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I still think my idea is better.
Make it mandatory that all mobile electronic devices have a chip installed that shuts down and locks the device when it senses motion, and that includes walking.
It will only allow the device to work when it is not picking up motion.
If you think your text is more important than my life then you need more than a fine;....
+1
Agree completely. Maybe smartphones should be made to sense a car's electromagnetic pulse (lord knows my HD rabbit ear TV anntenna does, any car driving or even just idling nearby disrupts my tv signal in my house) and that could disable texting? Something needs to be done about texting and driving.
I still think my idea is better.
Make it mandatory that all mobile electronic devices have a chip installed that shuts down and locks the device when it senses motion, and that includes walking. It will only allow the device to work when it is not picking up motion.
Bob.
What if I'm riding the subway, walking on the sidewalk, or passenger in a car or on a bus or ship? Banned? Am I prevented from taking pictures with it at an amusement park? Riding a horse?
I still think my idea is better.
Make it mandatory that all mobile electronic devices have a chip installed that shuts down and locks the device when it senses motion, and that includes walking.
It will only allow the device to work when it is not picking up motion.
Bob.
That does not even make sense.
- What about a passenger using it?
- What about emergencies?
- What about using things like the music player and navigation?
- Why for when walking? How about just walking around your own house?
- What about when a person is on a train?
I say let the texters have self driving cars when they want to. I'd like to drive, and not have to answer messages, texts, etc. To me, driving is an excuse not to have to worry about that crap. Not a burden that needs a solution. I'm probably a dying breed, though.
As the article states, I don't know how such a device would be able to separate the data... filter out what data is a text, and what data is being used for, say Google Maps, or streaming music, etc.
I don't think this will ever happen.
My first thoughts exactly. What if they are streaming music or in process of downloading movies or such. What if its an incoming text and the phone happens to be in their jacket pocket or gym bag in the backseat. We'll see if techonology can be made to tell the difference.
Why not a device that detects eating in the car, shaving, applying makeup, staring at cute women jogging or walking, dealing with unruly kids in the backseat, excessive fiddling with the climate controls or music system?
All of those things are distractions too, and frequent ones at that, but somehow we're singling out texting specifically? It makes no sense at all.
SMS is a specific protocol that's been baked in since the 80s and works in a specific, separate manner from your general voice + data. It is quite possible to build a device to hear it from afar like this. Hell, you can do it at short range with zero special equipment.
Stick your GSM (T-Mobile, AT&T) phone next to a crappy speaker (such as the ones probably attached to your computer). Send it an SMS. It will make a noise you can hear through the speakers. Now call it. It will make a different noise. That's the essence of this, a VERY directional antenna to pick that distinction up from only what you aim it at.
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However, this device will be completely and utterly useless and no one is ever going to buy it. Your phone does not emit this signal except for the very short moment when it's actually sending/receiving it. So the whole time you're typing, nothing. The 1 second after you hit send is the only time it'd be detectable. The odds of a cop "catching" it in the momentary window he has are basically zero.
In addition, this ONLY is going to work for SMS specifically. Other data, and even other messaging applications, will all sound the same and be indistinguishable. GPS Navigation will be the same as Facebook Messenger. That's all generic.
There's a further increasing use of voice to text services and that sort of thing, which means this thing won't count as proof anyway. If the officer is that focused on the car for long enough for it to "catch" someone, he'll have been able to just look into it and see if they are using a phone.
Why not a device that detects eating in the car, shaving, applying makeup, staring at cute women jogging or walking, dealing with unruly kids in the backseat, excessive fiddling with the climate controls or music system?
All of those things are distractions too, and frequent ones at that, but somehow we're singling out texting specifically? It makes no sense at all.
I'm tracking. I just think the people who get in accidents while texting are probably inexperienced drivers. Don't young people do the most texting? I might catch a quick incoming text and, if traffic is stop and go, I might send a voice generated text back. Never if there are other cars near mine. I like to use my phone's Navigator. I don't want to get a ticket for holding my phone.
There are a lot of things people should be pulled over for.
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