Wow. Another semester of college finally over, and I’d have to say it was my busiest yet. Of course, spring ’11 is already looking like it will be even busier, so I’d better write a post or two now while I can…
Things have come quite a ways in the couple of months since my last post. AT&T has actually released a documentary on the dangers of texting and driving, urging people to wait for a less laceratingly stupid moment to broadcast their lives. For all you skeptics out there, yes, a phone company really does seem to care. I have proof:
I like this new direction that AT&T is taking. Of course it’s not nearly enough, but it is a nice little first step in the right direction. The key, in my not-so-humble opinion, is still enforcement. Take away the possibility of this distraction happening at all, and the problem is solved. Otherwise there will almost inevitably be someone who just has to tap out a last deadly “LOL” to one of their friends, regardless of how much blood is spilled as a result.
So yes, kudos to AT&T for doing this documentary. It’s really great and all, but it doesn’t really solve any problems on a significant scale. Now that they’ve shown a desire to do something about texting while driving, however, why don’t they actually do something about it? If they’re having trouble coming up with ideas, may I suggest this? Excerpt:
The ideal option would be to disable any non-emergency calls to or from any phone that’s moving too fast. This could be done at the network level, with triangulation technology that’s almost certainly already in place and being actively used. People could still call 911 while driving, but they wouldn’t be able to send or receive any other calls or messages until they pulled over and stopped.
Admittedly, it would take wider adoption than just one provider to make it effective. A federal regulation requiring the system to be in place by a certain date would probably be the way to handle it, and what better proponents than the very corporations at the heart of the problem right now? Apparently Sprint has been involved in some initiatives as well, so maybe it’s time for a joint request from Sprint and AT&T (along with any others willing to join in) for future legislation to require use of this sort of technology (which they could develop) by all service providers.
What do you think, AT&T? Ready to put your money where your mouth is?
If it’s the passenger who should be receiving the call but the car is moving then it’s cutting down on potential production of that individual. Then since cell phones have become so integrated into people’s lives, it could interfere with their jobs, and in an extreme case, could even potentially impact the economy.
Hi Jane,
Thanks for your comment! I agree that this solution would cause problems for passengers trying to use their phones while someone else is driving. That’s the one major flaw I can see with enforcement on this scale, apart perhaps from the unlikelihood of the phone companies consenting to it. This post outlines the best idea I’ve been able to come up with so far, and I’m always on the lookout for alternatives.
One thing I thought of recently is that notifications could still be sent to the phone, telling people “you have a voice message, pull over to hear it” or something to that effect. That could reduce some of the impact on urgent communications.
However, I’m not so sure it would interfere with people’s jobs very much, let alone the economy. I seriously doubt that much of what people discuss over the phone while driving is critical to (or even has anything to do with) their jobs. Even if a few people do conduct business while in traffic, it shouldn’t be a significant portion of their work. If it is, they should probably move closer to their jobs so they can spend more time in the workplace than in their cars…
In the end, personally I think it’s better overall to do things a little bit slower and survive to reap the benefits. Cell phones may be integrated into many people’s lives, but they’re also integrated into plenty of people’s deaths. That’s the main point here: this isn’t about the economy, or being able to get that extra bit of work done because you’re always “connected.” It’s literally a matter of life and death. If someone uses a cell phone while they’re driving, they put their own life, and the lives of everyone around them, at risk.
– Justin
Thanks for replying!
I guess it’s true that people don’t really use phones for business as much as that argument would assume. After I posted that I thought about the whole economy argument and kind of reconsidered that maybe it wouldn’t be such a huge deal, but I guess for some people it might. But yes, survival probably is the best choice. I’d certainly choose that over an important call.