81–90 of 293 posts
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.
Oh yeah, the concussion too. That was pretty rough as well.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I totally agree with you and don't think that you are an old man yelling at clouds. Then again maybe we both are. I am a zealot about driving mindfully, actively and defensively. When I am driving, I am driving. I go the second the light turns green, I scan ahead constantly to change lanes a hundred yards before a slow car or obstacle. A lot of other folks do this, it is not unique or special. But... I think the vast…
This. I think you and I (and I venture to say many people reading HN) are a specific type of person. Where mundane difficulties such as dealing with a predictable 'bad driver' actually gives us ammo for optimizing our habits and achieving better results over time. The reality is most people go about their days doing their business, not analyzing what they've done that day or thinking on how it can be improved the nex…
Japanese drivers are always glued to their phones. Almost every car has a built in TV and drivers watch it while driving and messaging someone on their phone. Bicyclists often hold an umbrella in one hand while playing a game with the other. Police aren’t making any effort to crack down on it and nobody is willing to accept that their own driving is dangerous and in need of improvement. The western idea of “kaizen” is sorely lacking here.
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…
They are constantly looking for people looking at their phone while driving. Quite regularly in certain areas, like along Cesar Chavez downtown. I know because I've been ticketed!
During the T9 days, was texting while driving statistically safer, or merely not a problem due to general low adoption/addiction? It feels like touchscreens in general are horrible input devices, which we compensate for by devoting an awful lot of attention to using them. I'm not asking because I'm personally interested in "safe" ways to text and drive or whatever, just really to contextualize. It also seems highly r…
I have fond memories of being in high school and texting one-handed in class on my Blackberry without looking. Not quite as ideal as T9 for one-handed use, but I was essentially stupid for the few moments I spent doing that. My brain was elsewhere. The problem with distracted driving isn't purely vision (although that's a factor). The mental context-switch is a huge problem.
This is "old man yells at cloud" area, but seriously - why can we not just leave our phones in our pocket until we get to our destination? What's that important?
Its tempting to glance at the text and see if they're expecting you/changed plans. It's urgent because you need to make an exit decision soon depending on the answer. Its pointless to pull over because that takes longer than making a mistake about the exit. Its a drug, the potential to optimize your plans on the fly is so attractive that even folks that swear they'd never text and drive, do it the moment it has utili…
My desire to avoid the inconvenience of some extra driving (if I drive all the way to the destination only to leave because plans changed) is not more valuable than other people's lives.
There's no good reason to be on your phone while your car is in motion — absolutely none.
This is "old man yells at cloud" area, but seriously - why can we not just leave our phones in our pocket until we get to our destination? What's that important?
My wife expects timely logistical updates.
Texting while driving and drunk driving should be treated as the SAME offense.
It's possible to go from composition to focused in the span of time it takes to move the hand (and eyes) from the phone back to driving mode. It isn't possible to become 'not drunk' that quickly. I rank drunk driving as worse than dealing with screaming kids as worse than writing something at a red-light as worse than just reading a preview on the screen for a measured quantity of time when in a situation that is saf…
And yet it takes even less time to irreversibly ruin somebody else's life because you weren't paying attention when it mattered.
Whatever is happening on your phone is not more important than other people's lives. Don't use your phone while your car is in motion — period.
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…
>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. I guess this is something a self driving car should also keep in mind. Next we have to click on tiles with people using phones before login.
My father has a good one for going around blind corners and going up blind hills at night: Check trees and other objects in the direct path of oncoming traffic for light.
I also tend to look around buildings now, which is something self-driving cars probably already do but many drivers don't.