JoeyBike

First thing I do in the parking lot of my rental car company is to turn off that screen. Or dim it greatly. You're right. That command is hard to find deep in the sub-menus every time. I wish there was a tiny icon bottom left corner of the main display page that one touch would turn it on and off.

I-Like-To-Bike

Why not bring a dark cloth or towel when you rent a car and just drape it over the offending screen?

I-Like-To-Bike

How many people who may have any influence in improving the bicycling environment react positively to your favorite proposal? Bicycling "advocates" with over-the-top as well as offensive proposals would serve most bicyclists well to put a lid on it.

Trakhak

Putting a lid on the spike would be silly. And counterproductive.

Troul 

it's not unreasonable to put higher standards on a product compared to a human's average expectation & capacity. If we can develop shtuff to send things out into outer space, then what's the excuse for not developing such a logical expectation for public transit safety? Legally, we must adhere to posted speed limits, & if we dare to go 1 mph over that posted limit, it is grounds to be pulled over. Standards for such strict tolerances & expectations have been around longer than you & I. It's not hurting anyone to develop software & hardware to be more precise than a human.

retswerb

In fact modern airliner flight decks are designed to limit clutter and distraction far more effectively than most automobiles.

livedarklions

Cuz I'll get really distracted when i inevitably falls off.

livedarklions

I don't think you're even in the ballpark when you say we don't place liability on those drivers if you're talking about civil liability. Criminal liability is a different question.

I also don't think you're getting anywhere in this AI/human contrast thing until you can show anything that says the safety is even comparable.

livedarklions

Little secret--there's a fudge factor because radar has a margin of error big enough that there's reasonable doubt if it's only 1 mph over.

livedarklions

You know pretty much everybody on this forum drives, right? Are you really this desperate to find a dumb joke offensive? If I recall correctly, this spike was originally offered as a supposedly more psychologically sound alternative to seat belts.

rydabent

Again as I have suggested many times, cell phones should have software in them that shuts them down if moving faster that 10 mph. If finding out what Sara is having for lunch is that damn important, pull over stop and phone her.

Calsun

I have advocated for this as well. It is something that could be implemented with existing smartphone with no changes to the devices. My cars have not allowed me to input navigation destinations while the car is moving but it is OK to text someone on my smartphone at any speed.

I do wish that the existing traffic cameras were used to take random photos of drivers and then the law enforcement agencies could use software to identify which motorists are using a cell phone. Then existing laws would permit fining the drivers as is now done when they exceed the speed limit or drive through red lights. But the political will to stand up to the telecom companies is not there. Bicyclists and pedestrians are expendible in the USA and that is not likely to change.

JoeyBike

With the exception of 911 calls. Sadly, I live in a city were random shootings occur on the freeways too often. I may need to call 911 while doing 100 mph some day.

Two other issues: 1. Lawmakers want to use their phones while driving. 2. If traffic cams start sending tickets to offenders then everyone goes back to texting in their laps instead of atop the steering wheel. I much prefer their phones at eye level with the top of the steering wheels where they MIGHT notice me ahead of them. Texting in their laps and I have no chance.

Like any hardcore drug addict, laws won't stop them.

RCMoeur 

Arizona was one of the last states to enact a hands-free phone law for motor vehicles. Apparently enough legislators figured that absent intensive intrusive enforcement, it might not affect actual behavior much. The law was finally enacted, as I recall because the Feds "strongly suggested" it be done. And several years later I see two things: drivers holding their phones in plain sight gabbing away, or drivers seemingly having an unsettling fascination with their groin area.

I think what might work better would be an automatic subpoena of phone records for anyone involved in a reportable collision, and strict liability if evidence shows phone use immediately prior or at the time of the crash. But we'd need data to see if even that would affect behavior.

jon c. 

I don't want to live in a society with that level of intrusive policing.

ralphs

Not a fan of touch screens in cars- basically they're a phone that's not hand-held. At least most (if not all) don't allow for most phone/ text/ GPS adjustments while moving. Of course that's annoying when you have a passenger that can perform those functions, but cannot.
In my older cars, I knew where the necessary switches were to turn on/off and adjust things. I realize that my 2015 Honda probably pales in comparison to newer cars, but there are so many commands that require "eyes off" I don't use many of them until I'm stopped. I usually would hit the wrong "button" on the screen anyway.
Back in the mid 80s, my boss purchased a Riviera. I remember it had a plastic film on the inside of the windshield (to minimize spiderweb injuries).
It also had a touch screen that was just a little better than looking at a Pong screen:

rumrunn6

don't they have that now? I remember something of mine, on my phone, (maybe WAZE?) gave me an option to click "not driving" when the warning popped up. I know my OEM car's nav didn't let me type an address while I was moving. for some reason, the Kenwood aftermarket radio w/ a built in Garmin nav, that replaced the car's radio/nav, doesn't exhibit that feature

livedarklions

Hands free dialing and talking being as easy as it is, phone calls really aren't the issue. It's clearly texting or activities that require the driver look at the screen instead of the road.

As a practical matter, the shut-off if over a particular speed is never going to be adopted unless there's some way to distinguish between phones in the hands of operators from those in the hands of passengers. Want to piss off a trainload of passengers? Shut off their phones.

It also needs to be able to distinguish between GPS use and other uses.

phughes

The touchscreens were put in cars, not to prevent the use of phones or other devices in a car, but because the NHTSA has mandated rear view cameras for all cars. This requires a screen on the dash. Car manufacturers simply utilized the screen for controls since the screen took up space in the dash. IT has created, in my opinion, a safety hazard, since you can no longer feel a control for heat, the defroster, or radio. I prefer knobs or levers, I can use those without taking my eyes off the road. I do not need to use a menu to find the control I need.

Often the NHTSA creates more issues than they solve.

Troul 

it would be imposing a restriction on a passenger that has a phone. Some drivers dock the phone to use as a mean of a GPS unit, & would be hindering the driver of a safe means to commuting where they are needing to go.

There's no realistic safety means if it means "shutting down" the phone when in a mobile state at a given speed.

Bald Paul

No, it doesn't. The camera image in reverse can actually be shown in the (gasp!) REAR VIEW MIRROR! Now there's a concept!
By the way, if your car doesn't have one, you can buy a system at WalMart for $70 PYLE PLCM4550 - Backup Car Camera Rear View Mirror Screen Monitor System with Parking & Reverse Safety Distance Scale Lines - Walmart.com

livedarklions

I completely disagree with your opinion. If the menu is properly laid out, you develop a feel for it just as you would a knob or lever, and the learning curve is probably less with the digital control when you use a car that's new to you. I find it used to be a lot harder to locate the mechanical switches on the dash of a a rental car than it is to figure out where they are on a touch screen. Even better, there's often a lot of shortcuts right on the steering wheel.. In contrast, many of the mechanical switch dashes I would encounter in the past had pretty vital switches in odd positions that made them difficult to find and/or manipulate.

I get that we all prefer the things we're used to, but that's very shaky evidence

phughes

Yes, that is true. My point is, the reason manufacturers began putting screens in the car, was due to the requirement of rear view cameras. The began doing it in anticipation of the requirement. They then bgan using it for other functions.

Bald Paul

I find it interesting that with all the technology that goes into F1 racing, the critical functions are still controlled by knobs and buttons. The digital display just tells them where the buttons currently are.
Can you imagine the average driver getting into his/her grocery getter and seeing something like this?

JoeyBike

I confess! I do like the RPM lights!