Morons on the loose (or phone).
But wait, are we all morons? Indeed, at least most of us are. You see, we (that is you, me and just about everyone else) tend to engage in the interface of technology while driving. And this is dangerous. To you, to me and everyone else.
Come on, you must have seen it too: almost everytime you see someone in a car doing something particularly ignorant, they have a phone plastered to their head. Parking, backing up around a corner, switching lanes without signalling, trying to merge onto a motorway/freeway/interstate ... phone to head will ensure a certain remove from the situation putting everyone else at risk. It ought to be as serious as a speeding ticket, or worse.
And does the "hands-free" make a difference? Yes, I think so, but not as much as you think -- but at least two hands might be on the wheel or a spare hand free for signalling. But there is still a difference as compared to talking with someone in the car: I think that this must have something to do with focusing on someone that is not present and in that way removing the focus from the immediate environment. That is not to say that people in the car gabbing with each other do not pose a risk -- we have all seen (mostly two or more women) gabbing away trundling down the fast lane at 45 mph. Or gramps (but he is talking with the little green men that live in his frontal cortex). Lest anyone think that I am picking on the stereotype woman driver, let me add that I find the macho-teen/twenty-something male bozo with the mirror shades and baseball cap on backwards by far the riskier prospect.
What makes the hands free risky? You have to answer the phone -- or dial a number. And that requires taking your eyes off of the road. Mercedes has a voice activated system (as do some other manufacturers) that permits you to toggle a stalk on the steering column and speak your commands and numbers -- all the while you are presumably watching where you are going. But most people who have a "hands free" phone need to fiddle with it such that it is only hands free while talking to the other party. While better than holding the phone to your head, it still has its issues.
So what about NAV systems? Well, if you consider that a ton of accidents are caused by people fiddling with the radio, and that is a minor adjustment compared with setting up the NAV while moving, I can only hope that at some point in the future, the car companies will come up with a lock-out interface to prevent someone from entering an address or doing anything except, possibly, changing the scale on the map. 'Cause let me tell you from experience, this is an easy way to completely lose "sight of the ball."
Which brings me to the Blackberry. Yessiree, folks, you know that you need to send an email while driving. Or read stuff in your inbox that just can't wait until you stop the car. If you think that I am kidding ... I have seen it. But then again, I do live in Boston.
Come on, you must have seen it too: almost everytime you see someone in a car doing something particularly ignorant, they have a phone plastered to their head. Parking, backing up around a corner, switching lanes without signalling, trying to merge onto a motorway/freeway/interstate ... phone to head will ensure a certain remove from the situation putting everyone else at risk. It ought to be as serious as a speeding ticket, or worse.
And does the "hands-free" make a difference? Yes, I think so, but not as much as you think -- but at least two hands might be on the wheel or a spare hand free for signalling. But there is still a difference as compared to talking with someone in the car: I think that this must have something to do with focusing on someone that is not present and in that way removing the focus from the immediate environment. That is not to say that people in the car gabbing with each other do not pose a risk -- we have all seen (mostly two or more women) gabbing away trundling down the fast lane at 45 mph. Or gramps (but he is talking with the little green men that live in his frontal cortex). Lest anyone think that I am picking on the stereotype woman driver, let me add that I find the macho-teen/twenty-something male bozo with the mirror shades and baseball cap on backwards by far the riskier prospect.
What makes the hands free risky? You have to answer the phone -- or dial a number. And that requires taking your eyes off of the road. Mercedes has a voice activated system (as do some other manufacturers) that permits you to toggle a stalk on the steering column and speak your commands and numbers -- all the while you are presumably watching where you are going. But most people who have a "hands free" phone need to fiddle with it such that it is only hands free while talking to the other party. While better than holding the phone to your head, it still has its issues.
So what about NAV systems? Well, if you consider that a ton of accidents are caused by people fiddling with the radio, and that is a minor adjustment compared with setting up the NAV while moving, I can only hope that at some point in the future, the car companies will come up with a lock-out interface to prevent someone from entering an address or doing anything except, possibly, changing the scale on the map. 'Cause let me tell you from experience, this is an easy way to completely lose "sight of the ball."
Which brings me to the Blackberry. Yessiree, folks, you know that you need to send an email while driving. Or read stuff in your inbox that just can't wait until you stop the car. If you think that I am kidding ... I have seen it. But then again, I do live in Boston.
posted by Zaphod at Wednesday, November 30, 2005
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