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Look, I know that drunk driving is a serious issue, but based on what I see on the roadway, NOBODY is paying any damn attention out here anymore. Whether it is

Look, I know that drunk driving is a serious issue, but based on what I see on the roadway, NOBODY is paying any damn attention out here anymore. Whether it is phones or giant screened infotainment systems, the amount of distractions is staggering. If we are going to go the route of overreach and “nanny state”, why not find a way to disable certain features of the drivers phone and do away with the large screen infotainment systems altogether.

ryandrake 5y ago
Used to commute on one of those double decker tech busses down a few Interstate highways in the Bay Area, and from those you can get a good view into the cabins of other commuters’ cars. Every day you can see about 50% of drivers playing with their phones while driving. And it’s not just people occasionally glancing at their phones in their cup holder. They are holding the phone in their hand, scrolling through god-knows-what, typing/texting, watching videos. It’s totally insane! At least half of drivers are doing this. What can possibly be this important on Instagram that you’re willing to risk your life for?
- tomjen3 5y ago
  If I could get 10% of the fine, I could quit my job, stand by the road and record all the drivers who did that. I would make bank. Around here the fee for talking with a handheld phone is more than twice what a headset costs + points off your license. Yet people still do it all the time.
  - ryandrake 5y ago
    According to [1], in California, total out of pocket for a first time cell phone violation is ~$150, total out of pocket for a subsequent offense is ~$250. Let's conservatively assume that for 75% of drivers, it's a first time violation. Average fine is $175. According to random internet search [2], the saturation flow of a lane of traffic is about 1900 vehicles per hour. Let's assume a 4 lane highway at rush hour is about 80% of saturation, which yields 6,000 vehicles per hour. Assume 50% are offending, and you can positively catch/convict 10% of those, so 300 vehicles x $175 = $262,500 in fines per hour. At 10% finder's fee, you could make $2,625 PER HOUR just sitting by the side of the road with a camera. Not bad! 1: https://www.drivinglaws.org/sb1613.php https://www.drivinglaws.org/sb1613.php 2: http://www.mikeontraffic.com/numbers-every-traffic-engineer-should-know/ http://www.mikeontraffic.com/numbers-every-traffic-engineer-...
prirun 5y ago
I was in a wreck 2 months ago where I'm assuming the woman was on her phone, because she slammed into me while I was stopped at an intersection. I am still arguing with her insurance company over the property damage claim, and we haven't even started on the bodily injury claim because I haven't yet finished all my health-related crap caused by the "accident". The phone companies, insurance companies, car companies, and individuals have no incentive to disable phones while driving. Who is left to fix this problem? Maybe it will get fixed when a senator's family member is killed by someone driving and using their phone.

ryandrake 5y ago

Used to commute on one of those double decker tech busses down a few Interstate highways in the Bay Area, and from those you can get a good view into the cabins of other commuters’ cars. Every day you can see about 50% of drivers playing with their phones while driving. And it’s not just people occasionally glancing at their phones in their cup holder. They are holding the phone in their hand, scrolling through god-knows-what, typing/texting, watching videos. It’s totally insane! At least half of drivers are doing this. What can possibly be this important on Instagram that you’re willing to risk your life for?

tomjen3 5y ago
If I could get 10% of the fine, I could quit my job, stand by the road and record all the drivers who did that. I would make bank. Around here the fee for talking with a handheld phone is more than twice what a headset costs + points off your license. Yet people still do it all the time.
- ryandrake 5y ago
  According to [1], in California, total out of pocket for a first time cell phone violation is ~$150, total out of pocket for a subsequent offense is ~$250. Let's conservatively assume that for 75% of drivers, it's a first time violation. Average fine is $175. According to random internet search [2], the saturation flow of a lane of traffic is about 1900 vehicles per hour. Let's assume a 4 lane highway at rush hour is about 80% of saturation, which yields 6,000 vehicles per hour. Assume 50% are offending, and you can positively catch/convict 10% of those, so 300 vehicles x $175 = $262,500 in fines per hour. At 10% finder's fee, you could make $2,625 PER HOUR just sitting by the side of the road with a camera. Not bad! 1: https://www.drivinglaws.org/sb1613.php https://www.drivinglaws.org/sb1613.php 2: http://www.mikeontraffic.com/numbers-every-traffic-engineer-should-know/ http://www.mikeontraffic.com/numbers-every-traffic-engineer-...

prirun 5y ago

I was in a wreck 2 months ago where I'm assuming the woman was on her phone, because she slammed into me while I was stopped at an intersection. I am still arguing with her insurance company over the property damage claim, and we haven't even started on the bodily injury claim because I haven't yet finished all my health-related crap caused by the "accident". The phone companies, insurance companies, car companies, and individuals have no incentive to disable phones while driving. Who is left to fix this problem? Maybe it will get fixed when a senator's family member is killed by someone driving and using their phone.