5 ms·

this made me think about my car's infotainment UI (typically have android auto running) and how annoying it is that much of it locks while the car is in motion.

by modzu 6y ago

this made me think about my car's infotainment UI (typically have android auto running) and how annoying it is that much of it locks while the car is in motion. searching for an address in waze, accessing a text message, etc. even worse is some things work for a few seconds (scrolling down my list of songs) before it locks and says "eyes back on the road... wait a minute", and unlocks again. this is terrible when i have a passenger who could help (could you search for a gas station, or please reply to that message we will be late) which requires pulling over. whats more safe on a freeway? it sort of reminds me of red light cameras, which have been proven to cause drivers to burn through yellows at 100 miles an hour (increasing crashes on the other side) to avoid the fine for what would otherwise be a minor issue. i digress..

jacquesm 6y ago
You shouldn't be pulling over on a freeway for stuff like that either. You should do it in a parking space.
Noumenon72 6y ago
I'm glad I am living in the era before do-gooders take control of our phones and prevent us from using our own judgment about safety tradeoffs. So many restaurants I've found, plans I've made, songs I've remembered, on empty roads or in Nebraska in broad daylight. I've encountered multiple people who don't think it's safe to use your phone while stopped at a light. They're intolerant of other opinions so they will win eventually.
- hn_user82179 6y ago
  I would agree, but I've also been a passenger with drivers who insist on using their phone (and won't let me text for them) and watched the car veer back and forth, where they'd correct just after the car had crossed the lane line. I don't ride with those people more than once, but these were people who are otherwise intelligent, educated, kind humans. The problem with trusting humans to use their own judgement is that it is very self-focused: "Am I going to die in an accident?", not, "Could I hurt or kill someone else"? Given how many people (at least in the US) refuse to wear masks for the health of those around them right now, I don't think those people would also be concerned about hitting others. FWIW, I think it's possible to safely use your phone at a stoplight (I frequently do), but I saw my friend release the brake and start rolling and then look up from his phone, because he had seen it was green in his peripheral vision. That is not safe, and I think scenarios like this happen more than we realize.
mcguire 6y ago
Do you have a source for "red light cameras, which have been proven to cause drivers to burn through yellows at 100 miles an hour (increasing crashes on the other side) to avoid the fine for what would otherwise be a minor issue"? All I have been able to find is: * https://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-camera-backlash-cameras-causing-accidents/story?id=13925887 https://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-camera-backlash-cameras-... "On the other side of the debate are statistics that show the cameras also cause accidents. A 2005 federal study demonstrated that while injuries from right angle or T-bone crashes decreased by 16 percent at red-light camera intersections, injuries from rear-end collisions increased by 24 percent." * https://www.iihs.org/topics/red-light-running https://www.iihs.org/topics/red-light-running "When it comes to crash reductions, an IIHS study comparing large cities with red light cameras to those without found the devices reduced the fatal red light running crash rate by 21 percent and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14 percent (Hu & Cicchino, 2017)." (Referring to https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2121 https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2121.) "Previous research in Oxnard, California, found significant citywide crash reductions followed the introduction of red light cameras, and injury crashes at intersections with traffic signals were reduced by 29 percent (Retting & Kyrychenko, 2002). Front-into-side collisions — the crash type most closely associated with red light running — at these intersections declined by 32 percent overall, and front-into-side crashes involving injuries fell 68 percent." (Referring to https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/1510 https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/1510.) "The Cochrane Collaboration, an international public health organization, reviewed 10 controlled before-after studies of red light camera effectiveness (Aeron-Thomas & Hess, 2005). Based on the most rigorous studies, there was an estimated 13-29 percent reduction in all types of injury crashes and a 24 percent reduction in right-angle injury crashes. "Not all studies have reported increases in rear-end crashes. The review by the Cochrane Collaboration did not find a statistically significant change in rear-end injury crashes (Aeron-Thomas & Hess, 2005)." (Both referring to https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15846684/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15846684/.) "A study sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration evaluated red light camera programs in seven cities (Council et al., 2005). It found that, overall, right-angle crashes decreased by 25 percent while rear-end collisions increased by 15 percent. Results showed a positive aggregate economic benefit of more than $18.5 million in the seven communities." (Referred to https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/05048/05048.pdf https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/05048/....)

by modzu 6y ago

jacquesm 6y ago

You shouldn't be pulling over on a freeway for stuff like that either. You should do it in a parking space.

Noumenon72 6y ago

I'm glad I am living in the era before do-gooders take control of our phones and prevent us from using our own judgment about safety tradeoffs. So many restaurants I've found, plans I've made, songs I've remembered, on empty roads or in Nebraska in broad daylight. I've encountered multiple people who don't think it's safe to use your phone while stopped at a light. They're intolerant of other opinions so they will win eventually.

hn_user82179 6y ago
I would agree, but I've also been a passenger with drivers who insist on using their phone (and won't let me text for them) and watched the car veer back and forth, where they'd correct just after the car had crossed the lane line. I don't ride with those people more than once, but these were people who are otherwise intelligent, educated, kind humans. The problem with trusting humans to use their own judgement is that it is very self-focused: "Am I going to die in an accident?", not, "Could I hurt or kill someone else"? Given how many people (at least in the US) refuse to wear masks for the health of those around them right now, I don't think those people would also be concerned about hitting others. FWIW, I think it's possible to safely use your phone at a stoplight (I frequently do), but I saw my friend release the brake and start rolling and then look up from his phone, because he had seen it was green in his peripheral vision. That is not safe, and I think scenarios like this happen more than we realize.

mcguire 6y ago

Do you have a source for "red light cameras, which have been proven to cause drivers to burn through yellows at 100 miles an hour (increasing crashes on the other side) to avoid the fine for what would otherwise be a minor issue"? All I have been able to find is: * https://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-camera-backlash-cameras-causing-accidents/story?id=13925887 https://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-camera-backlash-cameras-... "On the other side of the debate are statistics that show the cameras also cause accidents. A 2005 federal study demonstrated that while injuries from right angle or T-bone crashes decreased by 16 percent at red-light camera intersections, injuries from rear-end collisions increased by 24 percent." * https://www.iihs.org/topics/red-light-running https://www.iihs.org/topics/red-light-running "When it comes to crash reductions, an IIHS study comparing large cities with red light cameras to those without found the devices reduced the fatal red light running crash rate by 21 percent and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14 percent (Hu & Cicchino, 2017)." (Referring to https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2121 https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2121.) "Previous research in Oxnard, California, found significant citywide crash reductions followed the introduction of red light cameras, and injury crashes at intersections with traffic signals were reduced by 29 percent (Retting & Kyrychenko, 2002). Front-into-side collisions — the crash type most closely associated with red light running — at these intersections declined by 32 percent overall, and front-into-side crashes involving injuries fell 68 percent." (Referring to https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/1510 https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/1510.) "The Cochrane Collaboration, an international public health organization, reviewed 10 controlled before-after studies of red light camera effectiveness (Aeron-Thomas & Hess, 2005). Based on the most rigorous studies, there was an estimated 13-29 percent reduction in all types of injury crashes and a 24 percent reduction in right-angle injury crashes. "Not all studies have reported increases in rear-end crashes. The review by the Cochrane Collaboration did not find a statistically significant change in rear-end injury crashes (Aeron-Thomas & Hess, 2005)." (Both referring to https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15846684/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15846684/.) "A study sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration evaluated red light camera programs in seven cities (Council et al., 2005). It found that, overall, right-angle crashes decreased by 25 percent while rear-end collisions increased by 15 percent. Results showed a positive aggregate economic benefit of more than $18.5 million in the seven communities." (Referred to https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/05048/05048.pdf https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/05048/....)