Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers • Hacker News Board

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#31

Post by drekembemutombo » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 11:04 AM UTC

esotericn wrote: post #23

For context, across the UK we have similar systems for speed limits. They are not used for enforcement or prosecution. They are informational boards. Actual speed cameras are different (usually a yellow or blue box that doesn't give any feedback). It's basically a sort of 'big brother is watching' reminder. Some of them show your actual speed on a big LED board, leading to individuals attempting to get a "high score"…

I've heard somewhere that the speed displays actually help a lot with slowing down the traffic where they're put up. I slow down when I see them too, not because I'm afraid of enforcement action, but because I just forget how fast I'm going sometimes and that board reminds me. Plus, it feels kind of satisfying when you do slow down and you get the green smiley face along with a message thanking you.

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#32

Post by Bombthecat » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 11:27 AM UTC

I'm in Houston right now, no car, so we walk around here (it is very rare seeing someone not in a car here, no public transport, but that's another topic) what really baffled me was the amount of people on there phone while driving. Its insane. I read about that problem. But I thought it was exaggerated. But hooollyy Molly. It is a lot. There was even an add on tv for a collision detector along the line of:while distracted by your phone, it warns you about an upcoming collision!

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#33

Post by notacoward » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 11:39 AM UTC

drekembemutombo wrote: post #31

esotericn wrote: post #23

For context, across the UK we have similar systems for speed limits. They are not used for enforcement or prosecution. They are informational boards. Actual speed cameras are different (usually a yellow or blue box that doesn't give any feedback). It's basically a sort of 'big brother is watching' reminder. Some of them show your actual speed on a big LED board, leading to individuals attempting to get a "high score"…

I've heard somewhere that the speed displays actually help a lot with slowing down the traffic where they're put up. I slow down when I see them too, not because I'm afraid of enforcement action, but because I just forget how fast I'm going sometimes and that board reminds me. Plus, it feels kind of satisfying when you do slow down and you get the green smiley face along with a message thanking you.

I think there's a threshold effect here. People will slow down a bit but not too much. Above that threshold, the reward of being recognized as law-abiding is outweighed by the inconvenience/annoyance of being coerced to what seems like an unnecessarily low speed. Similarly, if the signs are everywhere people start to tune them all out. While they're very cost-effective in general, it's definitely possible for a town to overplay their hand and ruin their effectiveness.

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#34

Post by black6 » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 11:56 AM UTC

Using a phone wile driving is one of my pet peeves, but this doesn't seem like an effective approach. If a problem person is already distracted (not a false-positive), will they even pay attention to the flashing sign?

Just last night I had to knock on the hood of a woman using her phone while driving in the parking lot after she nearly ran over my wife and daughter walking to a restaurant. She was completely oblivious to the goings on around her and got extremely offended when I made the "hang up" gesture and told her to put down her phone while driving. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#35

Post by profmonocle » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 12:05 PM UTC

narrowtux wrote: post #18

mintone wrote: post #2

The article suggests that the detectors will detect 2G, 3G and 4G usage, but will recognise if a bluetooth hands-free kit is in use. This sounds like complete snake oil to me, please could someone explain if this is possible?

And what if you're using your phone for navigation? It will still transmit data to google maps or whichever maps service you use, but its usage would probably considered legal.

Heck, your phone could be on silent in your pocket and a push notification might set this off. Your phone still has to transmit the acknowledgment.

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#36

Post by mosselman » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 12:37 PM UTC

"The technology will not be used as an "enforcement tool", the forces said, but was instead aimed at educating motorists..."

I hope there will be enforcement tools in the near future and I believe the fines and other forms of punishment should be very high. First offence could mean no driving for a month along with a huge fine that is based on salary, second offence something along the lines of losing your license completely and having to go through the complete process of examination, etc after a year of reflection without driving, again with a hefty fine. Apparently you weren't that interesting in driving to begin with, in the bus you can look at your phone all you want. Third offence means you don't get a license for 20 years. Killing/injuring someone while using your phone in the car should result into some form of prison sentence.

In my eyes there is 0 excuse for being engaged with your phone in the car in any other form than passively while using it for navigation. The worst are people who are looking at messages and writing.

A few weeks ago I was almost hit by a driver who sped over the crossing I was walking on. I was paying attention enough to see him with his phone in his hand, looking at something on the screen, never looking up and I was just able to stop walking. I don't know if I'd been killed if I weren't paying attention, but it wouldn't have been pretty.

I don't even care that much about myself though, I already have little faith in people's ability to drive properly so I pay attention and hope that keeps saving me. What I worry about are my children, who are bound to make some mistakes when crossing streets, etc, them being kids after all. The idea of someone killing them because they had to make a lame joke in a group chat in order to earn some emoji-based kudos is insane yet somehow not impossible.

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#37

Post by nmstoker » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 12:38 PM UTC

It should just turn on when there's a car as that will be equally effective as the system (with its flaws) and then they could save the £6,000

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#38

Post by mosselman » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 12:39 PM UTC

justinjlynn wrote: post #24

tinus_hn wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you read the article, it says it gives warnings, not fines. It can’t tell if a phone is used by the driver or a passenger anyway.

Well, that settles that then. Just another distracting flashing sign for the driver to deal with.

Not for the people who are using their phone though. For them a push-notification would probably work best ;).

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#39

Post by nmstoker » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 12:42 PM UTC

esotericn wrote: post #30

Freak_NL wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not fear of enforcement that motivates people to act on these signs, it is the moral reminder that their behaviour is not socially acceptable (not to mention illegal). For a large group of people this works. Speeding (and being a smombie behind the wheel) is something people often do unintentionally, or with a rationalization mindset of 'everybody does it' (or something along those lines). For both these cases a…

I suppose it depends a lot on your local area. Where I live there are tons of these 'flashy speed limit' signs. I don't think I've ever seen anyone obey them. 35-40mph in the new London '20 zones' is completely normal behaviour if the road permits; everyone does indeed do it, including buses and off-duty police/ambulances. It is, in fact, empirically socially acceptable (by the drivers if not necessarily by people wh…

Don't want to sound condescending about drivers but on my street I see plenty of people who don't alter their behaviour with the speed bumps - either because they are not observant or it's not their vehicle (the council rubbish vans get thrown over them at high speed by their angry careless drivers!)

Re: Police detectors to warn mobile phone-using drivers

#40

Post by gambiting » Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 12:45 PM UTC

agotterer wrote: post #28

stephen_g wrote: post #5

This seems like a silly idea - as the article says, there's no way for it to tell whether it's the driver or a passenger, but even if there's only one person in the car, there's no way to tell if the person is actively using a mobile phone or if it's just sitting in the car and there's some app running on it that happens to be transmitting data... Then add in the likelihood that it'll pick up all sorts of random inte…

There’s so many legitimate reasons for the phone to be on and transmitting in a moving car. Wouldn’t it just be cheaper and likely as effective to have a sign reminding everyone to not use their phone while driving?

Not to mention that a lot of new cars have a GSM card built-in for communication and infotainment. My Mercedes updates its own location constantly for instance, so of course is transmitting over 2G/3G while moving all the time.

These signs are useless and a waste of taxpayers money.