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For New Zealanders, No More Phones As Sat-Nav Devices
rixth writes "From the 1st of November, it will be illegal to use cell phones while driving in New Zealand. Today, the Government clarified that you can't use your mobile phone as a navigational device, even if it is mounted on the dash board."
" 2 degrees chief executive Eric Hertz admitted rear-ending another vehicle at an intersection in Auckland a few weeks ago while glancing at directions on his iPhone, which was mounted on a hands-free kit in his car. Under the new law, that would be illegal"
If the law takes that tact then It makes me wonder how children being taken to school rates on the distract-o-meter.
As little johnny stabs his sister with a blunt pencil, I would presume it to be less so than an iPhone on the dashboard.
But yes, it would be political suicide to go near that hot potato.
In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
you can, only its going to cost you $30 instead of $300.
No, it's a dumb decison. Take the most popular smartphone - the iPhone. I have one running Tomtom Navigator, and I also have a standalone Tomtom 720. They're pretty much identical: approximately the same size screen, no hardware buttons - just touchscreen, with the same interface. Why should they be treated differently? My old WinMo handsets running Tomtom were much the same: same interface, same operation.
As you should do it in all cases - park your car, enter the destination, wait for the route calculation, go on driving.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
Slashdot is a bit behind the times - Steven Joyce, Minister of Transport in NZ has instructed officials to fix this oversight in the law.
http://www.iphonewzealand.co.nz/2009/all/breaking-common-sense-prevails-law-is-to-be-amended/
A similar law is on the way in Victoria, Australia. I believe the reasoning is that they want to totally ban people hand operating phones while driving. Using the phone as a GPS gives drivers a way around the law. The Government is trying to close this loophole.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
As you should do it in all cases hire a Mexican to enter the destination while driving.
Fixed
Thats going to be expensive in NZ. How about somebody from Norfolk Island?
http://michaelsmith.id.au
There are already (I'm in the UK) laws against driving without due care and attention. They passed a law to specifically cover sending text messages, and generally touching your phone at all (i.e. a bluetooth headset is OK, but hand-dialling isn't) which you can kind of understand, but what's next? Passing a law making it illegal to eat an apple whilst driving? To tune your car radio?
The point is there are a large number of activities that are a Bad Idea whilst driving, including talking to passengers. You don't need a law for each and every one.
> "The Road User Amendment Rule 2009 means drivers will not be able to look at
> a navigation aid on a mobile phone when driving, even if it is mounted on
> the dashboard.
I'd go a step further and require all windows to be painted black so that
drivers may not look at the mountains or ogle at cute women they pass...
Holding a phone to your ear not only ties up a hand, but also probably means you're having a conversation.
A sat nav, on the other hand, is designed so that you don't have to touch it once it's set up. Its voice instructions are designed so you don't usually have to even look at it. If you do have to look at it, it's designed so that a glance is sufficient.
What's more, many people's alternative to a sat nav is to refer to a paper map while driving. That's obviously more of a distraction.
BTW - Studies have shown that having a phone conversation is more distracting than having a conversation with a passenger. Something to do with passengers knowing when to give you space to concentrate on a road hazard. Do your own Googling.
Not only that, but you can concentrate on the road instead of the highway signs looking where you are going, as well as not having to squint for the random road sign, or when you are close to your destination, looking at house numbers. Less miles driven due to being lost as well, as well as a lot less anxiety in a new place - I would say sat navigation makes the road safer overall.
So, GP. It's pretty clear that if you hold your phone to your ear while driving in Australia, you could cause a death or injury in the United States.
If that's not a reason to abstain, I don't know what is.
www.clarke.ca
This interpretation of the new law is probably intended to protect the Navman GPS devices designed and (formerly) made in New Zealand. Senior government Minister, Murray McCully, is the MP for the electorate where navman is located (East Coast Bays). Other government ministers (Dr. Wayne Mapp - North Shore and Jonathan Coleman - Northcote) are also from the same area. The Prime Minister, John Key, is MP for Helensville.....right next door to East Coast Bays. Yes, this law is dumb.....But the current government knows few limits to dumb when the public interest gets in the way of filling the pockets of their cronies and donors: 1. gutting rail to favour the trucking lobby. 2. Hobbling commuter train growth to favour the bus operators. 3. Delaying the ETS application to their farmer base.....forcing all OTHER taxpayers to subsidise their national Party voting farmers. I could go on all day. This government is a crony feeding frenzy.
Only boring people are ever bored.
I was told people who have a driver's licence are qualified to operate a car.
you were lied to. People with a license simply passed a very easy and incredibly rudimentary testing. They are not skilled enough to safely drive a car, they are not educated in collision avoidance or defensive driving.
At least here in the USA, it's that way. Honestly, around here a baked potato can get a drivers license.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I do. You've got that word "incredibly" before the wrong adjective, but otherwise the description is correct.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
I understand a german drivers license is expensive and incredibly comprehensive... anyone know for sure?
Yeah, I can. To get your Drivers License in Germany, you have to attend to around 15 - 20 Hours of theoretical classes, take a written test on them, have around 25 - 30 hours of guided driving until your driving instructor deems you fit for driving, and then have to take an approximately hour-long driving test (including: city driving, highway driving, interstate driving, parking, vehicle safety) with a state-provided inspector additional to your driving instructor - and if you don't pass, you have to take a few driving lessons and try again. (each try - including the mandatory lessions - comes you at around 300 - 400 $ extra).. expect to pay around $2.500 - $3.000 for your german license if you are an average learner.
Hands-free phones should be banned as well.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has shown via study that the mere act of using or talking into a cellphone is a distraction & reduces response times below that of drunk drivers. People don't like to hear that, but those are the results.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Passengers should be banned, too. That increases reaction time. Hell, anything you do other than keenly staring ahead and in your mirrors reduces reaction time.
Driving is dangerous. We already have laws that ban dangerous and distracted driving... if someone is being dangerous, pull them over. Do we not have video cameras for evidence?
Banning everything someone might do piecemeal is asinine. Stupid people will find a way to do stupid things without explicitly breaking the law.
BTW, those cell-phone studies were almost certainly done with people right at the legal limit for "drunk" driving. Makes you think about how stupidly low those limits are, eh? MADD is a prohibitionist organization.
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
Yes, but people with passengers in the car WITH them actually recovers a bit from risk from what you would see with cell phones, as apparently passengers, during a tricky driving moment or such, know when to shut up or may even alert the driver to dangers in the road. The studies on this have already accounted for that factor.
Dispute the facts all you want, but driving and talking on a cell phone depletes attentional resources considerably.