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Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

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Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#71

Post by megablast »

quotemstr wrote: post #53
jjulius wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I drive 2+ hours round-trip for work every weekday, and my work often has me visiting client sites during the week. I find nothing difficult about setting my destination via GPS before I begin my drive, and I find that my attention to what's going on around me is significantly diminished should I attempt to modify my route while driving. An inconvenience of, say, 5-10 minutes to find a place to pull over and input ne…

> absolutely worth it Can you demonstrate, using numbers, that the tradeoff is positive? > I cannot believe people are arguing for "efficiency" over traffic safety. People prioritize efficiency over safety all the time. It's a good thing. So do you, if you support non-zero speed limits. The current animus against cell phone use while driving is the result of a moral panic, not a rational cost-benefit tradeoff. > If I…

> People prioritize efficiency over safety all the time.

This is true, if they didn't we wouldn't have cars in the first place. 40,000 people are killed by drivers every year, that is more than gun deaths.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#72

Post by megablast »

quotemstr wrote: post #48
ticmasta wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

heaven for bid we impact "driving efficiency" for something as low-priority as public safety...

Why is "safety" the most important consideration? A world that values safety above everything else is a pretty dismal world --- and it's a world without cars at all.

> and it's a world without cars at all.

And a wonderful world that would be.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#73

Post by reaperducer »

Doxterpepper wrote: post #60
yonaguska wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To second your point- I'd hazard that people using phones at lights are also using them in between lights. I filter at lights despite it being illegal where I live- because I've already been rear ended twice by people on phones. And by filtering I get a great view on people using their phones. They are nine times out of ten using their phones leading up to the light, during the light and during takeoff. I've also not…

> "I've also noticed that when they notice movement in their peripheral, they start driving forward even when the light is red." This has been the case for years. When people aren't paying attention they are pavlovian in staring forward when they notice movement around them. But this doesn't necessarily have to coincide with cell phone usage, just bad driving.

So we shouldn't punish bad driving?

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#74

Post by big_chungus »

blacksmith_tb wrote: post #43
yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you would need a very high resolution image with litle blur to determine that they were 'texting' Bigger reason: This amounts to "set up cameras that record exactly what's on the screen of every phone that goes by", which is an utter nightmare in terms of privacy.

Hmm, if you're in a jurisdiction where it's illegal to be using your phone, I'm not sure how upset we should be about the police invading your privacy to prove you're breaking the law? I suppose you could argue that such a camera would also potentially capture the screens of passengers, though.

I'd be more upset about the idea of being snooped on by cameras everywhere I go. That _really_ doesn't sit right with me, and there are certainly concerns around privacy, security, and a government that probably shouldn't be trusted with such info.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#75

Post by SamReidHughes »

Doxterpepper wrote: post #51
javagram wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People using their phones while waiting for the light is absolutely a safety issue. They aren’t paying attention and when the light turns green they may either hit a pedestrian as they hurry to move , or not notice the green and be rear ended by a driver who expects them to begin moving.

> They aren’t paying attention and when the light turns green they may either hit a pedestrian as they hurry to move... This sounds like a different issue that can arise without phones being involved. Just because you look at your phone does not mean you need to be sheepish when you look back up. The problem is people are more worried about getting going than being safe. > ...or not notice the green and be rear ended…

Assigning fault has nothing to do with safety.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#76

Post by reaperducer »

jachee wrote: post #26
letmeinhere wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean by "filter"?

I believe they mean riding a motorcycle in the gap between two lanes of traffic, thus "filtering" through the static traffic to the front.

It's worth noting that this is legal in some places. Not everyone on HN may be aware of that. I know I was surprised when I first saw it.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#77

Post by reaperducer »

AcerbicZero wrote: post #41
jjulius wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Screw the poors and their non-integrated GPS. "The poors" can still use their non-integrated GPS, just in a safe (set your destination before you drive, pull over to adjust) manner. That's what everyone should be doing anyway.

What evidence is there that pulling over and then re-entering traffic is any less dangerous than adjusting your GPS at a stop light?

What evidence is there that pulling over and then re-entering traffic is any less dangerous than adjusting your GPS at a stop light?

We used to call it "common sense." Though it does not seem to be so common anymore.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#78

Post by TeMPOraL »

javagram wrote: post #65
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially when a officer on the street corner will do the job (and prevent a ton of other petty law violations) just as well without being Orwellian about it. Edit : Do the down-voters care to explain how a networked camera system is somehow better or less orwellian than a human cop?

This problem is so widespread you would need a lot of cops. Frankly I’d rather have things like automatic cameras than police posted at every intersection. Look at how stuff like speeding works. Putting cops on the highways just makes people alert each other on waze to slow down in one specific area.

That's why I'm in support of automated linear speed checks absolutely everywhere.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#80

Post by [deleted] »

javagram wrote: post #4
y4mi wrote: post #3

So they're ramping up the detection of people using their phones while waiting for the traffic light to turn green? Doesn't really sound like this is actually about safety. I doubt these cameras can capture the photo do a decent quality on that angle for anything but standing or very slow moving cars But I guess we can hope it will stop some people, even if there will be a lot of people caught that weren't really end…

People using their phones while waiting for the light is absolutely a safety issue. They aren’t paying attention and when the light turns green they may either hit a pedestrian as they hurry to move , or not notice the green and be rear ended by a driver who expects them to begin moving.

[deleted]
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