4 ms·

Tech has made cars “a candy store of distraction”

21 points by elsewhen 4y ago

jackvalentine 4y ago
I agree with the premise of the article, but commuting by bike and looking in to people’s cars the #1 distraction for drivers moving and stationary remains the mobile phone. If for example, police would prosecute based on submitted footage and paid out a small amount of the fine say 10% as bounty in the short term I’d be making more money on my commute than at my day job.
- grepfru_it 4y ago
  I am trying to figure out a way to monetize disruptive traffic enforcement technology in exactly this method. Not only do I find mobile phones to be the #1 distraction, but people speed through my kid heavy neighborhood without a care in the world. Would love to Uber-ize traffic enforcement. My current thought is to just barrage police tips line with traffic infractions and force communities to reckon with the onslaught of data. I do know speed cameras in several cities do profit sharing with the camera operators, so this could be a minor change to crowdsourcing enforcement. If you want to work on this with me, let me know!
  - bognition 4y ago
    > but people speed through my kid heavy neighborhood without a care in the world. Would love to Uber-ize traffic enforcement Same and my neighborhood doesn’t have side walks. I’ve started walking down the center of the street. For my friends and neighbors I step aside and we chat. For “outsiders” I don’t move out of their way. If they’re very aggressive I start a conversation. In the end they know I know who they are and they and often slow down. I would hate to have some independent entity enforcing traffic on my neighborhood. It would destroy the sense of community. Instead I do my part to claim the roads for my kids and family.
    - coupdejarnac 4y ago
      This approach of inviting confrontation is bound to backfire eventually. The outsiders don't know if you're a Karen high on a power trip or just high.
      - bognition 4y ago
        Potentially, but I great them with a smile and ask them to respect my streets. So far its worked well.
        Forgeties79 4y ago
        I admire the initiative and “kill them kindness” mentality but man…all it takes is one person to pull a gun in a fit of rage.
  - jackvalentine 4y ago
    I wish you well. However unless you can reach absolute critical mass so drivers are constantly scared of being caught I don’t think it’ll do much. Fixing bad driving through neighbourhoods isn’t a matter of enforcing people who misbehave, it’s a matter of re-designing the streets to make it so people can’t, or don’t feel its safe to do so. This is called ‘traffic calming’ and is commonly done by reducing the width of the road, installing barriers and planter boxes to discourage speeding etc. https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/Traffic-Calming-to-Slow-Vehicle-Speeds https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/Traffic-Calmin...
    - grepfru_it 4y ago
      Imagine how quickly these traffic calming interventions would be deployed if the community received an overwhelming deluge of reported driving infractions...
      - jackvalentine 4y ago
        I don’t think they would be. People who live in these areas already know how badly drivers behave. The system more-or-less is working as ‘intended’ and anything that might undermine the hegemony of cars or even just slow them down faces massive pushback.
        landemva 4y ago
        Traffc lights stop cars for minutes, and most drivers don't seem to care or don't know there are alternatives which are faster and typically safer. Traffic planners are just set in their ways.
        jackvalentine 4y ago
        Drivers hate traffic lights, try introducing them for pedestrian crossings in neighbourhoods and you’ll see :) But they’re generally accepted because they’ve been part of the furniture for a hundred years. Try reducing the traffic lane down to one or blocking off the middle of a suburban street to stop rat runners and you’ll see people be absolutely furious.
wildrhythms 4y ago
Every time I see a TV ad where the car "stops for pedestrians for you!" I cringe... I get it's a safety feature, and maybe it's just the way they set it up in the ad, but it always feels like it's forgiving distracted driving. And I don't blame the drivers, because cars are coming with fewer and fewer physical knobs and buttons, so drivers are forced to decipher whatever horrible hieroglyphic LCD touchscreen-based UI has been installed in the vehicle.
- julianlam 4y ago
  It takes committed effort to not let these safety features take the place of proper defensive driving. All these cars with rear view cameras simply teach the next generation of drivers that they can just drive by looking at the (tiny) screen. All the same, I will admit to having had my life (and car) saved by the blind spot monitoring system. There are still some situations where situational awareness and a shoulder-check will NOT cover 100%.
  - grepfru_it 4y ago
    Real talk, 360 degree cameras are a game changer. Especially on cars with 10” lcds. I upgraded my current camera system with the 360 one (and a Tesla style 12” lcd) and I never look around anymore. Zero blind spots. This is in addition to the blind spot monitoring and collision avoidance system (which really reacts later than I would like). Honda integrates their mirror cameras into the dashboard for even less eye movement (the only car I’ve been in with factory mirror cameras). I, for one, welcome our newfangled technology overlords
99112000 4y ago
Once a car drives itself, these distractions will become readily available entertainment so it's smart, in some way...
- jazzyjackson 4y ago
  shades of Wall-E entertained while we're chaffeured from one diversion to the next
- eternityforest 4y ago
  The problem is they aren't self driving yet, and they are deploying tech as if they are. Besides, when cars drive themselves people will just use their phones the entire drive and entertainment features might not matter beyond the basics like Bluetooth audio.
pleb_nz 4y ago
Give me tactile controls for everything please

21 points by elsewhen 4y ago

I agree with the premise of the article, but commuting by bike and looking in to people’s cars the #1 distraction for drivers moving and stationary remains the mobile phone. If for example, police would prosecute based on submitted footage and paid out a small amount of the fine say 10% as bounty in the short term I’d be making more money on my commute than at my day job.

grepfru_it 4y ago
I am trying to figure out a way to monetize disruptive traffic enforcement technology in exactly this method. Not only do I find mobile phones to be the #1 distraction, but people speed through my kid heavy neighborhood without a care in the world. Would love to Uber-ize traffic enforcement. My current thought is to just barrage police tips line with traffic infractions and force communities to reckon with the onslaught of data. I do know speed cameras in several cities do profit sharing with the camera operators, so this could be a minor change to crowdsourcing enforcement. If you want to work on this with me, let me know!
- bognition 4y ago
  > but people speed through my kid heavy neighborhood without a care in the world. Would love to Uber-ize traffic enforcement Same and my neighborhood doesn’t have side walks. I’ve started walking down the center of the street. For my friends and neighbors I step aside and we chat. For “outsiders” I don’t move out of their way. If they’re very aggressive I start a conversation. In the end they know I know who they are and they and often slow down. I would hate to have some independent entity enforcing traffic on my neighborhood. It would destroy the sense of community. Instead I do my part to claim the roads for my kids and family.
  - coupdejarnac 4y ago
    This approach of inviting confrontation is bound to backfire eventually. The outsiders don't know if you're a Karen high on a power trip or just high.
    - bognition 4y ago
      Potentially, but I great them with a smile and ask them to respect my streets. So far its worked well.
      - Forgeties79 4y ago
        I admire the initiative and “kill them kindness” mentality but man…all it takes is one person to pull a gun in a fit of rage.
- jackvalentine 4y ago
  I wish you well. However unless you can reach absolute critical mass so drivers are constantly scared of being caught I don’t think it’ll do much. Fixing bad driving through neighbourhoods isn’t a matter of enforcing people who misbehave, it’s a matter of re-designing the streets to make it so people can’t, or don’t feel its safe to do so. This is called ‘traffic calming’ and is commonly done by reducing the width of the road, installing barriers and planter boxes to discourage speeding etc. https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/Traffic-Calming-to-Slow-Vehicle-Speeds https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/Traffic-Calmin...
  - grepfru_it 4y ago
    Imagine how quickly these traffic calming interventions would be deployed if the community received an overwhelming deluge of reported driving infractions...
    - jackvalentine 4y ago
      I don’t think they would be. People who live in these areas already know how badly drivers behave. The system more-or-less is working as ‘intended’ and anything that might undermine the hegemony of cars or even just slow them down faces massive pushback.
      - landemva 4y ago
        Traffc lights stop cars for minutes, and most drivers don't seem to care or don't know there are alternatives which are faster and typically safer. Traffic planners are just set in their ways.
        jackvalentine 4y ago
        Drivers hate traffic lights, try introducing them for pedestrian crossings in neighbourhoods and you’ll see :) But they’re generally accepted because they’ve been part of the furniture for a hundred years. Try reducing the traffic lane down to one or blocking off the middle of a suburban street to stop rat runners and you’ll see people be absolutely furious.

wildrhythms 4y ago

Every time I see a TV ad where the car "stops for pedestrians for you!" I cringe... I get it's a safety feature, and maybe it's just the way they set it up in the ad, but it always feels like it's forgiving distracted driving. And I don't blame the drivers, because cars are coming with fewer and fewer physical knobs and buttons, so drivers are forced to decipher whatever horrible hieroglyphic LCD touchscreen-based UI has been installed in the vehicle.

julianlam 4y ago
It takes committed effort to not let these safety features take the place of proper defensive driving. All these cars with rear view cameras simply teach the next generation of drivers that they can just drive by looking at the (tiny) screen. All the same, I will admit to having had my life (and car) saved by the blind spot monitoring system. There are still some situations where situational awareness and a shoulder-check will NOT cover 100%.
- grepfru_it 4y ago
  Real talk, 360 degree cameras are a game changer. Especially on cars with 10” lcds. I upgraded my current camera system with the 360 one (and a Tesla style 12” lcd) and I never look around anymore. Zero blind spots. This is in addition to the blind spot monitoring and collision avoidance system (which really reacts later than I would like). Honda integrates their mirror cameras into the dashboard for even less eye movement (the only car I’ve been in with factory mirror cameras). I, for one, welcome our newfangled technology overlords

99112000 4y ago

Once a car drives itself, these distractions will become readily available entertainment so it's smart, in some way...

jazzyjackson 4y ago
shades of Wall-E entertained while we're chaffeured from one diversion to the next
eternityforest 4y ago
The problem is they aren't self driving yet, and they are deploying tech as if they are. Besides, when cars drive themselves people will just use their phones the entire drive and entertainment features might not matter beyond the basics like Bluetooth audio.

pleb_nz 4y ago

Give me tactile controls for everything please