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Just an idea... (Texting and Driving)

markjs

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OK, I wanna acknowledge that, no amount of laws prohibiting it, nor stiffness of penalties is solving this problem. Even great voice recognition software isn't cutting it, as too few people are using the technology. I don't even want to get into the debate of whether laws should exist or what penalties should be.

My idea, is that cell phone manufacturers should change. There are a lot of poor folk in this country who are not gonna have fancy integrated systems in the car, so I propose that all touch screen phones be mandated to include a slider keyboard. I realize this would impact cost of phones and manufacturing, but as cheap as phones are these days, would the impact really be so bad? I wonder why sliders went in and out of popularity fast as they did?

I personally almost never text and drive, but I cannot deny, that on rare occasions, when pressed for time and dealing with folks who refuse to take voice calls, I have been guilty on a few occasions and I know I'm not alone. I also know many people have no qualms about doing it constantly with zero regard for the law or anyone's safety.

I know from experience, that touch screen phones are a MENACE on the roads. I'm not saying that a tactile keyboard by any stretch makes texting while driving safe, but I can attest that it is much easier to do without looking at the phone, and I'd be willing to bet, it would increase road safety, given the fact that nobody who texts and drives plans on stopping the practice until it personally impacts their lives.

I know I'm dreaming, but it makes sense to me and I thought I'd throw it out there.
 
OK, I wanna acknowledge that, no amount of laws prohibiting it, nor stiffness of penalties is solving this problem. Even great voice recognition software isn't cutting it, as too few people are using the technology. I don't even want to get into the debate of whether laws should exist or what penalties should be.

My idea, is that cell phone manufacturers should change. There are a lot of poor folk in this country who are not gonna have fancy integrated systems in the car, so I propose that all touch screen phones be mandated to include a slider keyboard. I realize this would impact cost of phones and manufacturing, but as cheap as phones are these days, would the impact really be so bad? I wonder why sliders went in and out of popularity fast as they did?

I personally almost never text and drive, but I cannot deny, that on rare occasions, when pressed for time and dealing with folks who refuse to take voice calls, I have been guilty on a few occasions and I know I'm not alone. I also know many people have no qualms about doing it constantly with zero regard for the law or anyone's safety.

I know from experience, that touch screen phones are a MENACE on the roads. I'm not saying that a tactile keyboard by any stretch makes texting while driving safe, but I can attest that it is much easier to do without looking at the phone, and I'd be willing to bet, it would increase road safety, given the fact that nobody who texts and drives plans on stopping the practice until it personally impacts their lives.

I know I'm dreaming, but it makes sense to me and I thought I'd throw it out there.

I propose that people realize that a cell phone call or text will wait until you have stopped.

Why would you think that the government mandating that texting and talking on a cell while driving being made easier will fix a problem?
 
I wonder why sliders went in and out of popularity fast as they did?
Because they're unnecessary and don't do much of anything but make things more awkward.
 
The technological solution you suggest is quite simple.

When a cell phone or smart phone is within two feet of the steering wheel of an automobile in motion, it becomes inoperative.

Once the car is at a dead stop, the cell phone screen alights anew.

Passengers in the front seat can text.
Back seat occupants can text.

But the driver will be unable to enable any cell phone function until the car is at a dead stand-still.

A chip (bit of firm-ware) in every cell phone and a chip in the steering wheel of every automobile is all that it would take.

But it is unlikely to ever happen.
The car makers and the cell phone providers would never find a way to make this practicable, not without making it unwieldy and unbelievably-expensive.
Especially if the federal government gets involved.

And it could be done dirt-cheap.

That's the sad reality.
:(
 
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The technological solution you suggest is quite simple.

When a cell phone or smart phone is within two feet of the steering wheel of an automobile in motion, it becomes inoperative.

Once the car is at a dead stop, the cell phone screen alights anew.

Passengers in the front seat can text.
Back seat occupants can text.

But the driver will be unable to enable any cell phone function until the car is at a dead stand-still.

A chip (bit of firm-ware) in every cell phone and a chip in the steering wheel of every automobile is all that it would take.

But it is unlikely to ever happen.
The car makers and the cell phone providers would never find a way to make this practicable, not without making it unwieldy and unbelievably-expensive.
Especially if the federal government gets involved.

And it could be done dirt-cheap.

That's the sad reality.
:(

And once the hacks reverse engineered it, any goof could shutdown any phone anywhere.

It would be done before it hit the market, likely by the same people who developed it, and they'd do it for bragging rights.

It seem to me the correct solution is to hold people accountable for reckless driving, without dwelling on the specifics of why they are driving recklessly.
 
And once the hacks reverse engineered it, any goof could shutdown any phone anywhere.
It would be done before it hit the market, likely by the same people who developed it, and they'd do it for bragging rights.
It seem to me the correct solution is to hold people accountable for reckless driving, without dwelling on the specifics of why they are driving recklessly.

i agree with the spirit of your posting, White Phosphorus.
But the letter of it is down to the 'devil in the details'.

Most States and Counties already have laws banning texting while driving.

There are only two problems with this purely-symbolic gesture;
1. Catching drivers at it in a manner that will hold up in court
and
2. Stopping the cops themselves from texting while driving.

Sadly, software solutions are going to be the ultimate end to all this, if only sober heads prevail.
:(
 
What percentage of phone owners are the problem? .0001 %? Yeah, I know, "if it saves only one life".
 
i agree with the spirit of your posting, White Phosphorus.
But the letter of it is down to the 'devil in the details'.

Most States and Counties already have laws banning texting while driving.

There are only two problems with this purely-symbolic gesture;
1. Catching drivers at it in a manner that will hold up in court
and
2. Stopping the cops themselves from texting while driving.

Sadly, software solutions are going to be the ultimate end to all this, if only sober heads prevail.
:(


While I don't doubt they'll try, the only guarantee about a software solution is that it will be nullified nearly immediately, generating a whole new class of scofflaws. Then we get nags wanting to outlaw modifying your car, and on and on. I'll agree that's where things seem to be headed.

There's poorly thought out laws all over the place. Easier to change them than control human behavior.

To do that, you have to create an incentive (preferably positive) to encourage the behavior you want. Maybe a tax incentive for safe driving (measured in a lack of tickets\accidents) combined with increased federal support ($$$) for state and local law enforcement to actually enforce traffic law, which is pretty rare in many areas.

Not perfect, and it would cost, but either it's a problem worth addressing or it's not.

I suppose if driver-less cars become the norm, this will all be moot.
 
Markjs, when you run over and kill a pedestrian while texting I hope you can find some solace in asserting your rarely ever drove and texted at the same time.

In the U.S., it is illegal for a concert hall, a church, a fancy restaurant, or a funeral parlor to have devices to block cell phones and have signs notifying people that they need to go outside to use their cell phones. I started a thread on this and was appalled at the deluge of "I have a right to use my cell phone," responses that I got. Amazing. Sad, too. Makes we wonder how we ever survived before cell phones.

I wouldn't mind cars that would automatically block cell phones if the car wasn't in park. I have never used my phone while driving and never will.
 
What percentage of phone owners are the problem? .0001 %? Yeah, I know, "if it saves only one life".

I'm willing to say the double digits, given how many distracted driving accidents there are. Everywhere I look people are texting, everytime someone is driving badly or slowly and I look they have their phones in their hand. My cousin was just t-boned by one of these idiots. Its a whole lot more than you think.

That said, I think self driving cars will fix this problem before cell phone companies will.
 
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