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Should cell phone drivers be singled out?

4065 messages,  Last post on Mar 17, 2013 at 8:43 AM

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What is this discussion about? Car Safety

Messages Page 407 of 407

#4055 of 4065 You Can"t Fight Progress by vinnyny

Oct 01, 2012 (8:07 am)

I hate all the idiots I see doing dangerous things on the road while texting or dialing cell phones. However, the problem is going to get worse as we progress towards greater mobile connectivity. Rather than being Luddites who insist on locking up cell phones, let's try for some realistic means to minimize the inherent dangers. The idea won't be popular, but I think it's time we force car manufacturers to install hands-free devices in all new cars and require dealers to set them up for buyers. Used car dealers would be forced to retrofit their cars as well. Cell phone providers would be required to provide hands-free devices with every new phone sold. As the technology evolves to the point where all texting, tuning, etc could be done by voice commands, the requirements would evolve to include these capabilities.
 
Higher costs? Yes. Less freedom? Yes. As mobile technology continues to spread and evolve, so does the danger of distracted driving. The safety benefits far outweigh the costs over the long term...

#4056 of 4065 Re: You Can"t Fight Progress [vinnyny] by fintail

Oct 01, 2012 (8:40 am)

Replying to: vinnyny (Oct 01, 2012 8:07 am)
I think a lot of new cars have bluetooth already, or have it as a cheap option. Heck, my sister's Sonic has it. And I still see dopes in brand new 60K+ cars which definitely have it standard, with a phone to their ear, via laziness or technical illiteracy.
 
The tech needs to be encouraged, along with penalties with teeth for those who won't adapt.
 
I have a better hands free device in all of my cars. Phone rings, I don't answer. If it's important, they will leave a message.

#4057 of 4065 Dope on cell phone by xrunner2

Oct 01, 2012 (10:37 am)

Recently, while stopped on a road (that has 45 MPH limit) at stop sign waiting for traffic to clear so that I can cross, up comes a guy in an SUV holding a cell phone to his head in his left hand. He is waiting for opposing traffic to clear so that he can turn on the road I am on. Sure enough he is blabbing away while waiting, then when an opening in opposing traffic, he makes his left turn in front of me steering apparently with his right hand, blabbing away while turning.

#4058 of 4065 Re: Dope on cell phone [xrunner2] by fezo

Oct 11, 2012 (10:59 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Oct 01, 2012 10:37 am)
I almost met my end with a woman in an Expedition doing nearly the same thing. Had I not anticipated it I'd be gone.

#4059 of 4065 rendered unoperable? by steve_ HOST

Mar 06, 2013 (8:06 pm)

"Simply stated, handheld portable devices must be rendered unoperable whenever the automobile is in motion or when the transmission shaft lever is in forward or reverse gear," they wrote in a Viewpoint essay in Wednesday's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Automobile and cell phone equipment manufacturers have the engineering capabilities to implement these safeguards, and they should be required to do so."
 
Cellphones shouldn't be able to work in moving cars, experts say (Anchorage DAily News)

#4060 of 4065 Re: rendered unoperable? [steve_] by vinnyny

Mar 06, 2013 (8:40 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Mar 06, 2013 8:06 pm)
If only they could spell "inoperable".
 
Strange how it always seems to be the least skilled drivers who insist on texting & driving...

#4061 of 4065 Re: rendered unoperable? [steve_] by fintail

Mar 06, 2013 (8:43 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Mar 06, 2013 8:06 pm)
I hate phone yappers, but that sounds like more half-baked bluster from the overpaid detached world of academia. Disable a phone by a car being in gear? And just how would that be implemented? A "transmission shaft lever"? What world do these people live in? Not even the nanny state Euros are this dumb.

#4062 of 4065 Re: rendered unoperable? [steve_] by xrunner2

Mar 07, 2013 (6:11 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Mar 06, 2013 8:06 pm)
"Automobile and cell phone equipment manufacturers have the engineering capabilities to implement these safeguards, and they should be required to do so."
 
What about GPS? If all cell phones had this technology, seems that engineers that design cell towers could figure out how to determine if a phone was moving. Except for a 911 call, they should be able to put in some hardware and/or software to simply terminate the call in progress.
 
Also, believe that cell technology is continuously monitoring both the strength of the signal from the cell talker and also determine movement with triangulation. This must be done to determine when to pass off the cell talker to the next cell tower in the direction of the talker's movement. So, there already is technology/software/hardware in place that "knows" that the cell talker is moving. Would seem not that difficult to take next step of software that then terminates call when sufficient data on the talker is in that he/she is moving.
 
Of course, cell service providers will strongly resist any efforts by government that would require them to terminate moving cell talkers. Loss of revenue to them.

#4063 of 4065 Re: rendered unoperable? [xrunner2] by fintail

Mar 07, 2013 (9:19 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Mar 07, 2013 6:11 am)
Not to mention streaming music through the phone etc that has nothing to do with talking, usage by passengers, phones that don't have GPS (many people still use "dumb phones"), software hacks that could easily defeat such technology, etc. Just more academics trying to earn their salaries. Enforcing the laws is a simpler solution.

#4064 of 4065 Re: rendered unoperable? [xrunner2] by vinnyny

Mar 07, 2013 (1:13 pm)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Mar 07, 2013 6:11 am)
terminate moving cell talkers
 
Now there's an idea worth considering!
 
How about we just make bluetooth connectivity for both text and voice mandatory? I hate the nanny state stuff, but the situation is really getting out of hand.

Messages Page 407 of 407

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