It seems that automobile crashes (and fatalities) caused by smart phone distractions are increasing. Out on the road (in mid US), I notice a lot of people on phones, and I find it alarming. There are multiple local news articles every month for car crashes.
Do you think that there are realistic actions that can be taken by every day people to help spread awareness, or better yet make impactful differences?
My ChatGPT subscription is expiring soon, and I wanted to try to use it for something useful. So I used deep research to generate an informative article related to this, and I broke into smaller web pages. You can see it here - https://no-more-distractions.info/
It’s decently written, although true, it is probably AI slop. Even so, I think it highlights some interesting information (maybe important even), and is worth skimming through at the very least.
I was bicycling at high speed, closed my eyes to enjoy the breeze, and slammed into a concrete pillar, pretty much skinning my right leg in its entirety.
I hobbled home leaving a trail of blood, making some people sick on the way, treated my wounds with hydrogen peroxide and bandages, it took 21 days to heal and was intensely painful.
As I was laid up in bed and staring at the ceiling, I thought:
"I only closed my eyes for 3 seconds at 20 MPH. I’m never taking my eyes off the road in a car. Whoever texts me can get fucked."
That’s crazy and it paints a terrifying picture for higher speeds with bigger vehicles. I’m glad that it wasn’t any worse for you.
Android auto has massively cut down my distractions. Everything I need is readily viewable without having to use my phone. Maps, music, phone, etc. I suggest using this route to lock out phones.
Make it harder to get a driver’s licenses and easier to lose 'em.
I remember like 10 years ago all the boomers would talk shit about texting and driving and all the ad campaigns telling you not to do it. Now I see old farts scrolling on their phone behind the wheel and nobody gives a shit anymore.
The vast majority of people suck at driving and seem to hate it, even if they don’t realize they do.
Would be great if they gtfo the roads, but public transportation is shit so we’re stuck.
Get rid of cars or get rid of drivers.
We will always find ways to be distracted.
There are two ways to deal with the problem of smart phones distracting drivers.
Option 1: Personal responsibility. Simply won’t work for most people because they are addicted to screens and have the false belief that they are adept at using their phone while driving because they do it all the time, which has lead to greater reckless use; not dissimilar from drunk drivers. A negative social stigma can help with this, but that is not a silver bullet.
Option. 2: Phones disable their screen inputs while motion is detected. This will be effective, but some people will find ways to circumvent it. Regardless of a number of users disabling a motion lock, it will provide a decrease in distracted driving related accidents.
A bonus 3rd way that isn’t as good as either of the above, physical keyboards and the return of T9 which allows for you to type while looking at the road. This minimizes the amount of time spent looking at the screen and would help a little.
Those are interesting points.
Option 1 - that might work with more awareness and accountability. Other US states have awareness campaigns, along with enforcement. These seem to help. Threat of legal actions or fines increase personal responsibility.
Option 2 - I think that would never happen. People would complain. “Passengers can’t use their devices. We have to talk to actual people in the car!”
Option 3 - that is an interesting idea.
There already are fines and campaigns, they are ineffective because of a societal lack of personal responsibility.
Fuck them, socialize and save your battery.
For option 2, what about passengers?
Fuck em. Haven’t you been driving and had your passenger want to show you something on their phone?
Not having an internet connected phone in the car wasn’t a problem when I was younger. We would play music and chat about whatever bullshit. We didn’t need to doom scroll or thumb through Instagram, we socialized.
And anybody on a bus or train?
Fuck them too. Ever been driving a train and someone shows you a picture on their phone?
Nothing is going to change until there are real punitive measures that are enforced as well as regulatory changes.
To drive while using one’s cellphone is to risk killing other people around you. And the punishment for doing such is usually only a couple hundred dollars, assuming you are even pulled over in the first place.
That fine needs a few more 0’s as well as the nullification of ones licence. Once people understand that getting caught while driving on the phone will financially ruin them then they might stop and think before doing it.
Certainty of punishment is much more likely to help here than severity. Severe punishments are even likely to lead to an increase in police enforcing it selectively, not citing or arresting people they decide don’t deserve it.
Agreed - people must be held accountable. Perhaps if enough people are punished severely enough through legal action and fines, then maybe others will take it more seriously. The idea of paying a fine seems to worry people more than the risk of crashing.
Any fine should be adjusted for income level.
Exactly
I think a lot of people could get on board with harsher penalties for distracted driving, but a big problem with that is evidence. It wouldn’t be easy to prove somebody was distracted by their phone.
We have mobile mobile phone detection cameras in Australia. They move them around and set them up in different locations. They seem to have a impact, not the least in revenue from fines. An added benefit is that they detect whether seatbelts are being worn too.
That is neat. People don’t tend to like cameras, for good reasons, sure. But if it could be done right and it helps save lives, why not.
