Virginia Ranks #1 for Distracted Driving/Cell-Phone Use.
05-27-19, 07:20 PM
#31
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
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.
So what we need to do is design ways for us to communicate that way while driving that are less distracting.
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.
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.
05-27-19, 07:27 PM
#32
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 an option.
05-27-19, 07:47 PM
#34
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
^^^ and that’s why self-driving cars can’t come soon enough. Will they be perfect? No. Will there still be crashes and fatalities? Yes. But will those numbers you cite be vastly lower? Yes.
05-28-19, 10:41 AM
#36
Lexus Fanatic
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.
05-28-19, 11:22 AM
#37
In my opinion, a smart compromise would be to delay your emails and texts instead of responding, even if you're stopped at a light. An even smarter compromise is to have whoever you need to communicate with just call you on your bluetooth-enabled cellphone and talk handsfree. I agree with you in that automakers need to come up with a solution that allows drivers to communicate safely, and they are taking steps towards making communication safer by adding stuff like AA/ACP. But when drivers like you, who insist that they absolutely have to text/email, don't even use the solutions they come up with, what's the point in developing that tech? They develop it specifically for people like you, and you don't use it because it makes mistakes or because its more frustrating to use. Deal with the mistakes and the frustrations, and use the safer tech. It will improve over time. Don't regress to the least safe option just because you're used to it.
05-28-19, 02:57 PM
#38
You have to work while you drive, the driver of the car next to you has to update his facebook status, and the instagram model in the car behind you has to book an online appointment to her anus bleaching clinic. There is no excuse for this unsafe behavior, and there are going to be major crack downs on it everywhere.
05-28-19, 07:27 PM
#39
Lexus Champion
An imaginative enforcement mechanism I have read about is having police officers riding along in traffic with a higher perspective (such as on a bus) so that they can look down into the lap of a driver to see if there is a smartphone or other device hidden there. So, is this being done? If not, why not?
05-28-19, 07:43 PM
#40
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Sulu
I agree. People flaunt the law not because the penalty is ineffective but because the risk of being caught is low.
05-28-19, 07:55 PM
#41
Lexus Fanatic
In my opinion, a smart compromise would be to delay your emails and texts instead of responding, even if you're stopped at a light. An even smarter compromise is to have whoever you need to communicate with just call you on your bluetooth-enabled cellphone and talk handsfree. I agree with you in that automakers need to come up with a solution that allows drivers to communicate safely, and they are taking steps towards making communication safer by adding stuff like AA/ACP. But when drivers like you, who insist that they absolutely have to text/email, don't even use the solutions they come up with, what's the point in developing that tech? They develop it specifically for people like you, and you don't use it because it makes mistakes or because its more frustrating to use. Deal with the mistakes and the frustrations, and use the safer tech. It will improve over time. Don't regress to the least safe option just because you're used to it.
I'm not driving around typing on my phone or scrolling through emails. I can take a quick peek at my Apple watch and see if a text or email is important. Emails can wait, but if its a text that cant wait for a red light I respond verbally with Siri which works okay. Who said I don't use technologies that are developed to make it easier and safer? I do...but those technologies still need to improve before they will be fully adapted by everyone.
if I didnt reply to any texts or emails while I'm in the car, it would add another 2-3 hours to my workday every day, and I wouldnt be nearly as effective at my job as I am. It is what it is, I have a family to feed and I am going to respond to my paying customers when they need me to respond to them...whether I'm in a car or not.
It's not just the matter of technology, but the matter of liability. BMW's i-drive already has a "reply" button when displaying texts and emails, but the button is grayed out. If they enabled it, and someone gets into an accident while replying to a communication, BMW can be held liable in a law suit.
You have to work while you drive, the driver of the car next to you has to update his facebook status, and the instagram model in the car behind you has to book an online appointment to her anus bleaching clinic. There is no excuse for this unsafe behavior, and there are going to be major crack downs on it everywhere.
I'm glad that you don't need to use your time in your car as work time, I'd rather I didnt either. You also likely spend way less time in a car than I do seeing you live in NYC. I spent 4 hours in the car today. If I wasn't working during those 4 hours, I would STILL be working.
05-28-19, 08:18 PM
#42
This is a perennial topic. I can recall commenting on this in one of my first posts here about three years ago. Then, as now, I argued that some folks (like me, for example) are extensively trained to multitask (instrument single-pilot in the clouds, where you make a mistake and you die) and thus can handle a phone call better than the typical teen. Here in Oregon they make a very big deal about hand-held phones, with huge penalties. Okay, how about hand-held Big Macs? What about talking to passengers? What about the Tesla Model3 screen, which is off-axis to boot?
So it seems to me that the only real way to police dangerous driving is to observe dangerous driving, just as if the driver was blowing 0.12.
So it seems to me that the only real way to police dangerous driving is to observe dangerous driving, just as if the driver was blowing 0.12.
05-28-19, 08:40 PM
#43
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
This is a perennial topic. I can recall commenting on this in one of my first posts here about three years ago. Then, as now, I argued that some folks (like me, for example) are extensively trained to multitask (instrument single-pilot in the clouds, where you make a mistake and you die) and thus can handle a phone call better than the typical teen. Here in Oregon they make a very big deal about hand-held phones, with huge penalties.
05-28-19, 08:55 PM
#44
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
An imaginative enforcement mechanism I have read about is having police officers riding along in traffic with a higher perspective (such as on a bus) so that they can look down into the lap of a driver to see if there is a smartphone or other device hidden there. So, is this being done? If not, why not?