U.S. Proposal for "Textalyser" To Check For Mobile Use While Driving

[engine]

Distracted driving, it's all to easy!
It's worse when using a cell phone to text because the users eyes are off the road. I've seen people doing it, and several times they came close to causing an accident. On one occasion, it could have turned out bad, but, thanks to the diligence of another driver, they missed each other. I was in the car behind watching this going on.

Now, there's this new proposal for New York's legislation to use a device to analyse someone's phone to see if it was being used whilst driving.

Distracted driving is a hazard up there with drinking and driving, but with a problem for cops: Snapchat scores can’t be determined by smelling someone’s breath. A solution proposed in draft New York legislation would solve that, using a roadside phone analyzer. U.S. Proposal for "Textalyser" To Check For Mobile Use While Driving [gizmodo.com]

[iamlost]

Will it differentiate between manual and voice texting?

Without a warrant? I smell lawyers.

Meta data could be obtained from mobile providers with fewer 4th amendment issues.

Love it when pols get techy. They go straight to the corner with dunce cap.

[keyplyr]

There are existing laws against texting while driving. People ignore them. A tell-tale device record only aids in prosecution after the fact and will do noting to deter the offending driver's behavior. Seems like self-serving app developers, especially while new cars continue to add more info display screens.

[tangor]

The only RELIABLE way to prevent distracted driving is to have every car on the road equipped with with phone jammer (these do exist) to defeat cell operation inside the vehicle.

Will that ever happen?

About as soon as pigs fly, I think.

[keyplyr]

Problem with a mobile network signal jammer is that modern cars connect to numerous hosts via a mobile network (GPS, software updates, emergency & online services like Pandora or iTunes, etc.) This will be even more significant as vehicles move toward greater tech advances like self-driving.

[graeme_p]

It seems excessively intrusive. why not just check network call and SMS logs?

[engine]

I don't believe a phone jammer is the solution in this instance. Firstly, there are impracticalities of jamming a signal when the phone is moving from sector to sector, and secondly, why would you want to jam a signal when the phone might be required for legitimate use, such as in an emergency.

The solution is education, and to use educational videos to scare the heebie jeebies out of those that seem to believe they are not going to cause an accident. There have been many campaigns with pretty frightening representations of what happens, or could happen.

I actually don't think it'll sink in to some of the people and they will continue to use text on their phones.

[robdwoods]

I agree that education and enforcement by observation are the keys here, just as they were for seat belt legislation. Also, signal jammers would jam all phones, etc. in a vehicle. There is nothing illegal (nor should there be) about a passenger using a mobile device in a vehicle.

[robdwoods]

I do think however that a "textalyser" or something similar should be permitted to be used in determining the cause of an accident, not as a device for giving out tickets, but definitely as a means of collecting evidence, and determining the severity of penalties or punishments.