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OK, I wanna acknowledge that, no amount of laws prohibiting it, nor stiffness of penalties is solving this problem. Even great voice recognition software isn't cutting it, as too few people are using the technology. I don't even want to get into the debate of whether laws should exist or what penalties should be.
My idea, is that cell phone manufacturers should change. There are a lot of poor folk in this country who are not gonna have fancy integrated systems in the car, so I propose that all touch screen phones be mandated to include a slider keyboard. I realize this would impact cost of phones and manufacturing, but as cheap as phones are these days, would the impact really be so bad? I wonder why sliders went in and out of popularity fast as they did?
I personally almost never text and drive, but I cannot deny, that on rare occasions, when pressed for time and dealing with folks who refuse to take voice calls, I have been guilty on a few occasions and I know I'm not alone. I also know many people have no qualms about doing it constantly with zero regard for the law or anyone's safety.
I know from experience, that touch screen phones are a MENACE on the roads. I'm not saying that a tactile keyboard by any stretch makes texting while driving safe, but I can attest that it is much easier to do without looking at the phone, and I'd be willing to bet, it would increase road safety, given the fact that nobody who texts and drives plans on stopping the practice until it personally impacts their lives.
I know I'm dreaming, but it makes sense to me and I thought I'd throw it out there.
Because they're unnecessary and don't do much of anything but make things more awkward.I wonder why sliders went in and out of popularity fast as they did?
The technological solution you suggest is quite simple.
When a cell phone or smart phone is within two feet of the steering wheel of an automobile in motion, it becomes inoperative.
Once the car is at a dead stop, the cell phone screen alights anew.
Passengers in the front seat can text.
Back seat occupants can text.
But the driver will be unable to enable any cell phone function until the car is at a dead stand-still.
A chip (bit of firm-ware) in every cell phone and a chip in the steering wheel of every automobile is all that it would take.
But it is unlikely to ever happen.
The car makers and the cell phone providers would never find a way to make this practicable, not without making it unwieldy and unbelievably-expensive.
Especially if the federal government gets involved.
And it could be done dirt-cheap.
That's the sad reality.
And once the hacks reverse engineered it, any goof could shutdown any phone anywhere.
It would be done before it hit the market, likely by the same people who developed it, and they'd do it for bragging rights.
It seem to me the correct solution is to hold people accountable for reckless driving, without dwelling on the specifics of why they are driving recklessly.
i agree with the spirit of your posting, White Phosphorus.
But the letter of it is down to the 'devil in the details'.
Most States and Counties already have laws banning texting while driving.
There are only two problems with this purely-symbolic gesture;
1. Catching drivers at it in a manner that will hold up in court
and
2. Stopping the cops themselves from texting while driving.
Sadly, software solutions are going to be the ultimate end to all this, if only sober heads prevail.
What percentage of phone owners are the problem? .0001 %? Yeah, I know, "if it saves only one life".
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