distracted driving - new technology

While we've had some good news about the enactment of new laws against distracted driving, the timing of this expansion of distracting technology in cars is ironic, to say the least. This is an attempt to put corporate greed above public safety.

I've been in cars where the driver was distracted by trying to read a navigation screen, much less trying to do anything involving more complex choices like web browsing. We need to have a lot less distracted driving, not more.

If someone has a display for web browsing in their car, even if the manufacturer has configured it so that browsing it disabled when the car is in gear, who's to say that the car owner won't pay someone to hack the system so that web browsing is possible at any time, offering too much possible distraction.

I'm writing letters to my federal legislators asking them to oppose this expansion of distracting technology in cars for the U.S. market. Anyone else care to join me?

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on March 13, 2010 at 3:42am
interesting you brought up the point about bikers not being seen H3, just last night in that terrible fog I was driving south on Ashland just north of Devon - a cyclist with a light (thank god he had one) coming towards me cut across the road right in front of me. It was one of those get to the other side of the street before the car since I can't make my left turn sooner if I do it properly moves. The only reason I was covering my brake was because I saw him coming and I ride that route to evanston. I know there's a turn there for the bike route. Had I not known this I would have hit him, or at the very least have to slam on my brakes and scare the shit out of myself, my wife in the passenger seat, and anyone else on the road.

Rider - you were in red and on a road bike, and made eye contact with me as you turned left. It was about 9pm


I'll also add this to the discussion:



And Ali - Thanks! I won't call you elitist for thinking education is a good thing :)
I also wired up an armed missile launcher style switch on my dash that turns the ABS on/off. On for street driving, off for track. It's pretty simple, just hack open a fuse, solder wires to the prongs you pulled out of the fuse, solder those up to the switch with an in-line fuse, and plug the hacked prongs back into the fuse location for the ABS. Flipping the switch "breaks" the fuse. Pretty neat. Be careful thought, you might spend an hour sitting in the parked car after you install it watching the light on the dash..ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off, :lol:
Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on March 13, 2010 at 5:14am
0:55 - "They take driving seriously from day 1....this is a 16 year old taking a drivers ed course"

...and look at the BIG BIG smile one that kid's face as he learns how the car handles on the skidpad...yeah, no way we could convince american teens to do that ;)

....and look at Hakkinen while he's driving around the track. He's calm as can be and the car is sliding it's limits. He's experienced.
Permalink Reply by Ryan L on March 13, 2010 at 11:11am
H3N3 said:
Maybe they didn't want to be seen?
What does "almost hit" mean? Does it mean you wanted to hit them but missed?

It means I almost collided with another cyclist perpendicular to my path. I know they saw me yet I couldn't see them.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 13, 2010 at 12:46pm
Howard - My experience has been the opposite, especially with a helmet-mounted headlight that I aim at the driver if they seem not to see me. That tends to get the desired response.

H3N3 said:
Personally, I've noticed that I get cut off and ignored =more= when I have a front light.
Anecdotal, but what in this thread isn't?

GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
interesting you brought up the point about bikers not being seen H3, just last night in that terrible fog I was driving south on Ashland just north of Devon - a cyclist with a light (thank god he had one) coming towards me cut across the road right in front of me. It was one of those get to the other side of the street before the car since I can't make my left turn sooner if I do it properly moves. ....

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 13, 2010 at 12:51pm
Good point about the bike-mounted GPS. I think that's relevant to the discussion.

And, more education is a good thing. When I lived in NH and had to drive a lot more and deal with lots of snow all winter, I would go out at least once at the start of each snow season for a bit of practice driving. I'd go to an empty parking lot after the first significant snow and practice cornering, braking and skidding in the snow. Very useful for learning correction to a skid without overcorrecting.

GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
interesting you brought up the point about bikers not being seen H3, just last night in that terrible fog I was driving south on Ashland just north of Devon - a cyclist with a light (thank god he had one) coming towards me cut across the road right in front of me. It was one of those get to the other side of the street before the car since I can't make my left turn sooner if I do it properly moves. The only reason I was covering my brake was because I saw him coming and I ride that route to evanston. I know there's a turn there for the bike route. Had I not known this I would have hit him, or at the very least have to slam on my brakes and scare the shit out of myself, my wife in the passenger seat, and anyone else on the road.

Rider - you were in red and on a road bike, and made eye contact with me as you turned left. It was about 9pm


I'll also add this to the discussion:



And Ali - Thanks! I won't call you elitist for thinking education is a good thing :)
I also wired up an armed missile launcher style switch on my dash that turns the ABS on/off. On for street driving, off for track. It's pretty simple, just hack open a fuse, solder wires to the prongs you pulled out of the fuse, solder those up to the switch with an in-line fuse, and plug the hacked prongs back into the fuse location for the ABS. Flipping the switch "breaks" the fuse. Pretty neat. Be careful thought, you might spend an hour sitting in the parked car after you install it watching the light on the dash..ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off,ABS on, ABS off, :lol:
Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on March 15, 2010 at 4:13am
"November 30, 2006

HOUSTON (Reuters) -- High gasoline prices not only slowed fuel demand growth and cut sales of gas-guzzling vehicles in 2005, they also prompted Americans to drive less for the first time in 25 years, a consulting group said in a report Thursday.

The drop in driving was small - the average American drove 13,657 miles (21,978.8 km) per year in 2005, down from 13,711 miles in 2004 - b...

I bought my car in 2005 with around 60xxx miles on it. I now have 85xxx miles on it. That's 5000 miles per year, or around 13 miles/day. My bike sees more than that regularly. I'm not surprised you say a bike cutting off a car is the car's fault for being on the road, but it doesn't really make any argument for you. Your response also seams to make it sound like I cut off a cyclist...It was the other way around, and it pissed me off. I like to give bikes room on the road since all that time I spend on my bike, I experience those incidents that I seem to attract like getting buzzed by suv's, doors opening, I've been hit by left turners in intersections...bu anyway...most cyclists I encounter while driving are considerate, this guy wasn't and he set a bad example for others.
H3N3 said:
Gabe,
Maybe if you drive less you'll have less of these incidents that you seem to attract? Personally, I've noticed that I get cut off and ignored =more= when I have a front light. Anecdotal, but what in this thread isn't?


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