5 ms·

Yeah, if I’m standing completely still in a traffic jam, I’ll be glancing at my phone every once in a while, and nobody is going to convince me that this guy is

by TomVDB 5y ago

Yeah, if I’m standing completely still in a traffic jam, I’ll be glancing at my phone every once in a while, and nobody is going to convince me that this guy is doing a public service.

bambax 5y ago
Maybe fines will convince you. If not, suspension. If not, jail time.
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Jail time for texting at a red light? That won't fly in a world where people often don't get jail time for crimes with a victim. I don't condone it but some people are gonna text while driving. All else being equal it seems moronically counterproductive to target enforcement at the ones who are doing it while stopped.
  - bambax 5y ago
    Texting while driving should result in a license suspension (temporary, at first). Then if you drive without a license that should result in jail time, yes (and I believe it does in many places).
  - soneil 5y ago
    Realistic considering it's third in a list. If you're texting at the lights with a suspended licence, yes jail time is next on the list.
  - Freak_NL 5y ago
    > I don't condone it but some people are gonna text while driving. People used to rail against wearing a seat belt too, and even now many people see driving with a couple of beers below the belt as totally fine when [insert excuse]. This is a behavioural issue that will be sorted in due time. Media attention like this helps. There is just no excuse for texting or otherwise fooling around with a smartphone when you are behind the wheel. If you need to do something with it, you pull over in a (legal) safe place.
- TomVDB 5y ago
  Maybe hyperbole.
donkarma 5y ago
like he says, most people who use their phone in a traffic jam are probably not gonna stop there
airza 5y ago
The traffic jam is almost certainly exacerbated by hundreds of drivers doing the same thing....
- praxulus 5y ago
  By my ethics at least, making traffic worse is a far lesser offense than putting people's lives at risk.
pugworthy 5y ago
Yea full non-moving traffic jam? Maybe. Waiting for a red light? No. Also per the article... "...because using a handheld phone is only deemed illegal if there is proof of interactive communication, such as sending messages, talking, or commenting on social media..."
user-the-name 5y ago
Then you are an asshole and a danger. Stop doing that. Pay attention to the road. Just because you are currently at a stop does not mean that your attention is no longer needed. You will need to be aware of the situation around you when you start moving, and you will not be aware of it if you have been looking at your phone.
- TomVDB 5y ago
  You’re right of course. When I’m at a full stop in a never ending traffic jam on I-80, I’m totally a danger for not paying attention to the brake lights of the car in front also not moving.
  - erinaceousjones 5y ago
    Context matters. This entire article is about inner-city suburban streets in Britain, especially London with its high population density, in which pedestrians (i.e. gaggles of school kids, mums with pushchairs, people with dogs, independent cats, foxes) share the pavements and roads with cyclists, cars, sometimes even the occasional horse and carriage (even still today, yep). We're NOT talking about stop-start commuter traffic on an American interstate. There are a LOT more moving not-car objects which do not and will not follow the motorist's rules of the road, on these leafy suburban streets. Phone use when idle at stop lights means you might not spot something until it's too late. Hell, even when you open your door when parked up you have to check your mirrors so you don't accidentally clothes-line a passing cyclist - that's a point that's drilled into us by good driving instructors. As the people operating the industrial machinery, we have a duty of care to always treat it as such, and keep the others around us safe. Sorry, but your boredom is of little or no concern in relation to the safety of others. Just keep off the damn phone. Arguably even handsfree kits are a bit of a bad idea wrt concentration span and task switching - but they exist, so if you need to use your phone as a phone, you can do so without taking your eyes off the road. But otherwise, leave the damn rest until you're at home!!! The rest of your apps can wait.
clort 5y ago
Actually, it does mention in the article (referring to UK law, and the man is based in the UK) that the prosecutors want to see evidence of interactive phone use. That means that 'glancing at your phone every once in a while' is likely not enough to warrant their attention.

by TomVDB 5y ago

Yeah, if I’m standing completely still in a traffic jam, I’ll be glancing at my phone every once in a while, and nobody is going to convince me that this guy is doing a public service.

bambax 5y ago

Maybe fines will convince you. If not, suspension. If not, jail time.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Jail time for texting at a red light? That won't fly in a world where people often don't get jail time for crimes with a victim. I don't condone it but some people are gonna text while driving. All else being equal it seems moronically counterproductive to target enforcement at the ones who are doing it while stopped.
- bambax 5y ago
  Texting while driving should result in a license suspension (temporary, at first). Then if you drive without a license that should result in jail time, yes (and I believe it does in many places).
- soneil 5y ago
  Realistic considering it's third in a list. If you're texting at the lights with a suspended licence, yes jail time is next on the list.
- Freak_NL 5y ago
  > I don't condone it but some people are gonna text while driving. People used to rail against wearing a seat belt too, and even now many people see driving with a couple of beers below the belt as totally fine when [insert excuse]. This is a behavioural issue that will be sorted in due time. Media attention like this helps. There is just no excuse for texting or otherwise fooling around with a smartphone when you are behind the wheel. If you need to do something with it, you pull over in a (legal) safe place.
TomVDB 5y ago
Maybe hyperbole.

donkarma 5y ago

like he says, most people who use their phone in a traffic jam are probably not gonna stop there

airza 5y ago

The traffic jam is almost certainly exacerbated by hundreds of drivers doing the same thing....

praxulus 5y ago
By my ethics at least, making traffic worse is a far lesser offense than putting people's lives at risk.

pugworthy 5y ago

Yea full non-moving traffic jam? Maybe. Waiting for a red light? No. Also per the article... "...because using a handheld phone is only deemed illegal if there is proof of interactive communication, such as sending messages, talking, or commenting on social media..."

user-the-name 5y ago

Then you are an asshole and a danger. Stop doing that. Pay attention to the road. Just because you are currently at a stop does not mean that your attention is no longer needed. You will need to be aware of the situation around you when you start moving, and you will not be aware of it if you have been looking at your phone.

TomVDB 5y ago
You’re right of course. When I’m at a full stop in a never ending traffic jam on I-80, I’m totally a danger for not paying attention to the brake lights of the car in front also not moving.
- erinaceousjones 5y ago
  Context matters. This entire article is about inner-city suburban streets in Britain, especially London with its high population density, in which pedestrians (i.e. gaggles of school kids, mums with pushchairs, people with dogs, independent cats, foxes) share the pavements and roads with cyclists, cars, sometimes even the occasional horse and carriage (even still today, yep). We're NOT talking about stop-start commuter traffic on an American interstate. There are a LOT more moving not-car objects which do not and will not follow the motorist's rules of the road, on these leafy suburban streets. Phone use when idle at stop lights means you might not spot something until it's too late. Hell, even when you open your door when parked up you have to check your mirrors so you don't accidentally clothes-line a passing cyclist - that's a point that's drilled into us by good driving instructors. As the people operating the industrial machinery, we have a duty of care to always treat it as such, and keep the others around us safe. Sorry, but your boredom is of little or no concern in relation to the safety of others. Just keep off the damn phone. Arguably even handsfree kits are a bit of a bad idea wrt concentration span and task switching - but they exist, so if you need to use your phone as a phone, you can do so without taking your eyes off the road. But otherwise, leave the damn rest until you're at home!!! The rest of your apps can wait.

clort 5y ago

Actually, it does mention in the article (referring to UK law, and the man is based in the UK) that the prosecutors want to see evidence of interactive phone use. That means that 'glancing at your phone every once in a while' is likely not enough to warrant their attention.