General > General Technical Chat

When driving and mobile/car phones were legal

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Halcyon:
This is more of a brain dump than anything. But today I was reminiscing about the "car phone". As I was growing up, parents of a few friends had them. I had fond memories of the initialisation tone that was heard when the car ignition was turned on (I think it was an NEC phone hard wired to the car with the handset beside the driver's seat).

Use of mobile phones by the driver while driving were introduced in Australia in 2012, which wasn't that long ago. Now, you can be caught and fined using a phone not only by police, but by automated "mobile phone detection" cameras fitted to overhead bridges, signs etc...

Don't get me wrong, I agree with these laws and methods as some people find it hard enough to drive without using a phone.


Monkeh:
I doubt they were legal back then. Certainly weren't here, the specific law is just to drum it into the heads of those too stupid to operate either safely.

james_s:
They were legal in the USA until relatively recently, maybe 10 years ago? Back in the early days of mobile phones they were so expensive that very few people had them and it wasn't enough of a problem for anyone to make it illegal. Also in the analog days a mobile phone was just a phone, there were no games or social media or other crap. Once it got so that everyone had one and the capabilities of the devices grew the number of accidents caused by distracted driving rose dramatically. Personally I think it should be a criminal offense if you cause any sort of accident while driving distracted, I see it so often and have nearly been run down multiple times.

Monkeh:

--- Quote from: james_s on October 31, 2020, 06:06:19 am ---Personally I think it should be a criminal offense if you cause any sort of accident while driving distracted

--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.
--- End quote ---

Dates back to 1930 at least. The US really takes a while to catch up.

Brumby:
Personally, I am all in favour of the laws.  This, perhaps, is the most compelling reason:

--- Quote from: Halcyon on October 31, 2020, 04:05:16 am ---... as some people find it hard enough to drive without using a phone.

--- End quote ---

The thing I suspect, though, as being the most significant factor in the risk profile is SMS.  You have to take your eyes off the road to read them - and, heaven forbid, type!

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