Police officers are worried they lack the right powers and resources to properly investigate whether a mobile phone was being used by a driver at the time of a crash, a new study has found.
Four out of five collision investigators surveyed for the research indicated mobile phone involvement in non-fatal accidents was under-reported, with half agreeing the role of phones was even overlooked in fatal crashes.
Three quarters of British officers participating in the online poll undertaken by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) were unable to report the full proportion of road accidents in their force area linked with mobile phone use each year. A similar percentage of officers indicated that better mechanisms to quickly analyse and investigate phone usage would be most likely to improve data collection.
(Score: 2) by BK on Saturday November 26 2016, @09:46PM
No they use them because they want to talk to people, etc. It's not at all clear to normal people how using a phone is more distracting than trying to change the radio station on a one of those new touchscreen 'entertainment' systems. If there's two people in the car, there's always distractions - do people just ride together because they think they won't be caught? Can someone please take away this fraud's doctorate?
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Sunday November 27 2016, @06:21PM
Can someone please take away this fraud's doctorate?
There are numerous studies that say using a phone is more distracting than a passenger, for many reasons. Look around you some time, people talking on their phone while walking walk into utility poles, into traffic, etc. Your (and others here) insistance on ignoring the science tells me you're addicted to that damned phone. Leave it in your pocket. There are almost no circumstances where you can't let it ring and call them back.
Stop being stupid. Your excuses are no better than a drunk driver's excuses, you're both menaces who should not be driving at all.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by BK on Monday November 28 2016, @03:11AM
Most of the studies that I've seen that look credible focus on texting. Most of those use popular touch screen devices, inevitably iphones, which is why i commented about the touch interfaces now in so many cars. Your 'walk into poles' people are usually texting. I'm not aware of a well controlled study of talking on the phone vs having my (now) ex- wife in the car (or some other suitable distraction that requires attention as a matter of life and death).
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday November 29 2016, @05:44PM
Yes, texting is even more stupid than talking. The zombie apocalypse is upon us!
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org