DITTO.
The wife and I passed some moron reading a paperback novel, cruise control locked on 80 mph on the highway.
Yes the speed limit was 80 mph, I was running 85.
General / Off-Topic talking on phone whilst driving.....
- Thread starter [VR] Mad Mike
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The wife and I passed some moron reading a paperback novel, cruise control locked on 80 mph on the highway.
Yes the speed limit was 80 mph, I was running 85.
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I read in the internet yesterday about a.... 65 car was it? Pile up on motorway yesterday.
Honestly the sooner we have self driving cars at least on motorways the better. Truth is the tech is there right now (for motorways (freeways))
The problem really is the human element which plays hell with AI, but if ALL vehicles were ai controlled on those roads I think they would be safer and run smoother.
Smaller roads are a different matter and AI cant cope with those (not the Tesla one at any rate)
It won't happen for a good few years yet however because as soon as humans are thrown in the mix AI struggles with the unpredictability.
I do hope my child won't have to drive when he hits 17. He was 4 on Sunday just gone so that gives developers 13 years to get the software right and for government to allow computer driven cars.
Honestly the sooner we have self driving cars at least on motorways the better. Truth is the tech is there right now (for motorways (freeways))
The problem really is the human element which plays hell with AI, but if ALL vehicles were ai controlled on those roads I think they would be safer and run smoother.
Smaller roads are a different matter and AI cant cope with those (not the Tesla one at any rate)
It won't happen for a good few years yet however because as soon as humans are thrown in the mix AI struggles with the unpredictability.
I do hope my child won't have to drive when he hits 17. He was 4 on Sunday just gone so that gives developers 13 years to get the software right and for government to allow computer driven cars.
I’ve seen truck drivers read a book while driving and put one foot on the dashboard.
In all relaxation.
Doing this with a 40 ton in the hands is certainly a madness.
Texting while driving is roughly as dangerous as driving while being drunk, according to several studies. Don't use your phone while driving.
Driving a car puts you in charge of a large heavy and very deadly box of metal, that moves a lot faster than it seems from inside the car. When you drive at 50 mph (80 kmh) you move 22 meters (73 feet) in a single second.
And while we're at it, driving at just 30 mph (50 kmh) seems to be so slow that you can almost walk besides the car, but that speed resembles your speed after 10 meters (33 feet) of free fall. Imagine rolling your car over the edge of the 10 meter diving platform and hitting the ground below. That's 30 mph. Driving at 50 mph resembles 22 meters of free fall.
Driving a car puts you in charge of a large heavy and very deadly box of metal, that moves a lot faster than it seems from inside the car. When you drive at 50 mph (80 kmh) you move 22 meters (73 feet) in a single second.
And while we're at it, driving at just 30 mph (50 kmh) seems to be so slow that you can almost walk besides the car, but that speed resembles your speed after 10 meters (33 feet) of free fall. Imagine rolling your car over the edge of the 10 meter diving platform and hitting the ground below. That's 30 mph. Driving at 50 mph resembles 22 meters of free fall.
Agree, however talking is normal, in any kind of transport vessel, pilots and captains do it all the time.
Well, I don't know about ship captains, but pilots don't usually chat during flights. They communicate with ATC and with each other, but that is the exact opposite of what using a phone while driving means for safety.
Deleted member 110222
D
I'm sticking to the bus.
As long as I sit quietly as proved by CCTV, I can never be held responsible for a road accident.
Honestly the legal obligations, tax, maintenance, education... Just not worth it when I can just go sit on a bus and get where I need to go.
Also bus is relaxing. I have a bad habit of falling asleep on the bus.
As long as I sit quietly as proved by CCTV, I can never be held responsible for a road accident.
Honestly the legal obligations, tax, maintenance, education... Just not worth it when I can just go sit on a bus and get where I need to go.
Also bus is relaxing. I have a bad habit of falling asleep on the bus.
It's very much a post code lottery whether that is doable. In big cities, sure... But back when I lived in a village I wanted to go on the beers after work so chose to get the bus it which was meant to stop 400m from our work campus. The bus didn't show up. I walked to the local shop and asked and was told it's totally hit and miss on the busses esp around work time. If the bus was running late or was full it would just skip out the villages.I'm sticking to the bus.
As long as I sit quietly as proved by CCTV, I can never be held responsible for a road accident.
Honestly the legal obligations, tax, maintenance, education... Just not worth it when I can just go sit on a bus and get where I need to go.
Also bus is relaxing. I have a bad habit of falling asleep on the bus.
Road safety authorities here say it is inattention (being drunk, using mobiles) etc. that is the cause of most road accidents and not speed.
Using a mobile phone while driving is actually unlawful here and can result in a ticket, fine, suspension of licence etc.
I sometimes wish, i could make a living, just sitting at a number of road junctions, traffic lights, in my home town and take photos, of drivers, visibly using their phones. I would say, that it is about 1 in 15 drivers, that are doing so. Just give me £1 per prosecution and I would have a good income. Alas, this is not possible, in the U.K.
This, to me, is a gender neutral issue. Girls, boys, all do it. That said. I do think that females, have a different set of priorities, when driving, than males do. Males are mostly about speed, looking good and just getting there, looking as 'coolly' as possible. Females, tend to have other things on their minds. Geri Halliwell (spice girl ginger). Stated that she and most of her mates; put driving at about 5th, in her order of priorities; when she was in control of her car. Shoes, make-up, music, temperature, phone and the occasional, greeting to anyone she knew, passing by. All came before, being aware, of operating the car itself. The first DB7 she owned, had a dent, on every panel, when she sold it.
For many males, it is about, power, prestige and taking off a minute or two, from a point to point driving time. Phones, are just another distraction, to be ignored and responded too, in equal measure.
The thing with distractions like phone, is people, don't realise just has fast, they are really moving. I have spent most of my life, just walking everywhere. However: I have just brought myself a 1200 Triumph Trophy and travelled about 60 miles to bring it home. Initially riding it, can only be described as throwing a massive rock off of a cliff and just hanging on, for you life. Anyway, I kept it sensible, below the speed limits etc.. So I come off of the M25 and drop down, from 65 to 70Mmph to about 25 to 30mph and it felt like I could just step off of the bike; as it felt so slow. But at 30mph, it takes less than a quarter of a second, to completely cross a normal road or street. A quarter of a second, is about the same time, it takes the average person, to blink. It takes about a second, to look down at the hidden phone and back to the road. Just to look, to glance, to die and/or kill.
I think that because driving, is such a major part, of most human existence, they have become complacent, even contemptuous, of the object, they are meant to be in control of.
Personally: I think that the 'nanny state' should pay people the wait at junctions and take the phone off of, anyone using theirs and place it on the bonnet and smash it with a hammer. Then give back, the bits.
What I find particularly odd about driving laws, is it's perfectly legal to mess with your cars 10" colour touchscreen entertainment system, which is usually placed in the center console.
Using this requires your eyes to turn roughly 45° off center, and down (varies per manufacturer).
So you're basically driving using only your peripheral vision.
You can happily skip tracks, change the station, etc. Legal, as long as you're not distracted.
But, your phone, which if in a phone holder, is eye level, only a few degrees off center, and can be operated entirely using your peripheral vision, without adjusting focus, is illegal to operate, period.
Even dafter, is if you glued an iPad mini to your dashboard. This is now illegal to use.
Lol
I'm not saying we should be allowed to use our phones while driving, I'm just saying the law is stupid.
Using this requires your eyes to turn roughly 45° off center, and down (varies per manufacturer).
So you're basically driving using only your peripheral vision.
You can happily skip tracks, change the station, etc. Legal, as long as you're not distracted.
But, your phone, which if in a phone holder, is eye level, only a few degrees off center, and can be operated entirely using your peripheral vision, without adjusting focus, is illegal to operate, period.
Even dafter, is if you glued an iPad mini to your dashboard. This is now illegal to use.
Lol
I'm not saying we should be allowed to use our phones while driving, I'm just saying the law is stupid.
In the U.K. the traffic police, will automatically check, for any phone, for use, at the time of the accident. They will secure any devices and within minutes, establish, how and when they were active. There is no escape, for the driver, once these 'facts' have been established.What I find particularly odd about driving laws, is it's perfectly legal to mess with your cars 10" colour touchscreen entertainment system, which is usually placed in the center console.
Using this requires your eyes to turn roughly 45° off center, and down (varies per manufacturer).
So you're basically driving using only your peripheral vision.
You can happily skip tracks, change the station, etc. Legal, as long as you're not distracted.
But, your phone, which if in a phone holder, is eye level, only a few degrees off center, and can be operated entirely using your peripheral vision, without adjusting focus, is illegal to operate, period.
Even dafter, is if you glued an iPad mini to your dashboard. This is now illegal to use.
Lol
I'm not saying we should be allowed to use our phones while driving, I'm just saying the law is stupid.
I wonder how this would work for me, when I use my phone as a media player, and sat nav for work, and control it by hand when parked, or via voice control while driving...
If they could convincingly evidence that you were using something, and that it was distracting you from driving, then you were not in control of the vehicle. So they'd try to get you on not being in control of your vehicle.I wonder how this would work for me, when I use my phone as a media player, and sat nav for work, and control it by hand when parked, or via voice control while driving...
Law in UK=it's complicated.
Can't prove you did 'x', but we can prove you did 'y', so we'll prosecute you for that instead.
It's not about the phone being turned on in the car, it's how it's been used. If you're using it as a media player or a GPS (while having it fastened by regulations in the right place etc.) it's fine. But if they find out you've sent a text message a minute before the accident, or that there's been an active call during the accident, then you're in a heap of trouble.I wonder how this would work for me, when I use my phone as a media player, and sat nav for work, and control it by hand when parked, or via voice control while driving...
I send messages via voice too. Lol
It should be possible to use the gyros in a phone to detect motion >20mph and prevent communication till it stops. An app to prevent abuse while driving might be profitable?
Edit-
Duh, of course, it already exists!
Edit-
Duh, of course, it already exists!
Apps That Prevent Phone Use While Driving
The Distracted Driving Epidemic is serious. Fortunately, there are actions you can take to reduce risk and become a safer driver. Check out these apps that were created to prevent phone use while driving!
www.insuramatch.com
How does it differentiate between a driver using a phone and a passenger using a phone?It should be possible to use the gyros in a phone to detect motion >20mph and prevent communication till it stops. An app to prevent abuse while driving might be profitable?
Edit-
Duh, of course, it already exists!
Apps That Prevent Phone Use While Driving
The Distracted Driving Epidemic is serious. Fortunately, there are actions you can take to reduce risk and become a safer driver. Check out these apps that were created to prevent phone use while driving!www.insuramatch.com
How is talking via speakers or hands free headset is any different than talking to your passenger? There are plenty of dumb laws all around the world, but they're not that dense to outlaw any talking while driving
That's how I see it too.
I get that it's bad to have people distracted from driving by twiddling with buttons or clicking on stuff on a screen - which kind of begs the question of how/why most in-car infotainment/control systems are actually legal for road-use, but still - but if we're now saying that simply holding a conversation with somebody is sufficiently distracting to be an offence then surely talking to other people, let alone having kids/animals in a car, should also be an offence?
Having said that, speaking as somebody who's done a lot of driving, I always take driving as an opportunity for some "me time" so I deliberately mute my phone, safe in the knowledge that I've got a good excuse for ignoring anybody who tries to pester me.
My phone's got a variety of filters/mutes on it so I've set up an "in car" profile that blocks all calls and only accepts SMS messages from my missus, which it sends to my car stereo screen.
Missus just sends an SMS saying "Call me" and I'll pull over and phone her back.