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7 Ways to Talk & Drive Safely
INFORMATIVE 
Tags: driving, cell phone, car, GPS, Headset
Just like they say don’t mix drinking and driving, now it’s about the cell phone. No wonder, it isn’t safe to be answering calls or texting a message while driving, but with a handsfree, you can however be on the safer side. Here are some recommendations for going handsfree in your car:
| 1. | Buy a Car With a Bluetooth Connection: Many cars both foreign and domestic offer Bluetooth connectivity. Usually the sound comes through the car speakers (interrupting the stereo when a call takes place) while microphones placed in the headliner or dashboard pick up your voice. Currently over 30 brands of cars offer Bluetooth including Toyota, Lexus, Audi, Dodge and Land Rover. Many manufacturers make Bluetooth available as an option like Chrysler's UConnect or Audi's HandsFreeLink. |
| 2. | Buy a Bluetooth Car Kit: If you're not in the market for a new car and are happy with your non-Bluetooth enabled car then maybe you should consider an aftermarket car kit. Some require professional installation, while others you can install yourself with a plug that goes to your cigarette lighter. You can get a basic Bluetooth car kit like the Motorola B 89170N T305 hands-free speaker phone for around $50. A more advanced one like the Nokia CK-7W Advanced Car Kit comes with a small remote that you can Velcro someplace close to the steering wheel. It sells for around $125. The Motorola HF850 Deluxe Bluetooth Car Kit costs a little over $200 and gets high marks for sound quality, ease of use and design. |
| 3. | Buy a New Car Stereo with Bluetooth: After market car stereo manufacturers are starting to offer Bluetooth capabilities. Pioneer has several stereos that feature Bluetooth. At the top end Pioneer is about to ship three Bluetooth compatible models in their AVIC line; The AVIC-F700BT, AVIC-900BT, and the AVIC-F90BT with an MSRP of $850, $1,100, and $1,200 respectively. All three offer a big 5.8 inch touchscreen along with voice recognition that can even control a connected iPod. If you can't afford to spend that much money, Pioneer offers the FH-P8000BT, FH-800BT, and DEH-P7000BT, all in the $300 range. They include hands-free calling along with HD radio and iPod capability. |
| 4. | Buy a Bluetooth enabled GPS: Bluetooth is becoming more common in GPS devices or, should we say, Personal Navigation Devices. Using a GPS with your Bluetooth phone uses the GPS device's built in microphone and speaker for hands-free calling. You can also use it to call one of the Points of Interest (POI) like a restaurant or hotel. The popular nuvi 360 has Bluetooth as well as the newer nuvi 760 and nuvi 880. For a complete list of Garmin Bluetooth GPS check out the section on Garmin's web site covering their devices and Bluetooth. The popular TomTom Go 920 and TomTom Go 930 both have Bluetooth capabilities as well as the Magellan Maestro 4040. |
| 5. | Buy a Bluetooth Headset: Bluetooth headsets are everywhere these days. They're cheap and easy to use however they can often be uncomfortable to wear for long periods and audio performance can vary widely. One of the most highly rated headsets comes from Aliph who produces the Jawbone and uses military grade noise canceling technology to produce very good quality calls. Aliph has a new version of the Jawbone called appropriately “The New Jawbone,” which is available now for about $130. Plantronics has been in the telephone headset business for a long time and produces some very highly rated Bluetooth headsets like the stylish Discovery 925. Stereo capability came to Bluetooth via the A2DP Standard so you can now use stereo Bluetooth headsets with stereo Bluetooth enabled media players. Plantronics has a new stereo headset called Voyager 855 which is getting good reviews and costs around $150. |
| 6. | Buy a Wired Headset: For about ten bucks you can walk out of any Radio Shack with a wired headset that includes an earpiece and a microphone. For a few dollars more you'll get a volume and mute switch on the cord, and for a few dollars more than that you can get a headset with a head band and a boom mic. |
| 7. | Listen to the Radio and Don't Answer the Phone: This could turn out to be the best bet for your physical safety as well as your mental well being. Ask youself, "is this call really that important?" If the answer is "maybe not," then why not turn on and tune in, the radio, that is. |
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Talk & Drive Safely – 7 Tips
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