According to this article in The Verge, two WVU researchers have concluded that legislation is not stopping people from using their mobile phones in cars and the only possible solution would be for the government to mandate technology be installed which would disable the phones of drivers from operating while the car was in motion.
From the article:
In a survey, Coben and Zhu found that 40 percent of drivers continue to use their cellphones while driving, with 15 percent admitting to texting from behind the wheel. Given that these figures were self-reported, Coben’s results likely underestimate the true prevalence of distracted driving.
That cellphones increase risks to driver safety is a widely accepted truth; according to Coben, talking while driving increases that risk by a factor of six, while texting increases it by a factor of 23. The question, though, is whether legal bans are strong enough to mitigate this risk.
[...]
“To this point, we have focused primarily on education and legislation, and we haven’t focused enough on engineering and technology to reduce the use of handheld devices,” he continued.
In Coben’s view, in-car texting should be treated in the same way that airbags or antilock brakes address other safety hazards — that is, through built-in technologies. Coben and Zhu acknowledge that hands-free technologies could provide a viable middle ground between safety and convenience, but until these devices are proven safe, they think the US government should mandate technology that would automatically disable cellphones whenever a car is in motion.
Ignoring the entire fact that people are driving while texting and that causes accidents, should the government utilize technologies which ban the use of mobile phones while cars are in motion? Should we be concerned with such trivial things such as passengers riding in the car being able to use those technologies, especially for things like mobile Internet for tablet devices, work, etc? How about the mobile phone being disabled for emergencies such as running away from an abusive spouse who is following you in their car?
Whatever you have to say about this go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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March 13th, 2013 at 8:17 am
No, No, NO, 110 perfuckingcent no. Point of passenger using it, using it for navigation, calling in an accident, along with the number of reasons you gave.
One more example of directing efforts away from the bigger problems of the world, like finances, housing, education, health..
Give Darwin enough time and he’ll weed out the weak links.
I do however agree with the ban on use for new drivers, this is a good idea so they can focus and learn the rules of the road vs. looking at what the latest boobs on Instagram are…
I spent my last friday headed north working online via a mobile internet connection (i was passenger) and it also helped navigate traffic etc… Of course you also have new vehicles with built in Internet support for navigation and primary vehicle functions.
Just like anything else, if implemented, people will find a way around it.
March 13th, 2013 at 8:21 am
I think it would be fairly simple to design a technological solution where you link the device with the electronic ignition keys that most new cars have. So if I’m driving, my device would be disabled. My passenger would be able to use her device. But no, she wouldn’t be able to use mine.
Just like it’s mandatory to wear seat belts, I suspect this will become a mandatory piece of technology. Based on the volume of people I see texting while driving, I think it’s probably the right thing to do.
March 13th, 2013 at 8:49 am
Wait, legislation not preventing a behavior? Speed limits and drunk driving laws work… right? Oh wait a minute. They don’t. People don’t respond to abstract threats. It is way too easy to rationalize an unsafe behavior. More legislation would just increase ticket “sales”.
It would be easy to have a phone not work while moving above a certain speed. The hard part would be to disable a phone just for the driver. What about passengers? How would it tell if someone was moving on a bus or train? Also, I can think of several reason where I would want a driver to use a cell phone: medical emergencies, report debris, report a drunk driver.
March 13th, 2013 at 9:00 am
It isn’t illegal to talk on the phone while driving, so why would we disable the devices? I’m surprised only 40% of drivers use their phones while driving since it is completely legal to do. The whole thing is dumb.
March 13th, 2013 at 9:51 am
No.
Lame.
Having used my phone in the car to call in emergencies, drunk drivers, find my way, I find it necessary. Saying that I do a problem when the texting teen cross the center line and takes out the car going to the other way. I don’t know what the solution is here. If these folks were only taking out themselves, like say seatbelt laws then I’d be 100% against this.
Tough question.
March 13th, 2013 at 10:25 am
I’d be curious to see some evidence proving seat belt laws and drunk driving laws don’t work, O.B.B. Fatal crashes have gone down significantly. Much of that is due to increased safety in the design of vehicles, but the seat belt system is part of that design.
I’d prefer to see automakers and cell phone designers come up with a solution voluntarily, but I expect the government will have to step in.
March 13th, 2013 at 10:36 am
So if they enact this, when the hell am I supposed to read and post on here?
I mean, it’s not like I A*DAF*Njfd qa= aD**%$% ASDu853s,.ad ………………………….
asdf..
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March 13th, 2013 at 11:12 am
This is going to seriously cut into my ability to watch porn while driving through the Burger King drive through. FML.
March 13th, 2013 at 11:22 am
When do they put in the legislation about turning the radio station, brushing your teeth, putting on makeup, eating, etc. too?
March 13th, 2013 at 5:21 pm
What exactly would be the point? Yes, duh, people still use their phones when driving. Just like people still kill and maim others with their cars when they aren’t using their phones, or are not drunk. Driving is dangerous and full of risk, not just from yourself but from others.
Unless a Dr. Raymond Cocteau type is going to show up and save us all from ourselves forcing all the Edgar Friendly types below ground, I think we just need to learn to live with the fact that life is uncertain.
Log term the solution is going to be cars that can drive themselves. Short term they are getting closer and closer. I know Google has been working on their autonomous car and I know you can buy a Lincoln MKZ today that has radar adaptive cruise control and lane keeping system (it’ll nudge your wheel back to keep it going straight down the road.) I’m sure others have this, I just recently heard about Lincoln’s.
March 14th, 2013 at 9:41 am
Mikeh,
Thanks for being the voice of reason here. It’s always been a out the auto-car.
lefty
March 16th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
that’s a fanfuckingtastic idea, get uncle sam sticking his nose into more of our personal lives. i know i’ll never have the need to make an emergency call while i’m on the road. i see the formation of another government organization APPOINTED by the current administration. the body mass index police, the salt police, the soda police, how about making sure each household only has one louisville slugger on hand, or only one claw hammer not to exceed 21.75 oz’s.
and swiping your government id card in your government id reader before you leave your government house with your government itinerary scheduled for you so you don’t hurt anyone or yourself. and you better stick to the schedule or!!!
bb