Toys4RJill

I dunno about airplane mode. But that is not the feature I use. The auto do not Disturb While Driving mode was one of the features I was willing to pay extra for. I also have it set up so that very special people get an immediate text back that says I am driving.

Toys4RJill

Already exists for certain iPhone users.

My experience with Car Play was very good. Very easy to use. Not at all distracting.

Stroock639

i think the road test should include some kind of mandatory phone use / distracting electronic device situation, phones aren't going away and for the road test to just have a "well people can't and shouldn't be using them in the first place since it's illegal and dangerous" attitude is doing nothing to address the issue and being totally detached from reality... driving requires multitasking and the ability to multitask at least should have to be demonstrated, especially considering modern cars themselves have so many distracting electronics within them

this is also kind of tied in with my make it generally more difficult to get a license in the first place plan, since i'm always looking for ways to reduce traffic lol... i try not to make a habit of it, but i'm perfectly capable of glancing down at my phone for a second to change the song or whatever without starting to veer out of my lane, i've seen many that can't and it makes me uneasy that there are so many of such people going around

and forget the phones, the cars themselves can be incredibly distracting to use... many major controls are now buried within touch screen operated submenus which is no better than looking at a phone for a moment, i think there's somewhat of a case to be made that the new prius might be one of the most dangerous cars out there, largely from the way it can make trying to get good mpgs into a fun game lol (good thing it can stop itself)

mmarshall

As an ex-pilot, I can tell you that flying requires far more multi-tasking, especially when in a high-density airspace talking to controllers, than almost anything one will face while driving, short of an emergency. But pilots train for that, and are re-evacuated yearly for it...the average driver, under most conditions, does not.


Yep....agreed. The new Lincoln MKZ Hybrid I was sampling today had a screen-menu that was like that.....endless scrolling and mode-switching to find what you wanted.

SW17LS

This is 100% the truth. Shaking our fists in the air saying "people shouldn't do this" isn't going to work, it needs to be made safer.

I'm guilty of this too. Life is hectic, I'm running around all day working, if I didnt work in my car while driving I wouldn't be effective at my job. I don't read or type responses to texts while I'm moving, but I absolutely look at and respond to texts and emails when I'm stopped at a light. Theres just no way around that. I've tried using Siri and whatever to text and reply by voice, but often thats more distracting than just typing the text because it works so poorly.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Enforcement is just too lax, there should be motorcycle and bicycle cops catching distracted driving, and these violations should have very severe penalties.

SW17LS

Enforcement isn't going to be the answer, because the issue is that this type of communication has become part of our way of life. Its just not realistic to expect that people are going to get into a car and stop communicating the primary way they communicate.

So what we need to do is design ways for us to communicate that way while driving that are less distracting.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Well, in NYC texting while driving is already a 5 point violation, so anyone hit with it isn't likely to do it again, but there isn't enough enforcement. A system of road cameras using face recognition technology that automatically recognized and fines drivers for being distracted, as well as other violations can't come soon enough.

Toys4RJill

Fully agree. Apple Car Play really helps achieve this ideal. It's not perfect, but it can get there.

SW17LS

I would bet any amount of money the bolded statement is very wrong LOL. Fining people is just not a reliable means to change behavior, it has never been.

This is the other thing, we've had a rise in this "distraction" why haven't we seen a rise in the number of vehicle accidents and deaths as well? We haven't.

You would think from the hysteria accidents and deaths would be way up...but they aren't.

This is an issue improved (nothing is ever solved) in two ways:

1. Making integration more natural so people won't need to touch their phone when driving.

2. Improving and saturating the market with automatic crash avoidance features in cars.

If everybody had a car that wouldnt rear end a car ahead of it, and would shove itself back into a lane, and they all had cars where they can text seamlessly verbally or whatever integrated into the car and had total control over music, etc this wouldnt be a big deal at all.

Toys4RJill

I dunno. In Toronto It is a $1000 fine, points, and a 3 day license suspension.

SW17LS

If fines worked, you wouldnt have an issue with distracted driving in Toronto then.

Toys4RJill

I do not know how bad or not the distracted driving situation is in Ontario. It's new for 2019, but I don't complain very much about crazy drivers or slow drivers. My father does and I have never known why he cares so much. Anyways, the fine of $1000 is kinda irrelevant, it's the points and suspension to me which is a deterrent. But there will always be illegal stuff going on. How are these deterrents measured if they work? I am not sure. Ontario did have and extensive speeding problem where 35mph over the speed limit was not enough, they put in a $10,000 fine and a 7 day suspension which helped a lot.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Once you have 11 points in NYC, you get a suspension and anything over 6 points comes with additional fines. And of course insurance rate goes up with every point. I think for most reasonable people this is a very effective deterrent.

Have you seen the statistics, distracted driving is now number one cause of crashes, surpassing drunk driving. Overall car crashes and death may be down, but thats due to better brakes, stability systems, and generally cars are being more crashworthy.

You are not going to have a level of integration where people can reply to emails and texts, manufacturer's can't integrate this feature due to legal issues, and so you'll have drivers texting and driving no matter how much integration is implemented.

See, you're having a "very windshield perspective" on the issue. Problem is, drivers are so entitled they think they own the road, while in fact cars have the least priority on the road, while its the pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcycles have priority - and I don't believe these automatic systems can ever accommodate them. In the best case scenario it's going to take decades for these systems to become relevant and mainstream, and decades more until everyone's car is equipped with such system. On the other hand, we already have the tech that can identify drivers that are distracted or violating other rules, and automatically fine them. There is already a bill proposed in NYS (I hope it passes) that mandates drivers license suspension after three red light or speed camera violations.

mmarshall

I have to agree with Och. This is a truly enormous problem, and is steadily getting worse. While I also agree with some others here that enforcement alone may not be enough (there are simply too many scofflaws and not enough cops), sitting back and doing nothing will be even worse. This is one of those cases where inaction is simply not a viable option.

As far as what to do, if we can't prevent the vast number of cell-phones being used while driving, I think, with the present lack of adequate numbers of police, the most effective potential deterrent would be, if, after an accident actually happens, if it can be proved (maybe from cell-phone records) that one or both of the drivers were yakking at the time, they face an additional stiff fine, over and above the fine for what else may have also caused the accident (speeding, red-light running, alcohol, etc...) Few things are as effective as when people (or organizations) get hit in the wallet.