Posted by Rachel

Last night I was at the gym and the woman next to me was on the elliptical machine trying to chat (loudly) with a friend about some personal family drama while keeping her heart rate up. It was ridiculous to watch.

I wish I could say this was a rare occurrence… but no.  With iPhones, Blackberrys and other devices making our lives easier, they also keep us tied to the office, surfing the web or chatting with friends nearly every minute of every day.  With this kind of use, it’s too easy for people to forget basic high-tech etiquette.

According to a study by Synovate, 70 percent of the population polled nationally observed people using technology in a manner that is disrespectful to others at least once a day.

So in an effort to get the masses back to basics, here are my four tips to keep phone etiquette alive (feel free to print out to have on hand to distribute as needed at your local gym, check-out line or elevator).

1) Nothing is more annoying than sitting down to lunch with a friend who is constantly checking their phone, replying to text messages or even answering their phone. When you’re with someone, make sure to put that phone on vibrate or silent and give the person your full attention. The same goes for meetings.  If the call is urgent, politely excuse yourself without making a big disruption.

2) Synovate research also revealed that approximately 72 percent of Americans view the worst cell phone habit as loud conversations in public places. With that said, yapping on the phone in a public place is a definite no-no.  Much like my gym example, I have heard more intimate details about random strangers than I’ve ever cared to know in waiting rooms and on the local bus.

3) It may seem obvious, but keeping your phone ring volume on full blast “da-da-dee-dee-do-do” in public places such as theaters, libraries, restaurants and museums is a big annoyance to everyone else.

4) Lastly, whether or not your state/county has made it a law, please keep off your phone while driving. Check these stats out.

• According to a 2009 Washington Post article, the National Safety Council has estimated that 100 million drivers use cell phones and 1 million people are chatting behind the wheel at any given moment.
• Cell phone users are up to four times more likely to be in a traffic accident.
• Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimated that their use was a factor in 6 percent of accidents. That translated to 636,000 crashes resulting in 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths.

So just remember a little etiquette when you whip out your handy little phone. Not only will it make me everyone around you happier, but eliminating your phone while driving could save your life.