" question. lol. It's more casual. but I digress.
Oh I am all for technology and online dating by the way.

[disneysteve]

These days the question should be DOES AN 11 YEAR OLD NEED A CELL PHONE! LOL

I think the answer is: Sometimes. It really depends on the situation. Our daughter started asking when she was about 10 and we said no. We saw no reason for her to have one. She was never away from home in a setting where she wasn't under direct supervision of adults who could call us or call for help in an emergency. Several of her friends had phones but we didn't feel she needed one.

Fast forward a year or so. She was going to Beach Jam, a Girl Scout event where they camp on the beach at the Jersey Shore for a weekend. During the weekend, they are allowed to go off and do stuff on the Boardwalk in small groups. Even though most of the girls had phones, we wanted her to have her own and not have to depend on anyone else if she got lost or seperated from the group, so that's when she got her phone.

[Judi Dial]

In this house, a phone is a need. This is a one income household and my husband telecommutes. We have actually got 4 phones: house line, his work line, his cell (provided by his co.) and my cell (prepaid plan). Without the phone/DSL he'd be commuting into Boston, a 4 hour round trip. That would require work clothes (fancy suit), a 2nd car, etc. As it is, we can write off part of the house, the DSL is paid for by his co. and so is his cell.

On the other hand, we have no television, as that is NOT something we need!

JD

[maat55]

It is not a need, IMO, it can be an investment in some circumstances, but I consider it the lowest form of a want. Maybe a ne-ant.

[SacredFaerie]

Having both hands on the wheel doesn't mean that your attention is on the road.

How much attention can you be paying to the road if you're uber concerned about other people in their cars.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

maat I don't think it's a want necessarily, but rather it CAN be a need.

I think it really depends. Like I said for us it's a need. NOW fancy cell phones, texting, is all wants.

But basic need? Yes. For jobs.

By the way my brother's on-call job it's a need, unless you don't want national security. LOL. Or a doctor with a pager and cell, they probably need a phone unless you don't want to be able to call them for surgery.

Phones can be a need or want depending on the person and situation.

[maat55]

maat I don't think it's a want necessarily, but rather it CAN be a need.

I think it really depends. Like I said for us it's a need. NOW fancy cell phones, texting, is all wants.

But basic need? Yes. For jobs.

By the way my brother's on-call job it's a need, unless you don't want national security. LOL. Or a doctor with a pager and cell, they probably need a phone unless you don't want to be able to call them for surgery.

Phones can be a need or want depending on the person and situation.

I agree that using it for employment and in other business uses, it is an investment.

I also don't remember people needing one to survive before they were invented.

That's why I am on the fence, to some it's a need, to some it is not.

[disneysteve]

I also don't remember people needing one to survive before they were invented.

That could be seen as a flawed argument, though.

Indoor plumbing isn't a need for survival but I don't see too many folks who still use outhouses.

The same could be said for a number of other modern inventions.

They may not be needs in the very strictest sense of the word, but for all practical purposes, they are needed to function in a modern society.

[Phenomenal Woman]

Texting is a need for me due to being deaf and thus why a simple phone is not a choice for me when it comes to selecting phones. This unfortunately influences my husband, family and very close friends to have a more expensive phone/ plan so they can comfortably text. Bless their kind heart for willing to do this to communicate with me. Also these days, technology is changing and we are going to be using more text, emails and other mediums of communicating whether we like it or not.
I can see a phone being a need for employment. However if you need the phone on the job, the company provides and pay for the phone in most cases. Unless you own your business, I personally would not want to work for a company if I had to pay additional expenses or using my car on the job without some form of reimbursements.
I would not want to go without a text phone but if I was in dire financial situation, I would let the phone go until I get my head above water.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Maybe that's why people died so much before. Doctors couldn't come to the hospital without phones, so doctors would be scheduled on shifts. If they got into an accident or something then the patients waiting for gallbladder surgery too bad. Go die on the table. We can't call the next doctor on the list.