GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 15:28 UTC (Fri) by dskoll (subscriber, #1630)
In reply to: GENIVI: moving an industry to open source by dskoll
Parent article: GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Oh, and from the same study:

The study reinforced earlier research by Strayer and Drews showing that hands-free cell phones are just as distracting as handheld cell phones because the conversation itself – not just manipulation of a handheld phone – distracts drivers from road conditions.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 15:40 UTC (Fri) by dlang (guest, #313) [Link] (7 responses)

so we need to also ban conversations with other people in the car if it's the conversation that's so horribly distracting.

or we need to admit that there isn't really anything so special about cell phones.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 16:50 UTC (Fri) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523) [Link] (5 responses)

Nope. Real face-to-face conversation in cars tend to be much less distracting. Again, it's confirmed by multiple studies.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 18:50 UTC (Fri) by anselm (subscriber, #2796) [Link]

Real face-to-face conversation in cars tend to be much less distracting.

One would certainly hope that any conversation taking place in a car and involving the driver would not be a face-to-face conversation.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 19:23 UTC (Fri) by dlang (guest, #313) [Link] (3 responses)

apparently so are conversations that involve push-to-talk hardware (various two way radio systems, CB, Ham, etc)

or so it would seem due to the fact that they have been explicitly exempted from the laws regulating cell phones.

I just don't see why phone conversations are so much worse than all of these other types of distraction. I think it all boils down to a nice sounding soundbite.

I also have a hard time with the fact that they are equating something that slows reaction time (distraction) with something that impairs judgment (drunk driving)

While you have accidents caused by both causes, they are really not equivalent.

If you can retain your judgment, you can reduce distractions when conditions get worse (heavier traffic, weather conditions, etc). If you don't have judgment you don't realize there is any need to change anything.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 20:13 UTC (Fri) by dskoll (subscriber, #1630) [Link]

I just don't see why phone conversations are so much worse than all of these other types of distraction. I think it all boils down to a nice sounding soundbite.

Multiple studies have confirmed that indeed, there's something special about being on a cell phone that distracts us much more than other things. I've posted a link to one such study and you can easily find others with a few minutes of googling.

I'm not a psychologist so I don't know why it's the case, but I'm certainly convinced that it is the case.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 20:15 UTC (Fri) by dskoll (subscriber, #1630) [Link] (1 responses)

If you don't have judgment you don't realize there is any need to change anything.

People who talk on cell phones while driving lack judgement. QED.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 17, 2012 12:23 UTC (Fri) by man_ls (guest, #15091) [Link]

Check mate. Well played! And thanks for the laugh.

GENIVI: moving an industry to open source

Posted Aug 10, 2012 20:11 UTC (Fri) by dskoll (subscriber, #1630) [Link]

As another poster said, face-to-face conversations are much, much less distracting than phone conversations. Also, if you have other people in the car, they can see the traffic conditions and be aware when it's time to shut up or yell "Look out!". Someone on the other end of the phone lacks that info.