Distracted Driving: All Lip Service With No Legit Solution

redletterdave writes: "April was National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Unfortunately, the recognition of this month for distracted driving was a hollow gesture — just like the half-hearted attempts at developing apps that prevent cell phone use while driving. After a week of trying to find an app that prevents me from all cell phone use from behind the wheel entirely, I've given up. The Distracted Driving Foundation lists about 25 apps on its website — there are a few more on Apple's App Store — but I couldn't find a single one that was easy to use. Most were either defunct, required onerous sign-up processes, asked for subscription plans, or simply didn't work as advertised."

Comments

There is this button.

[Maxo-Texas]

You press and hold it and the phone turns off.

It's free.

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

Easier solution, just put it down and ignore it. Just because it rings doesn't mean I need to answer it.

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

Or folks get over the bug-a-boo that is 'distracted driving' as being the fault of cell phones.

Hi, I live in Kansas City, Missouri.

Are you an adult? AKA at least 18 years old?

You're allowed to ride your bicycle without a helmet.

You're also allowed to text, make phone calls, do whatever on your whatever in your whatever while you go from wherever to wherever.

You're also allowed to be pulled over for reckless driving if you're doing any of these things, or eating a burger in one hand and drinking a big-gulp in the other, or spending more time screaming over your shoulder at your kids in the back seat tha paying attention to the road.

But if you're just cruising down a mostly empty road and checking asking what you were supposed to pick up at Burger King? Have a nice day.

But if, heaven help you, you get in an accident and they prove you were on your cell phone? Good luck not being found at fault.

I'd rather get busted if I fuck up, and be able to be pulled over if I'm unsafe in the eyes of the officer, than have a zero-tolerance nanny policy akin to getting expelled from high school because a kitchen knife fell out of a box you were moving over the weekend and got stuck in your pickup truck bed and you didn't notice it.

Re: There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

How about free to have the biker follow you until you stop and then kick the ever-loving shit out of you for 'not seeing him?'

Re:There is this button.

[JustinOpinion]

You're of course correct. (As are the many other replies that amount to: "Just don't use the phone while driving, dummy!")

However, it's worth keeping in mind how the human mind works; in particular its limitations. Our minds and behaviours are inherently flawed. Part of being a smart and responsible person is not just modulating your behaviour, but also designing your life so as to elicit the right kinds of outcomes. A simple example is putting an item that you want to bring with you tomorrow by the door. You could "Just remember to grab it when you leave tomorrow morning!", but you're accounting for your own fallible memory by putting it by the door while you're thinking of it. Another example would be a person who puts a tempting snack on an inaccessible shelf: they buy the snack because they want to have a treat sometimes, but they purposefully make it slightly inconvenient for themselves to eat the snack, so that they don't just reflexively eat it all the time. It's part of a strategy to invoke more rational thinking, rather than just let your immediate impulses win.

There are many more examples of such behaviour. Obviously it's "better" to simply have infinite willpower and rationality; but for people who do not (and if we're being honest, this describes all of us; though our individual temptations and biases are different), it can be useful to design your life to account for your fallibility.

So, in principle a cellphone app that disables the phone while driving can be useful. It's for people who recognize that it's a really bad idea to use your phone while driving, and yet are so addicted to their phone that they cannot avoid answering it when it rings. (Or are so addicted to status updates that they will absentmindedly check when bored, even if they are driving!) These people may also not have the discipline (or memory) to (for instance) always put the phone in the trunk before getting behind the wheel. For those people, such an app can be useful.

Having said all that, I think it's unrealistic to expect an app to properly differentiate between the situations where you would want the phone disabled (while driving) and those where you don't (parked, passenger in a car, etc.). So I think the question-poster should instead investigate other ways to modulate their own behaviour (e.g. put a holder in the car, in a very visible location, that says "PHONE BATTERY GOES HERE", and always pull out the battery before turning on the car).

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hear, hear!

As Clint Eastwood put it, we've all turned in to a bunch of pussies!

It is clearly true that a bunch of people cannot deal with talking on a phone while driving. Many (all?) of the same people probably cannot drive well without a phone either.
The problem with laws is they are blanket stupid and often allows for all sorts of misapplication due to being poorly defined.

I'd personally rather take the chance of being blown up than the criminal and inefficient treatment we get at airports. Put that money towards good old fashion police work, which is the only thing that actually produces results anyway.

There has to be a test to give to people to see if they should be allowed to drive a vehicle. Oops there is, but it does not at all test their common sense such as when driving and being distracted, what do you give priority to?

When I talk while driving I often have to ask people to repeat themselves because I give priority attention to traffic. I find it very easy to do.

Re:There is this button.

[CityZen]

And your teenage driver will certainly follow this advice, just like he/she followed every other piece of useful advice you have offered.

Re: There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

You're always free to have that outcome.

Especially in Missouri.

(Cheers from St. Louis!)

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

You press and hold it and the phone turns off.

It's free.

It disgusts me as to the statistical size of the overall population that would consider turning OFF their cell phone an "impossibility".

Which is the exact reason we're even having this discussion. People can't stop killing other innocent people on the road.

And no, there is no other way to put it, especially to those who think helping is "impossible".

Re:There is this button.

[Kjella]

So I think the question-poster should instead investigate other ways to modulate their own behaviour (e.g. put a holder in the car, in a very visible location, that says "PHONE BATTERY GOES HERE", and always pull out the battery before turning on the car).

So what percentage of cell phone users does that actually work for these days?

Re:There is this button.

[Austerity Empowers]

I never forget to not answer the phone when I don't want to answer the phone. Answering the phone is not something I do without thinking, much like driving. I can't conceive of what kind of person would just answer the phone simply because it's ringing.

The only purpose of this app would be to inflict my opinions on other people. You come to a website, get ready to read my nonsense, but you shouldn't have to put up with it if you want to avoid it. The same goes for cell phone bans. I've been driving >20 years, I talk on my cell phone while driving when I must. I have never once had an accident. The majority of my life has been in NYC, with interludes in Washington DC, San Jose and what's becoming an extended stay in Austin...hardly rural low traffic areas.

My conclusion is that there are people who cannot drive and talk at the same time, and those people should choose not to do so. They are putting their own lives at risk, I believe that is sufficiently discouraging, no further laws, "awareness" and other social bullshittery required. I will continue to drive as though every person on the road wishes to kill me, as I always have. In addition to cell phones, people are frequently chemically disrupted, emotionally disrupted, armed, fighting with their children, fighting with their spouse or SO, looking at maps, lost, confused, dazed, dumb, bored, sleepy or otherwise temporarily or permanently incompetent. We can try to ban, make "aware" or otherwise penalize people for driving in these situations, but we'll spend more time and money trying than we'll save. I acknowledge by driving on public roads, that there is a non-zero chance of me or my family suffering property loss, permanent and painful physical harm, and death. I wish I did not have to drive, but I wish a lot of things I can't have.

Re: There is this button.

[I'm New Around Here]

Shit, I'd be ok with him doing that to me for cutting him off.

As my cousin Vinny says, I could use a good ass-kicking.

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have friends who seem unable to comprehend not answering the phone. "But it could be important!" Yes, it could be. I'll bet you all the money you earn this month that it's not though. Most likely it's:

1). Someone you know who just wants to talk (easily rescheduled);
2). Someone who can easily leave a message;
3). Someone you don't know and don't want to talk to (voice spam).

The only calls that you truly ought to answer RIGHT NOW are:

1). Someone you know and love is profoundly sick or dead;

2). Your car/house/work is on fire;
3). Some sort of automated notification of a weather alert or something similar.

And even then, is it worth endangering yourself or another human being? What if you kill someone? Will you feel good that you hurt another just so that you got a half-hour's earlier notification about something you probably couldn't change in that timeframe?

Re:There is this button.

[Bob9113]

However, it's worth keeping in mind how the human mind works; in particular its limitations. Our minds and behaviours are inherently flawed. Part of being a smart and responsible person is not just modulating your behaviour, but also designing your life so as to elicit the right kinds of outcomes. A simple example is putting an item that you want to bring with you tomorrow by the door. You could "Just remember to grab it when you leave tomorrow morning!" ... So, in principle a cellphone app that disables the phone while driving can be useful. It's for people who recognize that it's a really bad idea to use your phone while driving, and yet are so addicted to their phone that they cannot avoid answering it when it rings.

OK, so tape a piece of paper to your steering wheel that says, "Turn off your phone." You're making this way harder than it is.

Re:There is this button.

[Maxo-Texas]

But the problem wasn't stated as, "my teenager is using the phone".

Clearly, you are expanding scope.

So I'm either going to need more money, more resources, or more time to solve the problem.

Re:There is this button.

[Maxo-Texas]

See ... this is an advantage of growing up 50 years ago.

There were... no.. repeat.. no.. portable phones for anyone who wasn't rich enough to have a chauffeur.

You could be out of contact for hours or even days at a time.

There is literally NOTHING so important that it can't wait a few hours. The world got by for centuries with more than a few hours lag.

Oh... and...

2) If your CAR is on fire- it's probably not the time to answer the phone and start having a conversation on it. :-)

---

One of the worst possible accidents in my entire life that I barely avoided was a lady on a cell phone. What made it worse was she froze and came to a complete stop in front of me when she realized she had pulled out in front of me while talking on the phone. Her face was a mask of terror. One of the few times my ABS have kicked in. She had pulled in front of me from a side street when I was about 80 to 100 feet away while I was doing about 35 mph. If I hadn't been paying attention (say -- on my cell phone), I would have T boned her with a combined speed of 45 to 50 mph.

I think the phone is somehow more risky. I'm not even sure how. But I suspect it is that your eyes literally shut off when the person is talking about certain subjects. They've done studies that showed - even people good at driving and talking - that their field of vision narrows considerably while they are on the phone. The problem is not the 97 out of 100 situations where that doesn't matter. It's the 3/100 situations which require your full attention and you didn't have it to give.

I'm not arguing against you using the cell phone. I'm saying, it's like Heavy Metal (the movie). If you are on the cell phone- be aware you are fucked up and take that into account by driving slower, more cautiously so you have more time to react and more time to see things.

After 35 years of driving I also have one other rule of thumb to pass on. If you start feeling "cool" while you are driving- you are headed for an accident soon.

Re:There is this button.

[mark-t]

The reality is that we live in a world of people who either cannot or will not objectively decide that an action might be unsafe for them at any given instant, and, regrettably, many of these so-called adults have drivers' licenses. What you suggest is ideal, but in a world that has more than enough of its share of people who are either too lazy or too immature to be bothered with trying to behave responsibly, even if they might be endangering themselves in the process, not catering to the lowest common denominator will only result in a greater number of deaths

Re:There is this button.

[mark-t]

They are putting other lives at risk. That's the real problem

Re:There is this button.

[rnturn]

``You're allowed to ride your bicycle without a helmet. You're also allowed to text, make phone calls, do whatever on your whatever in your whatever while you go from wherever to wherever.''

If I ride my bike without a helmet I am the one who is at risk. If I'm stupid enough to be screwing around with a cellphone while I'm driving, I'm putting everyone in the car with me at risk along with everyone unlucky enough to be within range of the car as it travels along while I'm no longer fully in control of it.

Put your phone away while you're driving and stop spouting BS that you have some Constitutional right to text while you drive.

Re:There is this button.

[rnturn]

Bingo.

The same "technology" that allowed you to avoid wasting money on screensaver software in the 80s and 90s.

Re:There is this button.

[Maxo-Texas]

That would wear out my case- and probably the battery cover.

Some other simpler methods that won't wear out the phone include:

1) Put the phone in airplane mode while driving.
2) Turn the sound AND vibration off. Put the phone face down so you can't see it.

I'm serious- I know some people have a serious problem with the cell phone and I'm trying to help and not be snarky.

Re:There is this button.

[nabsltd]

My conclusion is that there are people who cannot drive and talk at the same time, and those people should choose not to do so.

I've never seen anyone with a cell phone in their hand who didn't drastically alter their driving style as soon as the phone went into their hand. I've also never seen any one of those people who realized that their behavior changed.

I suspect that you need to "choose not to do so", as well.

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, if only the two people that ran into my van, one a hit and run, could have only learned this prior.. I'm thinking about suing the entire texting technology for wreckless endangerment and idiocy.

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

First: Nice straw-man trying to claim I had any sort of right to it. I don't.

If I'm in traffic or in town? Phone's ignored, sure.

But if I'm on a road with nobody visible for a quarter mile or more in each direction? Not everywhere has traffic density to rival India, many parts of the country have traffic density that is like comparing aerogel to concrete.

The world isn't black and white, and I don't think cell-phone use while driving is any more OR LESS dangerous than anything else pulling your attention from the road or keeping your hands off the wheel.

If they pulled folks over everyone double-fisting breakfast and their coffee, or swerving all over the place while shouting at their SO in the passenger seat? That's fine, same laws covering those situations can cover cell-phone use. That's my only real point: Cell phones aren't inherently more or less dangerous than any other distraction. So apply the reckless/distracted driving laws.

Re:There is this button.

[TClevenger]

1) Put the phone in airplane mode while driving.
2) Turn the sound AND vibration off. Put the phone face down so you can't see it.

3) Install a cigarette lighter plug in the trunk. Before getting in the car, turn the phone off and plug it in in the trunk. When you get to work, you're alive and as a bonus, your phone is fully charged.

Re:There is this button.

[crazyvas]

Stop spinning this as a personal responsibility/freedom issue. That's complete BS. The real issue at stake is the freedom of other people to exist, and to exist without injury caused by your stupidity.

I'd rather you get busted if you fuck up too, but instead, what will likely happen when you fuck up is, someone will lose an arm or leg...or a life. Stop thinking about whether you will be "found at fault," and start thinking about someone losing their life or limb, because that is the consequence of relevance here.

Re:There is this button.

[xelah]

I think the phone is somehow more risky. I'm not even sure how. But I suspect it is that your eyes literally shut off when the person is talking about certain subjects. They've done studies that showed - even people good at driving and talking - that their field of vision narrows considerably while they are on the phone. The problem is not the 97 out of 100 situations where that doesn't matter. It's the 3/100 situations which require your full attention and you didn't have it to give.

There have been studies by linguists attempting to demonstrate that language comprehension involves acting out the meaning in your head. Something like this:

• Take a bunch of sentences, some meaningless, some implying movement towards the hearer ('Scratch your nose'), some away from the hearer ('Close the drawer').
• Split people in to two groups. Give them all a box with two buttons on it, one near to them the other further away. Give them the sentences one at a time.
• Tell one group to press the near button if the sentence they hear is valid. Tell the other one to press the far one.
• Observe that the 'far is valid' group takes longer to assess 'action towards the hearer' sentences as valid than 'action away from the hearer' sentences. Observe the opposite for the 'near is valid' group.

If language comprehension can interfere with planning physical movement like that then it's not hard to imagine it degrading driving skill.

Re:There is this button.

[simplypeachy]

I do agree that an individual needs to find their own coping strategies for overcoming their problems, but there is another option. If you find that you are searching for a seemingly complex solution to a habit which causes you to drive dangerously: hang up your keys. You're a murderer in disguise every time you pick them up.

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not the same AC, but I agree with you. I mean, ideally everyone should be free to do anything, and only be prosecuted for it if/when it harms another. But not all actions are equal. Some have a low chance of causing low harm, some a high chance of causing low harm, some a low chance of causing high harm, some a high chance of causing high harm, and then varying degrees within. So we say some actions are outright forbidden, presumably based on some combination on how likely it is to cause harm, how much harm it could cause, and probably a few other factors.

Or put another way, "the freedom to swing your fist ends where my nose begins".

Re:There is this button.

[Anonymous Coward]

ill you feel good that you hurt another just so that you got a half-hour's earlier notification about something you probably couldn't change in that timeframe?

If you believe that, then why bother to have a cell phone at all?

Re:There is this button.

[poetmatt]

Or just listen to music and only check your phone at red lights. It's not that hard, at least to me?

Then again self driving cars may fix this some day.

Re:There is this button.

[cavebison]

If I ride my bike without a helmet I am the one who is at risk.

Looking at a slightly larger picture - if your head injury treatment and rehabilitation is covered by public health care, you also have a social responsibility to minimise the chance of being an unnecessary burden on the public system. Which means, among other things, wearing a helmet while cycling.

User error?

[Anonymous Coward]

You need an app to prevent you from using your cell phone whilst driving? Perhaps some personal restraint is in order...

Re:User error?

[93 Escort Wagon]

That'll never work. Clearly we need a technological solution!

More seriously... why do you need to turn the phone off? If it rings or buzzes while you're driving, DONT PICK UP THE DAMN THING.

Re:User error?

[CanHasDIY]

That'll never work. Clearly we need a technological solution!

More seriously... why do you need to turn the phone off? If it rings or buzzes while you're driving, DONT PICK UP THE DAMN THING.

butbutbutbut... I'm just so goddamned important!

Hey, remember when "there's an app for that" was used in jest? Man, talk about the 'good ol days...'

Re:User error?

[Anonymous Coward]

More importantly, why does it need to be ON all of the time? Seems like a public campaign to have people turn their phones OFF while driving seems to be the right way to go.

seriously?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you kidding me? You need an app to make sure that you don't use your cell phone while driving? What's next? an app to make sure you don't swear on the phone to your mother?

Re:seriously?

[CheshireDragon]

I'm 34. My mother doesn't give a shit what the fuck I say on the phone. She knows I am an adult and have to vent frustrations at times that she is ok if I rattle of 'fuck' a few times.

Raise awareness

[Anonymous Coward]

They could raise awareness by sending out a bulk text message to every cell phone in America.

Re:Raise awareness

[CheshireDragon]

You're right. Give the NSA a call. I am sure they have the ability to do this since they have all of us in their database.

There's an app for that?

[jdavidb]

After a week of trying to find an app that prevents me from all cell phone use from behind the wheel entirely

Maybe my perspective is limited because I still have a dumb phone, but it strikes me that maybe the problem is that you are trying to solve this problem with the wrong tool.

Re:There's an app for that?

[Jason Levine]

Exactly! If you use the right tool, you can solve this instantly. Take a hammer and use it on your phone. Then you won't be able to use it while driving. What's that you say? You can't use it when you're not driving either now? That's a bug that we hope to have fixed in Hammer 2.0.

Re:There's an app for that?

[jdavidb]

I think this business of getting an app is just self-righteousness. People who oppose cell phone use while driving simply don't use their cell phones - their problem is that they want everybody else to stop using their phones. So you can use an app to prevent it and tell everybody how great you are for doing so and hope they follow suit. But in this case your solution, the hammer, sounds better.

Re:There's an app for that?

[CheshireDragon]

Or simply practice restraint/self control.

Re:There's an app for that?

[LookIntoTheFuture]

After a week of trying to find an app that prevents me from all cell phone use from behind the wheel entirely

Maybe my perspective is limited because I still have a dumb phone, but it strikes me that maybe the problem is that you are trying to solve this problem with the wrong tool.

I would say that if a person cannot figure out the solution on their own, they are a tool.

Re:There's an app for that?

[timeOday]

maybe the problem is that you are trying to solve this problem with the wrong tool.

Obviously. And probably 99% of the messages to follow will just rant about the stupidity of thinking an app will fix this. Which leaves the actual issue of distracted driving unresolved. Most of the other 1% of posts will amount to "Just Say No," which is also a proposal to do nothing about it.

It would be better to propose some constructive measures.

Personally I think we need to re-visit the evidence on specific types of usage while driving, since so much of it comes from synthetic studies on a simulator or closed track which are highly questionable for that reason.

Re:There's an app for that?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or simply practice restraint/self control.

Uh...that kinda sounds like...work.

Fuck that.

- The Future Generation

Re:There's an app for that?

[suutar]

Well, if the driver commutes on a sufficiently regular basis, and is always the driver, then an app that silences the ringer, stops vibration, and keeps the screen from waking up during the right time would probably do the trick. Allow an override in case of emergency - if the phone power cycles, when it comes up the restrictions are off til the next time rolls around.

But it's probably simpler to just put the phone in the glove box.

Re:There's an app for that?

[Anonymous Coward]

Step 1:
Buy a 2014 Camaro

Step 2:
Pair you phone with it via BlueTooth

Step 3:
Configure the phone to do what you want

I did not need a special app when I rented the vehicle. I suspect that other car manufacturers have similar features in their current models.

Re:There's an app for that?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or, instead of a hammer, try using that large lump of grey matter that's keeping your ears apart.

The problem is that "distracted driving" isn't a cause... it's a symptom. It's a symptom of people not being taught (or caring) that the single most important thing while driving is to maintain control of your vehicle.

We keep making cars "easier" and "safer", without ever doing anything about the increasingly cavalier attitude of the people behind the wheel of a multi-ton physics demonstration.

Re:There's an app for that?

[simplypeachy]

I have a smart phone and the first thing that happens before it goes in my pocket, before getting on the road, is that it is switched to silent and ignored completely. Don't consider your perspective limited, maybe you still care about people enough not to be a potential murderer.

Easy fix

[Anonymous Coward]

After a week of trying to find an app that prevents me from all cell phone use from behind the wheel entirely...

Are you kidding us? How dumb are you? How about just turning your cellphone off. That wasn't so hard.

Re:Easy fix

[PaddyM]

Oh yeah? Well you try turning the phone off when you're driving! I need some kind of animatronic assistant with opposable thumbs to execute my orders. Your "kill switch" approach is just another demonstration of the stagnation of technology by those who don't understand what kind of lip service I'm trying to avoid! If people like me succumbed to that sort of humdrum do-it-yourself dystopia, I'd hate to imagine what sort of synergy-less society we'd all become. Luckily I'll keep talking to all my best friends forever in my socialnetworkhood with my augmented reality headset where all us dreamers chill until we come up with something that truly solves my problem forever: distraction-free flying virtual segways coasting the information superhighway picking up apps that inspire and awe all future generations. And you just want me to turn it off. How dumb am I?!?!?!

Re:Easy fix

[Anonymous Coward]

Erm, no. Just do the right thing, and turn it off.

Difficult to find apps

[sweBers]

I spent my whole drive to work looking for apps to prevent me from using my phone. I gave up after parking my car.

Re:Difficult to find apps

[Austerity Empowers]

I gave up after parking my car.

I was too busy looking for the app and just left mine in drive. I gave up after tripping over the curb.

This requires an App????

[CrimsonAvenger]

Seriously, does it really require an app to either:

A) Not answer?

B) Turn the phone off?

Well, if you can't handle either of the above, I suggest putting your phone in the trunk.

And if that doesn't work, set the phone on the ground just behind one tire of your car, get in the car, and back up ten feet....

Re:This requires an App????

[PolygamousRanchKid]

And if that doesn't work, set the phone on the ground just behind one tire of your car, get in the car, and back up ten feet....

And if that doesn't work, put your head on the ground just behind one tire of your car, get in the car, and back up ten feet....

This is almost tautological

[pthisis]

Either:
1) You want to use the phone while driving, in which case you're not going to use such an app; or
2) You don't want to use the phone while driving, in which case you can simply not use the phone.

Re:This is almost tautological

[Slashdot Parent]

I think many people fall into a third category: while they are not driving, they think it would be best and safest if they didn't use their phone while driving. But while they are driving, they forget about safety when they hear an incoming text tone.

My app

[sandytaru]

It's called the iPurse. I keep my phone inside it when I'm in the vehicle. As long as you don't undo the zipper, the cell phone cannot be used while driving. They also have more masculine variations known as the iManBag that even have special slots to hold the phone.

Re:My app

[Anonymous Coward]

They also have more masculine variations known as the iManBag that even have special slots to hold the phone.

I prefer the competitor: PantsPockets(TM). Yes it has smaller capacity, but still plenty for my phone, keys, and wallet.

Re:My app

[sandytaru]

The downside of the PantsPockets(TM) is that you can still feel the tempting vibrations of the phone when it rings. The iManBag can be safely stored on the seat beside you, eliminating the temptation. Additionally, most PantsPockets(TM) do not come with a closure such as a snap or zipper.

Re:My app

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a man bag, but I don't think my phone will fit into it. There's no opening in the man bag and I'm fairly certain it's already full of small orbs already. Removing the orbs is not an option, as it creates the most painful sensation when you even attempt to find out what they are made of by squeezing them. I can't imagine the blinding pain of removing the orbs from the man bag.

Re:My app

[I'm New Around Here]

Lady, leave you man's balls alone. Stop torturing the guy by squeezing them while he's sleeping.

For the love of god, find some other way to make him stop snoring.

The Trunk

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't want to be distracted by the phone either turn it off, or place it in the trunk and use Bluetooth when you get call. This eliminates the ability to read and respond to email/SMS/MMS etc.

Re:The Trunk

[CanHasDIY]

If you don't want to be distracted by the phone either turn it off, or place it in the trunk and use Bluetooth when you get call. This eliminates the ability to read and respond to email/SMS/MMS etc.

Conversely, if you're so damn distractable that the only way you can prevent yourself from fucking with some toy while you're supposed to be driving, perhaps you should consider surrendering your license and taking the bus.

Re:The Trunk

[Anonymous Coward]

Friends don't let friends drive with their cell phones turned on.

Agent

[Anonymous Coward]

Agent (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tryagent) for the Android seems to work pretty well. Does "Do Not Disturb" and a couple of other things as well.

If you need an app to stop using your phone...

[Anonymous Coward]

you're doing it wrong

Captcha: puberty

Re:If you need an app to stop using your phone...

[Austerity Empowers]

you're doing it wrong

Captcha: puberty

Pretty much everyone does that wrong.

Three Alternatives to Apps

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Hold the power button and click ok.
2. Place phone in bag, place bag in trunk.
3. Don't use your phone.

wow that's a lot of apps

[rubycodez]

I'll have to check those out on the drive home

Acceleromiters in the devices can shut them

[Anonymous Coward]

Off if in a moving vehicle.

Re:Acceleromiters in the devices can shut them

[lister king of smeg]

Off if in a moving vehicle.

sucks to be a passenger then.

Simple solution

[Todd Knarr]

There's a simple app to eliminate cel phone use while driving. It comes standard on every model of cel phone I know of, requires no sign-up and has a dead-simple user interface.

The app? The "silent" mode.

Wrong attribution

[Nethemas the Great]

Clearly the author is not correctly attributing the source of the problem.

How does the app detect that you're driving?

[jandrese]

How is an app supposed to know that you're driving and not the passenger in a car? Also, as everybody else noted: every single cellphone has a silent feature. There's no need for an app.

In fact an app that has a subscription service to simply not use the phone while driving? That's bordering on fraud.

Re:I farted

[koreanbabykilla]

Nice FP EF. That being said, if the submitter wants to pay me to come slap the fucking phone out of his hand when he tries to use it while driving, my services are available for a fee. If you cant just not use the phone while driving w/o an app enforcing it, you have bigger problems than just driving while distracted.

Re:I farted

[Penguinisto]

In other news, at least some apps do well in TFA's regard: For instance, the Waze app will not let you text in-app if it detects itself as moving above a certain speed (5mph or so?), and says so specifically. It does have a button that allows you to say you're a passenger (and then text anyway), and it will take speech-to-text at any speed, but I thought that was cool that it said something along those lines.

Of course, as an app designed to be used while driving, it kinda makes sense, but I don't see why Google doesn't pony up and put something similar in Android itself; it would take a bit of work, but a mode which sense itself above a certain speed and disables the whole keyboard (querty keyboard, not dialpad) except for text-to-speech.

Re:Ban Women

[CanHasDIY]

Ban women passengers if you want to increase safety. I've ran 3 red lights either arguing with or being baffled or insulted by yapping women passengers.

Yea, that was totally the female passenger's fault, not the fault of the moron behind the wheel... Good luck convincing a judge of that when you inevitably injure/kill someone because of your inattention.

My advice - surrender your license and pick up a bus schedule, if you find driving to be too difficult to focus your attention on.

Re:Ban Women

[Todd Palin]

I'll bet that doesn't happen to you very often.

Re:I farted

[CheshireDragon]

If you cant just not use the phone while driving w/o an app enforcing it, you have bigger problems than just driving while distracted.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I don't know what is so important what someone said you are willing to get seriously injured or die for.

Re:Ban Women

[wonkey_monkey]

I've ran 3 red lights either arguing with or being baffled or insulted by yapping women passengers.

There's more than one common factor here.

Not a huge surprise...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

It doesn't seem like a huge surprise that this space is currently a howling wasteland:

Most people who actually want such a service can just tap 'mute' or their platform equivalent when the dump their phone in the beverage holder and start up the car. They aren't going to be terribly good customers, unless you do something really clever, and people who do really clever things are probably focused on sexier, or at least more lucrative, segments.

The people who really don't want such a service aren't good customers; but their worried parents might be; but any software sold for that purpose is likely to be folded into some relatively expensive, subscription based, offspring-command-and-control suite, and thus notably hostile and overengineered for an individual just trying to automate muting his own phone.

It likely doesn't help that laws regulating what you can do in your car aren't all that popular, so there isn't much incentive for carriers or platform vendors to roll out nannyware voluntarily; but, if there were a shift in the wind, they would be overwhelmingly better placed than 3rd-party vendors to take advantage of their deep control of the platform and full access to all sensor data and crush the entire market, such as it is, with a single OS update. Game over man, game over.

Under those circumstances, why even bother?

? whaever...

[koan]

Why do you need an app to ignore your phone? Or in the worst case scenarios for you fuckwits that can't how hard is airplane mode? FFS what a whiny POS.

Does your teen text a lot?

[Anonymous Coward]

Make sure they read this, maybe (maybe) it will make them think a bit about what can happen...

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/19897049/police-teen-killed-in-crash-on-first-day-of-school-was-texting

Re:I farted

[Archangel Michael]

Whatever you're doing on the phone isn't worth dying for. Period. People caught should have their license revoked and fined hundreds of thousands of dollars going to a victim compensation fund for all the idiots who lost family members due to idiot driving.

I have no sympathy for assholes who risk not only their own lives, but everyone else's. NONE

AT&T DriveMode

[erp_consultant]

It's a free App that AT&T has. When you enable it and someone calls or sends you a text while driving (it uses the phone's GPS to detect movement) the phone will not ring and it will send a text to the caller telling them that you're driving right now and I'll call you later. Pretty slick.

But, seriously, just ignore the thing when it rings.

For many people, though, that might be nearly impossible. These phones have us trained like Pavlov's dog. Spolier alert - you're not that important. I'm not that important. If I were I would have other people to answer my calls for me.

Why does everyone need an "App" for everything? Try a little self restraint instead.

windows phone has "driving mode"

[Anonymous Coward]

i have a windows phone and it has "driving mode" where all calls and texts are silenced/ignored. normally, i have it ignore texts and autoreply that i'm driving and will respond when i get to my destination. calls just immediately go to voicemail. it works really well and i can tie it to a BT device or just manually turn it on/off when needed. no app and no extra cost.
save your windows phone hate for other threads folks :)

Re:Ban Women

[Tablizer]

I'm not blaming anybody, only saying that

driving + women = crash

My advice - surrender your license and pick up a bus schedule, if you find driving to be too difficult to focus your attention on.

I do fine as long as there are no women in the car. Perhaps DMV should test drivers with Ms. Chatty and Mrs. Nosey in the back seat.

Ignore it?

[wcrowe]

I don't understand why you need an app. Can't you just ignore the phone while you're driving? I have no trouble doing this. I regularly have to sit in meetings that last one or two hours where I ignore my phone. That's far longer than the amount of time I have to spend in my car. If you can't ignore your phone for awhile, perhaps what you need is a psychiatrist, and not an app.

Distracted Driving

[phorm]

There seems to be very little enforcement in general. I see tons of people acting/driving in unsafe manners within plain sight of police vehicles, this includes
* Cellular phone use
* Tailgating
* Crossing against the signal (for pedestrians: I add this because just the other day, some dude did this right in front of a police car. The cop slowed down for him and then continued on)
* Unsafe passing
* etc

The only time I see somebody getting nailed seems to be either:
a) A road-check
b) Speed at high rates past a radar trap

- Posted via my smartphone while driving on the i7

Just replace the driver

[Anonymous Coward]

Google has these cool cars that completely solve the problem of distracted driving. They drive themselves. In fact, they drive better than humans and could save thousands of lives a year. I'm not sure why congress allows people to drive anymore. Seriously, instead of buying an app, buy a self-driving car.

Re:Just replace the driver

[CityZen]

Hear hear! I'm anxious to see the day when people-driven cars are in the minority.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

[Anonymous Coward]

I read about it on the drive to work

After a week?!?! You fucking moron

[Anonymous Coward]

Just turn your phone off, or ignore it.

Jesus H. Fucking Christ.

You need an app...

[Anonymous Coward]

... to keep you from using your phone while you are driving? What are you? 10 years old?

GROW UP AND ACT LIKE AN ADULT.

Re:You need an app...

[I'm New Around Here]

You can't do two things at once? What are you, 3 years old?

GROW UP AND DRIVE LIKE AN ADULT.

Just Ban Passengers

[Anonymous Coward]

Recent studies have shown that talking to passengers was as distracting as talking on a cell phone - https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/MeasuringCognitiveDistractions.pdf

Re:Ban Women

[Anonymous Coward]

You're blaming Ms. Chatty and Mrs. Nosy instead of blaming yourself like you should. If they're distracting, pull over and tell them to shut up. If they don't then refuse to drive with them in the car and leave them right there.

Apparently you're an only child because you've never heard: "Don't make me come back there"

Personally, I hope you crash into a pole and lose the ability to drive. You're not mature enough to drive.

Or.. just rethink transportation

[tlhIngan]

Perhaps the best solution is just rethink transportation, period.

Take Europe, for example. You can call the drivers there "crazy" because they run red lights, lane markings are a suggestion (you can easily fit 4 lanes of traffic in a marked 2-lane road), park practically anywhere and everywhere, etc., but then you realize - these drivers are *GOOD*.

I mean, in North America, parallel parking spots are huge - we leave huge gaps between cars. While in Europe, they leave only inches between vehicles. And you'd think down a single lane alleyway with cars parked on both sides that you'd have a bunch of cars with dings and dents, but no. The cars are generally pristine, and the drivers are quite good.

And they're texting and driving.

How? Easy. European drivers drive because they want to. Public transit means if you don't want to drive to commute, you don't.

In North America, the problem is that cities are laid out for cars, so you have to drive, even if you don't want to. And lots of people don't want to drive. Instead they want to be doing other things, so not only is the general skill level of drivers low, they're not interested in driving at all.

Hence the need to re-think transportation in North America because a good majority of people are doing something they don't want to do. In fact, it'll be better on all sides - if the disinterested drivers had usable alternate means of transport, it leaves the roads free for those who do want to drive, enhancing life for everyone concerned.

That's the fundamental problem. In Europe, they drive because they want to drive. In North America, everyone's forced to drive.

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[I'm New Around Here]

That is the most coherent argument for public transportation Hogwarts has seen these many years.

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure what you mean by European drivers are good. I mean, my time in Rome, I saw more traffic accidents then in the rest of my life combined. And that was only 2 weeks. To my understanding, they have more traffic accidents than any other city in Europe, and what you described for crazy driving is Rome pretty much exactly.

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[mjwx]

Take Europe, for example. You can call the drivers there "crazy" because they run red lights, lane markings are a suggestion (you can easily fit 4 lanes of traffic in a marked 2-lane road), park practically anywhere and everywhere,

Point in short, GP has never been to Europe, let alone driven there.

Breaking the law in Germany is inconceivable to Germans and will get a swift response from the AutobahnPolizei. The British dont tolerate people doing stupid things either, the Met will pull you over just to check if you've got the right permits and have paid congestion tax. Even the French will send the gendarme after you for doing the things that the GP suggested. Western Europe, Germany in particular are wonderful places to drive precisely because everyone follows the rules. People are for the most part predictable and polite, because of this predictability and lack of motorist masochism traffic flows much better... as for finding somewhere to park in Euro cities and town... Good Fucking Luck, you've clearly never been there.

Crossing the road when the "no cross" sign is on in Germany will get you death stares from Germans.

I've driven in the UK, Sweden and Germany as well as the US and Australia. The Europeans are far better drivers than we Australians because they follow the rules and thus are predictable drivers... however US drivers make the worst Australian drivers look good. However one of the big problems in the US (that's also growing in Australia) is the fact everyone drives automatics. These are much slower than manuals and breed more complacent drivers.

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[Anonymous Coward]

Take Europe, for example. You can call the drivers there "crazy" because they run red lights, lane markings are a suggestion (you can easily fit 4 lanes of traffic in a marked 2-lane road), park practically anywhere and everywhere,

Point in short, GP has never been to Europe, let alone driven there.

Concur. Saying "European drivers" is an extreme generalization - the country-specific differences are enormous. Heck, in my current home town, Helsinki, drivers are completely different compared with the rest of Finland since the concept of a "traffic jam" is laughable in the rest of the country and nobody with a global perspective would say that Helsinki has them either. And drivers in neighbouring Sweden are in an entirely different league of friendliness... Furthermore, I'm sure differences in typical weather conditions affect driver skills. Due to roads being slippery here for several months every year, driving school includes mandatory sessions on an artificially slippery driving track (by far the funniest part of driving school!). I'm sure I would be an absolutely terrible driver in Paris or Rome but would probably handle an icy road much better than the average Spaniard...

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[Anonymous Coward]

However one of the big problems in the US (that's also growing in Australia) is the fact everyone drives automatics. These are much slower than manuals and breed more complacent drivers.

Not only that, an automatic can more easily be driven with one hand thus leaving the other hand free for phoning/texting. Driving a manual needs two hands for most urban driving so phoning/texting while driving is actually more difficult.

Cultural differences between Europe/US/Australia apart and how we all adhere to the rules of the road it would be interesting to see if phone use is more prevalent in automatic car drivers than manual car drivers.

Full disclosure: From UK, drive a manual, don't use phone in car because I have no friends and I take pride in my driving. Posted AC because I couldn't be bothered to login.

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[FlyHelicopters]

That, and the idea that automatics are "much slower" is old outdated nonsense.

Modern automatic transmissions are, with few exceptions, just as fast, if not faster, than manuals.

Re:Or.. just rethink transportation

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only that, an automatic can more easily be driven with one hand thus leaving the other hand free for phoning/texting. Driving a manual needs two hands for most urban driving so phoning/texting while driving is actually more difficult.

You just need to practice more. I drive a manual in a hilly city and can still phone/text on the road. Posting AC because I'm not actually proud of this behavior...

Obligatory

[maz2331]

Your post advocates a

(x) technical ( ) legislative ( ) market-based ( ) vigilante

approach to fighting distracted driving. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won't work.
(One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws
which used to vary from state to state before a bad federal law was passed.)

(x) It blocks calling the cops on other drivers who pose a real threat
(x) Telling a passenger from a driver isn't possible
( ) No one will be able to find the guy or collect the money
(x) It is defenseless against brute force attacks
( ) It will stop distractions for two weeks and then we'll be stuck with it
( ) Users of phones will not put up with it
( ) Google & Apple will not put up with it
( ) The police will not put up with it
(x) Requires too much cooperation from drivers
( ) Requires immediate total cooperation from everybody at once
( ) Many users cannot afford to lose business or alienate potential employers
( ) Drivers don't care about crashing
( ) Anyone could anonymously destroy anyone else's career or business

Specifically, your plan fails to account for

( ) Laws expressly prohibiting it
( ) Lack of centrally controlling authority
(x) Affecting non-drivers
(x) Asshats
( ) Jurisdictional problems
(x) Other forms of distraction that are even more dangerous
( ) Unpopularity of weird new laws
( ) Public reluctance to accept weird new forms of money
(x) Willingness of users to install inconvencing apps
(x) Bluetooth tethering to the car's audio for handsfree use
( ) Technically illiterate politicians
(x) Extreme stupidity on the part of people who text while driving
(x) Dishonesty on the part of drivers themselves
( ) Bandwidth costs that are unaffected by client filtering
(x) Using a power button works better

and the following philosophical objections may also apply:

(x) Ideas similar to yours are easy to come up with, yet none have ever
been shown practical
( ) Any scheme based on opt-out is unacceptable
( ) Phone use should not be the subject of legislation
( ) Blacklists suck
( ) Whitelists suck
( ) We should be able to drive however we want
( ) Countermeasures should not involve wire fraud or credit card fraud
( ) Countermeasures should not involve sabotage of public networks
( ) Countermeasures must work if phased in gradually
( ) Why should we have to trust you and your servers?
( ) Incompatibility with open source or open source licenses
(x) Feel-good measures do nothing to solve the problem
( ) I don't want the government tracking my phone
( ) Killing them that way is not slow and painful enough

Furthermore, this is what I think about you:

(x) Sorry dude, but I don't think it would work.
( ) This is a stupid idea, and you're a stupid person for suggesting it.
( ) Nice try, assh0le! I'm going to find out where you live and burn your
house down!

Drive.

[ledow]

I can't express how relieved I am at the majority of responses here. Most of the comments on anything that suggest people should drive the damn car and not do other things, or stay under the speed limit, or otherwise drive safely are other leapt upon like some kind of weakness is present in those expressing them.

It's quite refreshing to see the majority of people say exactly what I was thinking - drive the fucking car, ignore the fucking phone. If you can't trust yourself, turn the fucking phone off.

Stop relying on computers and fucking apps to limit your own, personal, adult, behaviour. Like those people who rely on the Amazon Fire's "time limits" for their kids, or similar methods of parental control, it just makes me think that you're too stupid to be allowed to use those devices / have a kid / drive a car in the first place.

I'm the only person I know who will not answer a phone in a moving car. I actually have difficulty EXPLAINING to people why that is. They are incredulous and don't understand it. And they still ring me while I'm driving to meet them. How hard is it? I do not answer the phone while driving, nor will I phone to tell you I'm late unless I'm literally at a complete stop AND am late enough that you need to know.

I do use my phone as a sat-nav. It's not in my line-of-sight, even, it's down by the gearstick. I don't need to look at it (especially with turn-by-turn voice) unless I've stopped and am looking for the particular house I need - I can always just keep driving, turn around, go around the block or circle a roundabout if I miss a turning.

I do not answer it while driving. Anything that might be important, you'll ring back. Anything that is important will be enough to bother me and that will make me pull over and give my attention to your message. And if I find out that you've done that knowing I'm driving just to "see where I am", you'll be put on a silent ringtone on my phone forever more.

The phone is already the rudest device in human existence (ANSWER ME NOW, ANSWER ME NOW, ANSWER ME NOW, I'LL KEEP RINGING UNTIL YOU ANSWER ME NOW, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'RE DOING ANSWER ME NOW!). It's fast becoming the most dangerous device because of idiots like you.

Drive the fucking car. Switch the phone off. Enjoy the silence, or your music, and a legally-prescribed requirement to be excused from ignoring all those work calls that inevitably happen just as you leave.

NO PHONE CALL / EMAIL / TEXT is that important. If you're mother's dead in hospital, people will call back, and it will never be an emergency that requires your presence at the expense of every innocent driver and passenger on the road.

Re:Drive.

[drinkypoo]

It's quite refreshing to see the majority of people say exactly what I was thinking - drive the fucking car, ignore the fucking phone. If you can't trust yourself, turn the fucking phone off.

I don't trust you. But I trust myself to receive a phone call on speaker because I know from experience that I will ignore the person on the other end of the phone when necessary. I've done it before, and I will do it again.

Enjoy the silence, or your music, and a legally-prescribed requirement

To use my various hands-free solutions? Will do.

Re:Drive.

[Anonymous Coward]

"I can always just keep driving, turn around, go around the block or circle a roundabout if I miss a turning." [sic]

Clearly spoken as someone who has never driven in Boston - http://lolsnaps.com/upload_pic/NewYorkvsBoston-41974.jpg

Re:Drive.

[Anonymous Coward]

Just turn it off man. You sound like someone who is okay with "just one more" and who refuses to call a cabbie. The phone is not a requirement.

Re:Drive.

[drinkypoo]

Just turn it off man. You sound like someone who is okay with "just one more" and who refuses to call a cabbie. The phone is not a requirement.

It's not a requirement to pay attention to it, either. I don't even necessarily glance at it when it chimes at home, unless it's near me and I'm trying to figure out where it is so that I can do something about it. Other people pay it more mind than I do. But I didn't buy a mobile phone so that I could use it only while stationary. If that made sense, then we'd all have gotten pagers and there would be more payphones in the world.

I get that dicking around with the interface while driving is a problem. That's why there are so many hands-free options. I have several, and I use them in the rare occasion that I take a phone call. If they aren't immediately at hand, then I skip the call and take it later. But I might well pick up the device and look at the screen during an opportune moment (if one arises) to decide whether I need to pull over.

And I know this is one of those things old people say, but I don't text. Rarely, occasionally, yes. But as a rule, I prefer voice. With my phone plan it costs me the same to make a phone call or make a text or use google maps, in that I pay per day of use. I use my phone infrequently enough that this makes sense. I use my phone even less frequently while driving.

And and and, don't get me conflated with drunk drivers. I've put myself physically in the way of potential drunk driving before. That's not even close to a reasonable comparison. You can't just ignore drunk.

Re:Drive.

[Anonymous Coward]

People who have drank are interestingly very capable of ignoring drunk. The smart phone is simply too addicting to be ignored by the vast majority of people. Turn it off and tell your friends. Who will ultimately benefit if the phone is off?

Re:Drive.

[drinkypoo]

People who have drank are interestingly very capable of ignoring drunk.

Well no. They think they are, but their reactions are still shot.

The smart phone is simply too addicting to be ignored by the vast majority of people.

I'm not the majority of people. I'm one guy who's good at ignoring his cellphone, as I've already illustrated for you. I'm not alone. You're not helping anyone, you're just being annoying.

Re:Drive.

[Anonymous Coward]

People who have drank are interestingly very capable of ignoring drunk.

Well no. They think they are, but their reactions are still shot.

I think that was his point. Drunk people ignore the fact that they cannot drive appropriately after drinking.

Likewise, people who say they can just ignore the phone probably do not "ignore it" as much as they would like to admit. Not ignoring the phone while speeding a several ton hunk of metal down the road is inappropriate.

Just like the concept with alcohol (one is too many), society should suggest to others that simply disabling the phone while driving (so that it cannot ring), is the right thing to do.

Just turn the phone off.

I like that.

Re:Drive.

[drinkypoo]

Likewise, people who say they can just ignore the phone probably do not "ignore it" as much as they would like to admit.

The only similarity between the two is impairment. What I meant, and I suppose I probably should have said it for all the other asshole pedants around here besides me, is that you cannot simply stop being drunk, but you can simply stop talking on the phone. I already have a great deal of experience not listening, because virtually all passengers will make stupid noises when interesting things are happening on the highway, and you must ignore those too. Only those people are right in the car with you, so if you are not an asshole you will have some sort of inherent desire to respond to them, unless they're someone you didn't want in your car in the first place.

The REAL solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Time to implement the REAL solution. Significantly raise the speed limits. Driving current speed limits does not require much driver attention allowing drivers to engage in other activities - ie phone, texting, eating, reading, etc. Raise the speed limits so driving requires your full attention and distracted driving will go away.

Re:The REAL solution

[Anonymous Coward]

For realz graduated licensing.

Anyone with a blue plate can go 100 MPH and can drive in the left lane.

Anyone with a red plate can only go 70 MPH and has to stay in the right lane, unless to pass.

Everyone has to turn the mobile off.

It'd be just like a motorocycle endorsement. Plus you'd have to take courses on controlled skids, driving on ice, driving when its dark and raining. Nothing like driver's ed for 16 yr olds, this would be driver's ed for 25+ yr olds.

Motorcycles

[LionKimbro]

Drive a motorcycle. You'll either be driving, or you'll be dead. I promise you won't be texting (for very long)!

Re:Motorcycles

[Z00L00K]

Or put the phone in the trunk. If you have a handsfree system you might be able to answer it.

But a side problem is that most roads today are pretty boring, and that's the main cause for distracting activities.

Re:Motorcycles

[Virtucon]

But a side problem is that most roads today are pretty boring, and that's the main cause for distracting activities.

I'd argue that with cell phone abusing drivers the roads are exciting and not in a good way.

Re:I farted

[I'm New Around Here]

Everyone who is driving a car is risking their own lives as well as everyone else's.

There were accidents long before cell phones.

If you don't like people dying in car accidents, ban automobiles. It's the only solution.

I Had A Solution

[Greyfox]

Replace the airbag with a spike. If you get in an accident, you get a spike directly in the face. I bet you'll pay a LOT more attention to what's going on around you, then!

Re:I Had A Solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Education seems to be the way to go. Smoking is down. Drinking and driving is down.

I want commercials suggesting that people should just turn the "car phone" off.

Re:I Had A Solution

[Virtucon]

Unfortunately stupidity is on the rise. For reference just watch any reality show on TV or "Idiocracy."

Everything is DD

[Anonymous Coward]

Everything in the car is distracted driving. From using a phone, to looking at a map, to using the new fancy UI's on the car's onboard screen, to eating/drinking or getting a blowjob. Bottom line, you'll never stop it completely.

Re:Ban Women

[I'm New Around Here]

You're blaming Ms. Chatty and Mrs. Nosy instead of blaming yourself like you should. If they're distracting, pull over and tell them to shut up. If they don't then refuse to drive with them in the car and leave them right there.

Spoken like a true not-a-husband.

Simple App Idea -- Free if you want it...

[Macdude]

An app that would disable the phone if it's moving at more than 20 KM/H.

Re:Simple App Idea -- Free if you want it...

[niftymitch]

An app that would disable the phone if it's moving at more than 20 KM/H.

How does the app know you are driving in contrast to being a passenger?

I would rather most of my passengers talk on a phone than insist
that I pay attention to them while I am driving. Some exceptions
are the rare individual that can read a map and give directions.
So rare I bought a GPS nav device.

There's no app for that

[FuzzNugget]

Not a tech problem, not a tech solution.

Just check your phone when you've arrived or pull over into a parking lot if you're that desperate. Seriously, how hard is that?

Re:There's no app for that

[Jahta]

Not a tech problem, not a tech solution.

Just check your phone when you've arrived or pull over into a parking lot if you're that desperate. Seriously, how hard is that?

Apparently for some people it's a lot harder than you would think; Driver Dies After Posting Facebook Selfie.

Moto X Assist App Driving Mode

[enbody]

Motorola has an Assist app that detects when you are in motion. If enabled and a call comes in, it will identify the caller and ask you if you want to ignore it. You reply verbally. If you say "ignore," it will ask if you want to send a text "I'm driving I'll call later" (something like that) or have you create a message. Also, you can have it read text messages as they arrive. If you aren't the driver, you can simply turn it off. I find it to be a nice compromise between a nanny app and nothing.

There is a button for that

[Anonymous Coward]

Turn it off.

Re:I farted

[Anonymous Coward]

It is a straw man... as always... This is just another case of the political machine doing whatever they can to attack those who they consider "unimportant", read: non-voters or those who are unlikely to vote for them. In this case, the young... disproportionately large numbers of people who have grown up with technology who would serve as an easy target for generating political capital. Added bonus of turning them into an example... they are now a convicted criminal and thereby forbidden from voting.

Seriously? This really isn't The Onion?

[sootman]

1) Set phone to "silent".
2) Put it on the passenger seat, face down.
3) There is no step 3! (Except for "have an ounce of willpower to not pick it up and check Twitter at every light.")

If you MUST see SOME info -- eg., calls from important people, just skip to step 3.

Optional: on an iPhone with iOS 7, swipe up and press the moon icon for "Do not disturb." Exceptions can be configured in Settings. I'm guessing Android has, or will soon have, something similar.

But if you want the phone to read your mind -- "don't alert me unless it's *really* important" -- then Step 1 is "Invent A.I."

Oh please

[gelfling]

Talking on your phone is more dangerous than smoking crack behind the wheel at night during a tornado with your eyes closed while getting a blowjob going 115mph on the wrong side of the road.

No - it's not.

Re:I farted

[Belial6]

Bingo. Until they outlaw hot chicks from jogging, "Distracted Driving" laws are complete BS.

Windows Phone does this well

[Barlo_Mung_42]

I have my phone set to automatically go into driving mode when I get in my care with the option set txt the caller/texter that I'm driving and will get back to them. No distractions and it works well.

Re:Windows Phone does this well

[maxrate]

Agreed - works well for me.

Re:I farted

[maxrate]

Agreed 100% - I drive mint while talking on a cell phone. I travel with a group of very opinionated and honest friends - we will tell each other anything with no hesitation and in all these years, no one has bitched about my driving while on the phone. Texting/reading email/etc - pretty dangerous - guilty of doing that a few times, won't do it anymore. Also depends on whom you're speaking with - I never pick up calls from customers while driving, just mainly people I don't care about not being at my very best on the phone with like suppliers/co-workers/wife/family/etc.;) Messing with Bluetooth always seems like that's going to get me to crash the car - that S*** never works properly with my vehicle for some reason. What I think is absolutely incredible is how Cops are superior beings and can use their radios/cellphones and mobile computers while driving. "They are trained - yeah right" - give us the opportunity to be trained as well. Driving and talking on the phone should be a RIGHT, not an offense. If you can't handle it, know enough not to do it. I heard eating/drinking(not booze) while driving can be an offense as well - unbelievable. There must be a lot of uncoordinated chumps out there. Thanks for screwing this up for the rest of us.

Re:I farted

[maxrate]

Also allowing animated bill boards/etc right next to the freeway

Solution by Google

[MrLogic17]

The *real* solution is in beta by Google right now. The self driving car.

This country is so big that mass transit will never cover more than a small fraction of the nation. Commuting is a boring chore, and many folks like myself welcome the day when we can do what we want to be doing rather than driving.

Re:I farted

[murdocj]

Yes. I had to read the summary a couple of times because I couldn't believe it was saying what it was saying. "I tried to find an app that prevents me from playing Russian Roulette, but I just couldn't get one, so here goes"

Re:I farted

[murdocj]

Yes, you think you are driving fine. Drunk drivers also think they are driving fine. You aren't.

Re:I farted

[Xicor]

dont forget police cars on the side of the road... that is one of the highest causes of accidents on highways..."oh shit a cop! *slams on brakes*"

Problem is, we're too self absorbed

[Virtucon]

Distracted Driving is a symptom of people being too self-absorbed. We're less civil to one another, less courteous and more self-righteous than ever before. That results in behavior that's just "fuck everybody else." The people who feel that they're not creating a problem while texting or being pre-occupied with a conversation or dialing really don't give a shit about everybody around them. I mean we all have airbags right? What's the problem? My call / text is more important than your puny life and where you're trying to go. Anyway I have places to be and sorry if I just cut you off, I'm on an important call here. Wait, I'm not sorry didn't I tell you I'm on an important call here?

Bad technology use is a symptom of bad behavior and there are plenty of bad behaviors that occur when people are driving, they don't have to be using a cell phone. That's why I've told my kids that when they're all out of college, I'm buying an old ice cream truck, some chain guns and dressing up like Sweet Tooth!

Nice strawman.

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice strawman. Most or all drunks think that they are NOT driving fine but don't want the "drunk fine" of paying a nasty cab driver's rate of extortion. Think before you post, douche fluid.

Re:Nice strawman.

[blang]

It's not a strawman, It is science. Believe in it. Or check it out for yourself.

I deveopled an easy to use App

[oshkrozz]

Here is how the console box app works, it is really easy. Step 1 put your phone in mute Step 2 open center console box Step 3 Throw phone inside Step 4 (This is the tricky part you CAN NOT swipe it to lock that is patented by Apple you MUST close it with three fingers .. as four fingers might also be a patented method for closing a box). Close console box This app is only $4 on google play .. it will only appear after you send the money to my account 1111111

The Distracted Driving Foundation

[Anonymous Coward]

Those poor guys. How can we help this Driving Foundation to be less distracted?

Adding Manners Through Technology

[Anonymous Coward]

Technology can not add or improve peoples manners. You either have good phone usage habits, or you do not.

This would be like developing an app to help people avoid illegal drugs. Either you have the moral convictions, or you do not. Same with cell phone use.

Re:Adding Manners Through Technology

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn straight.

Re:I farted

[DanTheManMS]

It reminds me of those computer applications you can install that will block you from launching certain programs or accessing certain websites unless you punch in a complicated code, designed to help remind you that you've got real work to do and can't afford to slack off on the Internet. I can at least somewhat understand why someone would install one of those programs for themselves on their computer. Needing something like that to keep you from using your phone while driving is just asinine.

Re:I farted

[I'm New Around Here]

Excuse me, please. Where did I say I drive fine, whether on the phone or not?

I said I talk all the time on my cell phone while driving. In fact I meant to say that I place calls as well, but that thought got truncated before it go to my fingers.

The line about my accidents wasn't simply for laughs.

Re:Ban Women

[Tablizer]

He he he, +5 duuude!

Re:Ban Women

[Tablizer]

Yes, two breasts.

Re:Ban Women

[wonkey_monkey]

Well, there was definitely at least one tit in the car.

Re:I farted

[xelah]

Unfortunately, as a society we've developed strong social expectations that phone calls be answered immediately. Not just in cars - in casual conversations, and if you've ever been in a queue being served by someone also answering the phones you'll know that callers get priority every time. And once you've answered there's a strong social expectation that you'll pay attention and respond, and you don't get the usual gestures and situational awareness that politely indicate 'I really need to deal with this other thing right now'.

So I suspect that the best thing the original questioner can do is to establish a reputation as the person who never answers calls in the car.

As for legal responses.....people mostly wouldn't do it if they thought it would lead to so much as chipped paint or a $50 fine, never mind injury or enormous fines. The problem is that it almost always doesn't cause any of those things. Cranking up the fines probably won't help - it's cranking up detection rates that'll help. And it gives a good excuse to callers if fines are a common experience.

Re:I farted

[blang]

Dumbass. And I mean that in the most literal way.

Research has shown that any aural input consumes a lot of brain power, to the extent that people fail at parallell parking.
Verbal input is the worst kind of distraction, and takes tons of brain power to process. In fact research has shown that it is just as bad as driving drunk.
Just because you've been lucky and avoided accidents so far doesn't make you super-human. Your brain works the same as everyone else's, and if you're a slashdot reader you're expected to believe in science. Or are you just a wet behind the ears a script kiddie, just pretending to be a nerd?

@ xelah - Re:I farted

[nukenerd]

Unfortunately, as a society we've developed strong social expectations that phone calls be answered immediately.

You have obviously never phoned up a call centre. Well, it is answered immediately, I suppose, by music and by a soothing voice telling you that they are currently experiencing an exceptionally heavy level of calls.

But, culture has changed since mobiles came along - I don't expect calls to be answered immediately anymore. They were in the days when landline phones were the latest thing - when for somone to be calling they must be rich and important even to possess one.

PS, why are we keeping the title of this discussion as it was set by the first post troll, who is not even visible anymore?

Re:@ xelah - Re:I farted

[Archangel Michael]

by a soothing voice telling you that they are currently experiencing an exceptionally heavy level of calls.

Once in a while, I could understand. Perpetually, not so much. The issue is that they are often just lying, to save money by having people "give up". You can also realize that this is (almost) NEVER the case when calling to buy something.

Re:I farted

[Anonymous Coward]

What does his having a dumb ass have to do with driving?


Hint: Using words like "literal" doesn't make you look smart if you use them incorrectly.

Like so many things American

[xednieht]

The perception of the problem is bass-ackwards. It's not the Distracted part of Distracted Driving that is the issue, it's the Driving part. Personally I HATE driving especially in large cities. Give me fast clean public transport and I'm happy as a distracted clam.

Re:I farted

[kilfarsnar]

I answer calls in my car all the time. Sometimes it's from the wife, sometimes a job. If you can't drive safely while holding a phone to your ear, you don't deserve to be on the road. There are distractions everywhere.

Police car over there, make sure I'm driving ok. Ambulance siren; where is it? Do I have to change lanes? Damn short green arrow, maybe I can floor it and make it through. Hey, I like this song. "Sweeeeet Hoooome Alabama" So, when that girl last night looked at me, I should have said ....

And on and on.

If you are getting in accidents because you are talking to someone who isn't in the car with you, stop driving.

And, no, none of my accidents have been because I was on a cell phone. Or drunk/high.

The thing is, there have been studies that show that talking on the phone while driving impairs the driver's ability. It's not a hands-free thing, or an I'm-a-great-multitasker thing, it's a brain processing thing. The brain cannot effectively split its attention between holding a conversation and driving attentively.

Re:I farted

[kilfarsnar]

So I suspect that the best thing the original questioner can do is to establish a reputation as the person who never answers calls in the car.

This is what I have done. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't answer the phone in the car. If I need to make a call I pull over. Personally, talking on the phone while driving is uncomfortable. I can feel that my attention is being split and I can't pay attention to driving the way I'd like to. So I don't do it, no app required.

Re:I farted

[kilfarsnar]

Welcome to the modern world, where self-restraint is so last century.

Re:I farted

[I'm New Around Here]

I believe you. But that precludes talking to other people in the vehicle too, and as other have pointed out, many car accidents are caused by people talking to others in the car.

Making this just about whether a person is on the phone or not is the issue. Someone yesterday pointed out that the issue should simply be distracted driving, which is what the police in his area are concerned with. Not what the cause of the distracted driving is. Phones are no more dangerous than burgers, nagging wives, or yapping dogs.

Most of the accidents I see around here, and they happen every day, are not caused by cell phones. So why focus on one thing like this? It's because it is an obvious target -- people talking on cell phones and ignoring the road. Doesn't mean it is a sensible target, to the exclusion of all else.

Re:I farted

[I'm New Around Here]

So you are saying everyone who ever listened to the radio while driving got into accidents constantly.

Or maybe your argument isn't actually as strong as you make it out to be.

And, yes, I do turn down the radio if I need to pay more attention to what is around me. But that doesn't mean I can never have it on while driving down the road.

Well

[Anonymous Coward]

What about NOT USING the fucking phone while driving? You're like those fat people whining about not losing weight while eating like fucking whales.

I'm distracted enough just listening to toonz...

[ToddInSF]

The "problem" is the arrogance and delusion of people who believe they CAN drive and use the phone safely.

There is no technological solution to self delusion.

Only an evolutionary one.

I have an app

[denmarkw00t]

It's my lock screen button, and when I press it my screen locks and then I use my Pocket app to place my phone in a secure location while I drive. Sometimes I get a text message while it's in there, and I just use my Wait app to, well, wait, until I get somewhere that I'm stopped and able to respond.

Seriously though - no technology can, or should try, to prevent you from using your phone. You should be smart enough to know what is and isn't unsafe to do while driving, and if you don't then you shouldn't be driving - maybe that'll happen on it's own, maybe it'll take you, a loved one, or a stranger being seriously injured. I don't know how I feel about scare campaigns a la "It Can Wait" etc, but I think people need to be educated on the basics of being distracted while driving. If a phone is enough to distract someone, you're probably dealing with someone who eats/reads/does origami while driving already, and the problem goes beyond texting.

Re:Ban Women

[Tablizer]

Did I really deserve a "-1, flamebait"? I don't see why it's that "bad". I'm just reporting a cause familiar to me. Perhaps "yapping" is derogatory, but only slightly to me.

I request assistance in interpreting the cause for social judgement here as I am unable to form a sufficient social model to explain the mod score.

Re:I farted

[Druegan]

Why all this focus on phones? How about the idiots who are putting on makeup, stuffing their face, having an argument with the person next to them, or dealing with rowdy children in the backseat? I've seen all of the above produce some truly horrific driving that nearly resulted in calamity.

Or how about the morons who *just can't drive safely in the first place* yet who wind up with licenses churned out by states who treat it more as a revenue generator than a regulatory process? I've seen plenty of incompentence out there as well.

But I've also seen a lot more self-entitled jackasses who just *have* to get where they're going 2 seconds faster than the rest of the traffic driving hideously irresponsibly and recklessly.

Sure, phones are a distraction.. but so are a lot of other things.. (Including, I might add, being blinded by the 4 billion lumens of police flashers at night or in adverse visibility conditions..) Some people can manage them competently while driving. Other people can't even manage the *car* while driving. Yet I don't see anybody having a "get idiots off the streets" crusade...

I mean, back when I was in high school.. the local D.A.R.E. program put a smashed car on the school lawn with a sign that said "50% of all traffic fatalities are due to drunk drivers." Well, that means that an equal number are due to stone cold sober drivers who are just too incompetent to be behind the wheel, but I don't see any outcry about *them*.

Re:I farted

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly. If you have to have noise in the car, better listen to elevator music, or songs in a foreign language you don't understand. They're never going to ban radios in cars, but knowing how your brain works, at least YOU won't risk your life out of ignorance. As a human being you probably have a brain, and also would recognize that if you're driving on a deserted road that goes straight for 100's of miles, then distraction fro the radio is probably what will help keep you from falling asleep at the wheel. And if you are driving defensively, you will anticipate that OTHERs are ignorant drivers that think they are superhuman, and might blow through a stop sign because they are having a heated conversation on the cell phone.

Re:I farted

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody said he had a dumb body part. Somebody said he IS a dumb ass, a dumb donkey.
He might masquarade as a human being which has been gifted with an advanced brain by the creator, or by evolution, but which is wasted by limiting it's functions to those of a donkey's brain.

Re:Ban Women

[Tablizer]

Suck my negative mod points. A dude can't have an opinion without douches being douches.