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> That also raises another point: as an example, we know that some drivers text while driving. Not all drivers do this; hopefully it's a minority. I would be s

> That also raises another point: as an example, we know that some drivers text while driving. Not all drivers do this; hopefully it's a minority. I would be surprised if it was a minority. I am an extremely active pedestrian and cyclist in Toronto and if you pay attention to people in their cars stopped at red lights you'll find a majority will be glancing down at something. It could be a phone.. could be the radio.. could be something on their dash panel.. but when you start noticing how many people react to green lights based on hearing the car in front of them go rather than their sight (because their head is down) it doesn't make me optimistic that they're looking at anything other than their phone.

MobiusHorizons 3y ago
Sure you shouldn’t be distracted while driving, but distractions occur, and some of them may require attention e.g driving directions don’t make sense, or music too loud. The best time to service this kind of distraction is at a stop light because you have a couple seconds of acceptable reaction time unlike just about any other time while driving. I’m not surprised or concerned about distractions at stop lights, I have seen very little evidence of accidents caused by that kind of distraction. I’m concerned about distractions while moving (especially at speed), and the two are not necessarily correlated.
- jeffbee 3y ago
  > I have seen very little evidence of accidents caused by that kind of distraction. One of the very few actual collisions in SF involving a Waymo was a rear-end accident where the guy behind the Waymo was staring at a phone at a stop, then when the cars in the next lane started moving, he started moving without knowing what was happening. Which is quite common. Looking down at your phone or at the car's console while stopped at an intersection is a bad idea. If you are forced to do it, it's important to keep in mind the need to look around for a moment before you begin moving again.

MobiusHorizons 3y ago

Sure you shouldn’t be distracted while driving, but distractions occur, and some of them may require attention e.g driving directions don’t make sense, or music too loud. The best time to service this kind of distraction is at a stop light because you have a couple seconds of acceptable reaction time unlike just about any other time while driving. I’m not surprised or concerned about distractions at stop lights, I have seen very little evidence of accidents caused by that kind of distraction. I’m concerned about distractions while moving (especially at speed), and the two are not necessarily correlated.

jeffbee 3y ago
> I have seen very little evidence of accidents caused by that kind of distraction. One of the very few actual collisions in SF involving a Waymo was a rear-end accident where the guy behind the Waymo was staring at a phone at a stop, then when the cars in the next lane started moving, he started moving without knowing what was happening. Which is quite common. Looking down at your phone or at the car's console while stopped at an intersection is a bad idea. If you are forced to do it, it's important to keep in mind the need to look around for a moment before you begin moving again.