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In April this year drivers will be fined for using mobile phones if caught on the M4 mobile phone use detection system. Fair enough, we have some drongos, like the tool who was caught using both his hands to use his phone while his mate in the passenger seat held the wheel, but, seriously, is a camera system dedicated to detecting mobile use really needed? What's next, fun police?
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Australian Nanny State Tightens with Mobile Phone Detectors on Freeway
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Can anyone remember when the times were not hard, and money not scarce?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Friday January 04 2019, @05:13PM (5 children)
Here in the USA, it would be a blessing if every dimwit driver holding a phone to their head was stopped and (at the very least) fined. They're putting others at significantly increased risk.
On-phone drivers are distracted drivers. Don't believe me? Sit down with someone on a couch or whatever and see that they are engaged in an active phone conversation with someone else. While that's going on, you explain something new to them that delivers even a moderate level of detail. You don't even need them to respond (we'll stipulate that the vocal tract can only produce one linear, sane output.) It's not going to work out; they won't have a good idea of what you told them after the call is over, or even while you're explaining it. This is because there are hardly any people, anywhere, that can give their full attention to two things at once.
Now consider: In a moving vehicle, the driver should be observing the traffic around them - front, sides, and rear. Unless on cruise, they have to maintain and monitor their speed (and they have to watch for speed limit changes no matter what.) They have to observe road signs. Animals and people on the road. Road construction. Detours. Road surface conditions. Road hazards.
You should know, if you performed my little experiment above, that there's no way anyone can do all that reliably and be at their best while also carrying on a conversation and with one hand compromised holding a phone. I think it's downright obvious that a conversation takes a lot less attention than good driving does.
Bluetoothed phones to the car stereo are better, as is any other completely hands-free phone system. But you're still trying to maintain a conversation while doing all of the above (or, more likely, you aren't doing all of the above, and you're increasing the risks to everyone else because of that.)
TL;DR: If you, while driving, find you must make or take a phone call, then pull the fuck over and get it handled so you aren't putting others at risk. If you're a passenger, don't distract the driver. It's not about you. It's about everyone else.
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The only narcissists I have room for in my life are my cats.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 04 2019, @07:49PM
That is not a good test. Your test would require someone to consentrate on 2 voices at the same time. That's not what traffic is.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday January 04 2019, @08:30PM
Just like being drunk.. https://www.livescience.com/872-cell-phones-drivers-bad-drunks.html [livescience.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Saturday January 05 2019, @03:49AM (1 child)
[Rest of sentence trimmed as redundant].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 06 2019, @05:57AM
This time we're not taking about the politicians
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 05 2019, @08:53AM
Next time I will use the sarcasm markup