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Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

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Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#101

Post by rconti »

sxates wrote: post #75

Here's my test for phone addiction (for men): If you are pissing into a urinal and need to look at your phone during those 15 seconds, you have a problem. And I see this a lot . A scary game: when in stop and go traffic, have a look at the person behind you. Are their eyes on the road, or their lap? In my experience, 7 out of 10 are looking at their lap, with a quick glance up every 5 seconds or so. I spend plenty of…

I do the former, but not the latter.

Turns out, one of them is dangerous.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#102

Post by everly »

sxates wrote: post #75

Here's my test for phone addiction (for men): If you are pissing into a urinal and need to look at your phone during those 15 seconds, you have a problem. And I see this a lot . A scary game: when in stop and go traffic, have a look at the person behind you. Are their eyes on the road, or their lap? In my experience, 7 out of 10 are looking at their lap, with a quick glance up every 5 seconds or so. I spend plenty of…

I don't think your test is all that good. If I'm out with friends, I try to consciously avoid using my phone when we're together so that I'm present and so that they know I value their presence. Those 15 seconds at the urinal are often the best time to check notifications before getting back to phone-free socializing.

Agree with your other points though.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#103

Post by gedy »

My neighbor was killed walking on sidewalk in a parking lot. Driver was staring at phone in his lap and missed turn, plowed directly into him. Put your goddamn phone away... and trying to "hide it" in your lap is worse than just holding it up in windshield.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#105

Post by butterteeth »

sxates wrote: post #75

Here's my test for phone addiction (for men): If you are pissing into a urinal and need to look at your phone during those 15 seconds, you have a problem. And I see this a lot . A scary game: when in stop and go traffic, have a look at the person behind you. Are their eyes on the road, or their lap? In my experience, 7 out of 10 are looking at their lap, with a quick glance up every 5 seconds or so. I spend plenty of…

I'm one of those people but for the opposite reason. If I'm with someone I don't look at my phone at all. When I step away to use the restroom it's my chance to check for any missed notifications.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#106

Post by [deleted] »

vkou wrote: post #92
btrettel wrote: post #34

I'm a cyclist. Over the past 5 years or so I've learned to check inside of people's cars to see if they have a phone in their hands. If they do, I try to keep as much distance between myself and them as possible. Until we change the incentives, distracted driving is very likely to remain a problem. Right now there's a lot of talk but very little action. I live in Austin, and I've spoken with the police about distract…

> but I've gone through cyclist stop sign enforcement twice. That's because as a cyclist on the road, you are inconveniencing the operators of highly-lethal, 4,000 lb machines. If you haven't crossed your i's, and dotted your t's, you need to be removed from the road, for their convenience.

[deleted]

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#107

Post by nothrabannosir »

max76 wrote: post #58
FlyingSideKick wrote: post #7

I worked at T-Mobile and did some work on this very subject our studies showed that people are so addicted that unless there is a threat of jail time or drivers license suspension people will not put down their phones.

I don't understand why people see the possibility of a drivers license suspension as being worse than the increased risk of vehicular manslaughter. One is a few months of decreased mobility. The other is an entire life.

If I had to hazard a guess: because that option is so extremely negative, that cognitive dissonance protects our brains from seriously entertaining the thought that we could ever be involved in such an accident.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#108

Post by flatline »

max76 wrote: post #58
FlyingSideKick wrote: post #7

I worked at T-Mobile and did some work on this very subject our studies showed that people are so addicted that unless there is a threat of jail time or drivers license suspension people will not put down their phones.

I don't understand why people see the possibility of a drivers license suspension as being worse than the increased risk of vehicular manslaughter. One is a few months of decreased mobility. The other is an entire life.

For many, many people in the US, a suspended license means loss of your job, which in turn will lead to loss of all other assets you may tentatively possess, possible dissolution of your family, etc. In terms of personal impact weighted by probability of occurrence, the penalty for loss of license may not be so far off from that of vehicular manslaughter.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#109

Post by SauciestGNU »

glitcher wrote: post #96
7952 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be interesting to see if painting lurid stripes on the car as a punishment would help. Or require the driver to have warning sign attached in prominent places. Make it as embarrassing as possible.

Design a metal mesh to install over the entire car that acts as a Faraday cage haha. Yeah, in practice it seems the only thing that will really work is license suspension.

People drive with suspended licenses all the time. What I'd really like to see upon conviction for distracted driving or drunk driving (similarly dangerous) is criminal forfeiture of the offender's vehicle and a court order prohibiting the offender from owning or possessing an automobile.

Re: Phone Addicts Are the New Drunk Drivers

#110

Post by [deleted] »

sxates wrote: post #75

Here's my test for phone addiction (for men): If you are pissing into a urinal and need to look at your phone during those 15 seconds, you have a problem. And I see this a lot . A scary game: when in stop and go traffic, have a look at the person behind you. Are their eyes on the road, or their lap? In my experience, 7 out of 10 are looking at their lap, with a quick glance up every 5 seconds or so. I spend plenty of…

[deleted]
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