# Easy cure for cell phone traffic accidents. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493 "2016-11-02T23:57:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/21 "2016-11-03T14:18:11Z")
> [@Me\_Billy](#): > > Darwin is working on eliminating these dumb people from society. So time will resolve the problem. I’ve no real objection to dumb people removing themselves from the planet. It’s a tragedy, but an avoidable one. That’s not by any means the only outcome from this category of stupidity though. > **[Lorry driver who killed four while using phone jailed for 10 years](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/31/lorry-driver-distracted-phone-jailed-10-years-crash-deaths-tomasz-kroker)** > > Tomasz Kroker was scrolling through music on his mobile when he hit car carrying woman and three children ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/22 "2016-11-03T14:27:25Z")
> [@Me\_Billy](#): > > Darwin is working on eliminating these dumb people from society. So time will resolve the problem. The problem is that the dumb people take innocents with them. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/23 "2016-11-03T14:46:55Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve no real objection to dumb people removing themselves from the planet. It’s a tragedy, but an avoidable one. That’s not by any means the only outcome from this category of stupidity though. > > [Lorry driver who killed four while using phone jailed for 10 years | UK news | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/31/lorry-driver-distracted-phone-jailed-10-years-crash-deaths-tomasz-kroker) It is noteworthy that the driver in this case was not using it as a phone, but scrolling down his list of tunes. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/24 "2016-11-03T15:01:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The problem is that the dumb people take innocents with them. Yes, that is why I bought a Volvo - Heavily reinforced passenger compartment, heavy vehicle, and air bags all over the place! (I previously had a small fuel efficient car, but too afraid to drive something like that anymore.) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/25 "2016-11-03T15:19:39Z")
Why is chatting with your passenger so much safer than chatting on a cell phone … because your passenger is perfectly aware you’re driving and has a vested interest that you drive safely … Maybe use the technology in the Galaxy 7 and have the thermite go off in _both_ phones when it detects a driver talking on a cell phone … give the other party a vested interest … “You’re not driving are you?” ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/26 "2016-11-03T15:36:13Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > It is noteworthy that the driver in this case was not using it as a phone, but scrolling down his list of tunes. So, is it actually illegal to use a handheld iPod? And then, this circles around to **LSLGuy** ’s point about integrated screens - surely it’s almost as dangerous to be scrolling through one’s tunes on an integrated screen. On a related point, I found a mount that puts my iPhone high on the top of the dashboard, just behind the wheel. It’s far safer to glance at that position for GPS directions that to look at my integrated screen, which is low down in the center. It seems to me that HUD’s would be a big contribution to safety, on the assumption that people will inevitably be glancing at _something_ for GPS, music, hands-free calls. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/27 "2016-11-03T15:39:33Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > In order for any speed tracking to work, you need the GPS - that is, Location services - to be turned on. That is not entirely true. Phones have the capability of getting fix on location by triangulating cell tower signal strength. This is not as precise a location as given by GPS but is enough to determine if you’re moving. > [@bob\_2](#): > > It is noteworthy that the driver in this case was not using it as a phone, but scrolling down his list of tunes. Why is that noteworthy? Doing anything with a phone that takes your eyes off the road is bad, whether he’s dialing a number, surfing the web, or scrolling tunes. > [@watchwolf49](#): > > Why is chatting with your passenger so much safer than chatting on a cell phone … because your passenger is perfectly aware you’re driving and has a vested interest that you drive safely … There have been some studies (none which can cite at the moment) that have looked at this. There is a hypothesis that when you talk on the phone, the brain compensates for the fact that the person is not physically with you by imagining the person, which takes away cycles available for here-and-now processing. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/28 "2016-11-03T15:50:19Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Why is that noteworthy? Doing anything with a phone that takes your eyes off the road is bad, whether he’s dialing a number, surfing the web, or scrolling tunes. It’s noteworthy because laws against cell phone use typically target phone calls and texting, but do not address other uses like GPS or playing music. So increased enforcement or higher fines won’t help with incidents like this. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/29 "2016-11-03T16:11:32Z")
> [@Me\_Billy](#): > > Darwin is working on eliminating these dumb people from society. So time will resolve the problem. Unfortunately the car companies seem to be “adapting” to protect these people to keep them around longer: all the automatic braking, automatic lane changing detection features that seem to be popping up in more and more vehicles. It seems these “safety” features are actually “enabling” not paying attention, and thereby enabling talking/texting on cell phones while driving. I can certainly see the appeal and selling aspects of these features. But I also see a big danger in “protecting people against their own lack of responsibility” while driving a vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/30 "2016-11-03T16:16:59Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > That is not entirely true. Phones have the capability of getting fix on location by triangulating cell tower signal strength. This is not as precise a location as given by GPS but is enough to determine if you’re moving. > > Why is that noteworthy? Doing anything with a phone that takes your eyes off the road is bad, whether he’s dialing a number, surfing the web, or scrolling tunes. > > There have been some studies (none which can cite at the moment) that have looked at this. There is a hypothesis that when you talk on the phone, the brain compensates for the fact that the person is not physically with you by imagining the person, which takes away cycles available for here-and-now processing. The other difference is the passenger is paying a bit of attention to the driving situation and tends to automatically shut up during the tricky bits. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/31 "2016-11-03T16:19:49Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > Unfortunately the car companies seem to be “adapting” to protect these people to keep them around longer: all the automatic braking, automatic lane changing detection features that seem to be popping up in more and more vehicles. > > It seems these “safety” features are actually “enabling” not paying attention, and thereby enabling talking/texting on cell phones while driving. I can certainly see the appeal and selling aspects of these features. But I also see a big danger in “protecting people against their own lack of responsibility” while driving a vehicle. Yeah. We’re entering the halfway area where: A) lots of people have a strong desire for a fully autonomous car so they can play with their gadgets instead of driving. and B) cars are just smart enough to fool many of the people much of the time that they can fiddle with their gadgets instead of driving. But the cars aren’t nearly smart enough to actually do that; these people are living on luck and the defensive drivers around them. This will get worse before it gets better. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/32 "2016-11-03T16:44:04Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > So, is it actually illegal to use a handheld iPod? And then, this circles around to **LSLGuy** ’s point about integrated screens - surely it’s almost as dangerous to be scrolling through one’s tunes on an integrated screen. It really annoyed me when my mechanical-scroll wheel iPod died – at least I could control skipping repeating and backtracking w/o looking. Now I have to tell Siri what I want to hear. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/33 "2016-11-03T16:51:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > For decades Americans were perfectly happy to drink and drive. And to kill lots of people doing so. > > Eventually MADD reached critical mass and the public’s attitude changed. And drunk driving went down. Way down. > > . Got a cite? I was trying to check this, and MADD cheerfully offers stats on drunk driving _fatalities_ per year, with a cool graph- a graph with a downward path that almost exactly matches the downward trend in\* all driving fatalities\*. In other words, cars are safer may be the reason. I cant find anything that shows DUI _arrests_ are decreasing, can you? [http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/by\_the\_numbers/drunk\_driving/index.html](http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/by_the_numbers/drunk_driving/index.html) Oh, and the CHP really likes drivers to call 911 on the cellsphones to report drunk drivers and hazards like a ladder on the freeway. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/34 "2016-11-03T16:54:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If we want to stop distracted driving we need to go hard over on prohibiting built-in computer screens in cars … There no evidence that Nav screens cause accidents. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/35 "2016-11-03T17:29:04Z")
> [@Me\_Billy](#): > > Darwin is working on eliminating these dumb people from society. So time will resolve the problem. As a motorcyclist, I don’t care for this statement. because these people take plenty of us with them. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/36 "2016-11-03T17:37:59Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > A reminder that hands-free cellphone use may be no better than holding the phone when it comes to distracted driving. > > [https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/10/16/hands-free-cellphones-make-driving-more-dangerous-not-less/PBKizEbUwZm880QS1PtClN/story.html](https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/10/16/hands-free-cellphones-make-driving-more-dangerous-not-less/PBKizEbUwZm880QS1PtClN/story.html) > > Passengers may need to use their cellphones in a moving car (and in an emergency, even the driver). I’d be fine though with increasing penalties for unnecessary driver gabbing to close to drunk driver levels, and insurance companies jacking up rates massively for violations that result in accidents. This is why the company I drive for doesn’t allow headset use. They are looking out for their insurance rates, and avoiding being sued. As much as possible anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/37 "2016-11-03T18:07:06Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > It is noteworthy that the driver in this case was not using it as a phone, but scrolling down his list of tunes. Is it that different? Scrolling tunes is not substantially different to texting or scrolling contacts to phone them ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/38 "2016-11-03T18:11:40Z")
The OP suggests programming the cell phone “so that it cannot send voice or text if it detects movement above say 10mph”. Nothing in that suggestion would prevent you from scrolling down the list of tunes on the phone. And as for the original suggestion, it’s already available. I found a five-year-old press release on AT&T’s website offering an app that would do exactly what was suggested. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/39 "2016-11-03T19:24:41Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > It’s noteworthy because laws against cell phone use typically target phone calls and texting, but do not address other uses like GPS or playing music. So increased enforcement or higher fines won’t help with incidents like this. State laws vary widely but the states with bans on cell phone use appear to ban all handheld use of a cell phone. I do not know if there is any state with a law that can be interpreted to ban use of a phone while it is mounted as a hands-free device. I don’t know if scrolling down your tunes while the phone is mounted would be considered “hands free” in any given state. (The English lorry driver was holding it in his hand and looking down at it.) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493/40 "2016-11-03T19:58:55Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > State laws vary widely but the states with bans on cell phone use appear to ban all handheld use of a cell phone. [Not true in Oregon](http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/06/does_oregons_hands-free_law_co.html), at least. > [@](#): > > The [Oregon Court of Appeals] found that the law only prohibits using a mobile communication device “receive and transmit voice or text communication.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-cure-for-cell-phone-traffic-accidents/770493.md?page=3)