The Case For a Safer Smartphone 184
itwbennett writes: "According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, people who text and drive increase their chances of 'safety-critical events' by a multiple of 23.2. And new research is constantly rolling out, showing the same thing: 'We can't handle the visual, manual, and cognitive commitment of using a phone while driving,' writes blogger Kevin Purdy. What's needed, Purdy suggests, isn't more laws that will go ignored, but phones that know enough to stop giving us the distractions we ask them for: 'I think the next good phone, the next phone that makes some variant of the claim that it "Fits the way you live," needs to know that we don't know what is good for us when it comes to driving. We want to be entertained and shown new things while doing the often mundane or stressful task of driving. More specifically, those phones should know when we are driving, quiet or otherwise obscure updates from most apps, and be able to offer their most basic functions without needing to turn on a screen or type a single letter.'"
FUCK BETA (Score:2, Informative)
seriously, this redirecting to BETA even after I type in www instead is getting REALLY FUCKING OLD.
Re:If you can learn to put a beer down while drivi (Score:5, Informative)
We need enforcement of current laws. I have never, never, seen anyone pulled over for talking or texting on the phone. Let alone charged for it.
You need to go to Germany. The Autobahns are full of police cars. You can drive at any speed you like. Burn past one at 200mph? No problem.
Tailgate? Flash lights at people? Drive like a moron in any way and they'll be down on you like a ton of bricks.
Re:Human Nature? (Score:5, Informative)
not this stupid argument again.
the passengers have a vested interest in not distracting the driver. and in general, they don't. and they also tend to be looking around, and are likely to alert the driver when they notice a pedestrian in front of the car, or the car is drifting onto the shoulder or into the car in the next lane.
you can tell that it's happening when you are in the car, and you can't over the phone [or you just don't care].
Re:If you can learn to put a beer down while drivi (Score:2, Informative)
Isn't flash-to-pass what they do in every civilized nation?
Nope, that would be coercion ("Nötigung").