Is it rude to demand that passengers in a car not talk when your driving?

SEPT 23 1989

A long long time ago the driver turned off the music because the tripping got so bad they couldn't focus on the road

meeeeh

mickrock wrote: »

Equally, if you can't drive on a motorway (or any road) without the need for incessant noise and distraction then you shouldn't be driving IMO.

A bit of peace and quiet is very underrated.

A bit of peace and quiet is very underrated if you are doing it for half an hour. Try doing that for a few hours on empty motorways especially at night and it's different story.

freshpopcorn

My advice would be to ring around a few driving instructors and explain your situation. Lots of people like having their car quiet when there parking the car or driving on the M50 for their first few times.
However once these people are out of these situations they can talk to people and listen to the radio. Out of interest what do you do when you've driving at rush hour or the traffic begin to slow for no obvious reason do you sit in the car or do you turn on the radio and try and find an AA report or something on a local radio stations about their traffic problem/ways around it!

hardCopy

Wibbs wrote: »

Really D? :eek: Jaysus I must be some lightweight when it comes to pints then. On three pints behind the wheel I'd be a danger to shipping on the high seas, but you could yammer away to me at your hearts content and I'd be fine. If anything light conversation would keep me alert, particularly on long boring motorway driving. And TBH I'd be pretty defensive a driver, even though I've been at it officially since the mid 80's.

That might be much of it though. I'd probably have close to three quarters of a million miles under my belt now so it's pretty much reflex at this stage, or at least the average driving stuff is(though reflex brings it's own issues, complacency being the danger).

I do remember when I first started driving my concentration levels required fully engaging what passes for my brain. And the Fear was high. A busy crossroads could have me requiring wipe down seats if the radio was on. In the early days my dad directed me to the Walkinstown roundabout in south Dublin to see how I'd deal with it and upon seeing it from behind the wheel for the first time, patricide and walking home were very high on my options list.

One thing that does bork my driving brain is talking on the phone. I don't mean the illegal kind, I mean the bluetooth carphone kind. I tried it when it first came out and nope. For whatever reason and for whatever pathway in my brain it uses, I actually would be "safer" off my head on drink, or LSD. Near complete shutdown of anything but concentrating on the disembodied voice.

*EDIT* even something as normal to most like talking on the phone with either ear throws me. I have to use my right ear to phone. If I use my left ear the other person may as well be speaking in vulgate Latin. I will get the general gist of it, but I have to concentrate really bloody hard and will likely forget the details if present. I'm wired arseways mind you.

I definitely can't pay the same attention to the road when Bluetoothing that I would if talking to a passenger. I won't take calls unless I'm on a stretch of open road even with a legal and decent Bluetooth setup.

Lia_lia

That seems a bit mental. I used not turn on the radio/not talk to people when I started driving but was grand after about 4 months. Only time I ever turn off the music off now is if I need to concentrate on parallel parking. After a few years you'd think you'd be able for it..

foggy_lad

I could never drive with passengers making loads of noise or singing/shouting or that bloody awful screeeeeeching that modern teens do. I have often given the option of shutting up or getting out. I would always chat away with people a small bit but not long winded conversations as my mind would be on the driving.

Samaris

Samaris wrote: »

I wouldn't, I'd feel a capable driver is one that knows their limits and is more concerned with getting us all there safely than helping to entertain me. If the driver wants to focus, grand, I'll shut up and entertain myself on my phone or whatever.

It's not about entertaining.. Having to concentrate on every move of the hands or feet isn't a limit. It's just a sign that a person is either a beginner or has never taken to driving.

I've never met anyone who can't talk while driving. It would scare the shlt out of me to be in a car with a person who couldn't do it.

Cee-Jay-Cee

The Dublin to Galway road is mainly dual carriageway for quite a bit of the way and wide two way carriageway for the other parts. If you are unable to drive on a wide open relatively straight road without being able to talk or even listen to the radio then you really shouldn't be driving.

blueser

Terrlock wrote: »

If your that easily distracted or nervous from driving then I wouldn't want to get into a car at all with you.

Is the correct answer.

Buona Fortuna

Doesn't bother me OP, radio or chatter, but I will "zone out" when something needs to be done.

So conversation is OK, but not something deep and meaningful.

L'prof

I remember for the 1st couple of weeks of driving thinking that I genuinely had no idea how anyone could concentrate on driving with the radio/music on on the car. Couldn't do without it now though. No talking either? Were they even allowed to talk to each other?

alta stare

I don't care if the music is blaring, people are chatting, babies are crying ( ok I hate that) or the car is silent I'll drive the way I usually drive, with confidence and focus. The only thing I will not have in my car is smoking...I dint smoke so fudge the ones who do

Shint0

OP got banned. Anyway, I think the clues were in the OP as to what the real issue is. Devil is in the detail.

indioblack

feloganlisp wrote: »

I'm 21 and started driving when I was 18. People say I am a pretty focused driver. This is because I don't have the radio on, listen to music, or talk to people ever. I was driving with some of my friends once and they said I was a bit rude for not talking to them throughout the whole journey from Dublin to Galway. But to be honest, I would rather be rude than risk being paralyzed in a car accident.

Off the road though I am a very hyper individual. I have had trouble focusing on many tasks so I would rather prefer when I'm doing something dangerous to put try to focus as best as possible.

Would you agree with me or do you think a might be rude and controlling?

It's usually just myself, [the driver!], in my car. Usually with the radio off - I'm content enough with a bit of peace and quiet - the occasional light-hearted banter with other road-users, "You twat!", "What the .... are you doing?!", "Indicate, indicate!!"
Once every three weeks I drive a friend into work for a week. He literally talks as he's getting into the car - and he's still talking as he gets out. For all I know he carries on talking to himself as I drive off.
His droning was distracting until I stopped listening, [about two years ago], - I just throw in the odd "yeah" now and then.
A while back a woman drove out of a side road, smashed into my car and wrote it off - police, ambulance, the works.
He continued talking as she was about to crash into my flank - even as I uttered the famous last words, "She's not stopping!"
As we were sent spinning down the road, amidst breaking glass, screeching tyres and me praying that we wouldn't turn over - I realised that he had finally STOPPED TALKING.

zSparc

feloganlisp wrote: »

Would you agree with me or do you think a might be rude and controlling?

I agree 100% - I don't talk much while driving, I just switch off and focus on the road. All people in the car and their lives are in my hands (and other fellow drivers, cyclists, pedestrians too, for that matter). I call it responsibility.