I’ve seen statistics that disagree with that statement. While a conversation inside the car isn’t as distracting as talking on a phone, it’s much more distracting than not having a conversation. I vaguely recall 50% as distracting as talking on the phone vs. a baseline of no conversation.
Yeah, I have regular passengers who are all the more insistent that I respond to complex questions at the worst possible moments. They talk with no awareness of what’s going on outside the car and get pissed at me when I ignore them in favor of avoiding accidents.
Depends on the statute, but I know in my jurisdiction that any touch interaction with any electronic device that is not built into the car while the motor is running is a potential violation.
I’ve also learned that as a passenger, I should be more patient than usual with a driver during a conversation. A lot more patient, and more quiet. And a lot less insistent on, let’s call it, “interesting” conversation.
I’ve had the opposite happen. I’ve been the passenger in a car where I stopped talking because we were in a tricky merge situation and the driver couldn’t figure out why i stopped talking.
It may have been a different thing, but in this vein I listened to a long and reasoned scientific discussion about the fact that people shouldn’t be listening to sports games or audio books while driving, either. It all concerned the part of the brain that gets busy building visuals of what you’re listening to. This was why talking to an actual person didn’t create the same effect.
It all depends on the cognitive load. For me, there are some audio books I absolutely will not listen to while driving - anything by Umberto Eco, for instance - because they require too much attention, but there are other books that are fine because I prioritize driving over comprehension, I’m still constantly scanning and paying attention to the road and driving conditions as a defensive driver, keeping plenty of space ahead of me and keeping aware of my surroundings. Genre fiction in a genre you are familiar with and other light reading is good. Anything dense or that requires thinking is bad.
"Hello? Hello?!? Can you hear me now??? Pfft… ‘best coverage network’ my ass. This hash brown has the worst f*cking reception of any phone I’ve ever owned. Nobody’s been able to get in touch with me all week and my ear on the one side is all greasy and breaking out. Screw you, ClownTownMobile! "
The ticket was for distracted driving, not for being on the phone. It doesn’t matter what distracted you while driving - phones just made it more of an issue.
I should’ve clarified but this was mentioned as well, the broader conclusion was concerning hands-free and phone-in-face being nearly as distracting, which kinda scuttled the logic of hands free calling being safer.
The safest thing to do of course is to get rid of most cars
Is this the part where we all end up making sure we have our own cameras on when we are in our own vehicles, like Uber drivers or Scanner Darkly?
I wonder if this is the path of endless escalation of self-surveillance just so we have some video documentation to counter accusations not based in fact.
It definitely is in the UK - there are many cases of people being charged and convicted for eating or drinking while driving (even while stopped at a red light).
On the other hand - I see people in new expensive cars (which certainly have bluetooth) talking on handheld cell phones. I live in CT and the age of the people doing this ranges from teens to 70s. Also see many, many people fucking with their phone in their lap while driving - which has been illegal here for over 10 years.
So while I am sympathetic to this gentleman and believe him, it is a scourge that needs to be addressed
And newer car tech that needs drivers to touch dashboard screens to operate certain functions. Analog switches and buttons are tactile and need no line of sight or may become learnt muscle memory - touchscreens less so.
How do they define built in? And did they go to some crazy twist of language to define it?
I put my phone in a mount attached to the dashboard (to a vent with a clamp specifically, so it can’t fall off without breaking the vent). Once it’s there is that built in? If not, what would I have to do to make it “built in”? I was thinking maybe it would need to be screwed in, like a replacement radio since that must be considered “built in” even though it didn’t come from the factory that way. But, then the dashboard is only held on with clips not screws. So, what makes that any more “built in” than the vent mount that’s held on with a clip too?
It is way easier to tap the phone and use the GPS or audio controls when it’s mounted to the dash vs sitting in a cup holder or held in a hand. Still should try to only use apps designed for car use and definitely not read and type text messages.
