3 ms·

I have an unsubstantiated hunch that the longer traffic lights are on average, the more people text while driving. Why? In cities I've lived in where the traffi

I have an unsubstantiated hunch that the longer traffic lights are on average, the more people text while driving. Why? In cities I've lived in where the traffic lights are shorter, no one gets out their phone because as soon as you do, you'll have to put it away because the light turned green. So you never get into Twitter/Facebook/etc. But if the stop lights are very long, people get engrossed in social media, then when the light turns green, their mental inertia keeps them wanting to read more. So they read while they're driving. Would be interested to know if anyone has actual research on this.

drdunce 5y ago
I think this is the solution. You can't keep chasing with legislation and even if you could you can't spy on drivers all the time. The key is keeping drivers focused and keeping traffic moving. Also removing all the things that encourage complacency. Lane assist etc.
- ironmagma 5y ago
  There is some evidence for pilots at least that partial automation reduces fatigue, which could very well be safer. I know when I turn on cruise control I get tired slower because of not having to monitor the spedometer.
  - drdunce 5y ago
    I agree but I can't help feeling like this anecdote kind of reinforces my first point. I don't believe we should be quite so speed limit obsessed. I think we should be able to keep our eyes on the road and all drive to the capabilities of our vehicles under the conditions. German autobahns have demonstrated this can work (if you have a decent road system). We shouldn't be getting tired from checking the spedometer, we should be getting tired from driving, and when we are tired we should be stopping.
    - ironmagma 5y ago
      Yes, hotels in more places would be nice. But I think most people are largely out of control of whether they need to keep going or not when they get fatigued. It's certainly hard to gauge, since it's such a sliding scale. Aviation pilots certainly don't have a choice, once they're in the air, and I don't think that's so different from most highway drivers.

drdunce 5y ago

I think this is the solution. You can't keep chasing with legislation and even if you could you can't spy on drivers all the time. The key is keeping drivers focused and keeping traffic moving. Also removing all the things that encourage complacency. Lane assist etc.

ironmagma 5y ago
There is some evidence for pilots at least that partial automation reduces fatigue, which could very well be safer. I know when I turn on cruise control I get tired slower because of not having to monitor the spedometer.
- drdunce 5y ago
  I agree but I can't help feeling like this anecdote kind of reinforces my first point. I don't believe we should be quite so speed limit obsessed. I think we should be able to keep our eyes on the road and all drive to the capabilities of our vehicles under the conditions. German autobahns have demonstrated this can work (if you have a decent road system). We shouldn't be getting tired from checking the spedometer, we should be getting tired from driving, and when we are tired we should be stopping.
  - ironmagma 5y ago
    Yes, hotels in more places would be nice. But I think most people are largely out of control of whether they need to keep going or not when they get fatigued. It's certainly hard to gauge, since it's such a sliding scale. Aviation pilots certainly don't have a choice, once they're in the air, and I don't think that's so different from most highway drivers.