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238 points Brajeshwar | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.203s | source
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crazygringo ◴[] No.45314757[source]
> An analysis published in 2020 by the Transport Research Laboratory, a British organisation, found that touchscreens impaired a driver’s reaction time more than driving over the legal alcohol limit.

The question isn't whether they're dangerous, anymore.

The question is, when is safety legislation going to be passed that prevents them from being used for any routine adjustments while driving. I.e. windshield wipers, AC, change volume, skip to next track, etc.

Like it's fine if you still use them to input a GPS destination, change long-term car settings, connect a Bluetooth device, etc.

But we need to separate out the actions routinely used during driving and legislate physical controls. Why is there not legislation for this already?

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cramcgrab[dead post] ◴[] No.45315075[source]
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crazygringo ◴[] No.45315145[source]
You know, seatbelts were also once optional, and something like less than 10% of people got them with their cars.

When it comes to safety regulations, it's definitely not "if you don't like it don't buy it".

Also, if you're distracted and get in a crash, you're not the only one who dies. It's your passengers and the people in the car you collide with that might die as well.

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II2II ◴[] No.45315250[source]
> It's your passengers and the people in the car you collide with that might die as well.

The people within automobiles are the people who I am least concerned about since they are encased by a machine that is engineered to ensure their safety. It's people outside of vehicles I'm most concerned about. Their only protection is their own wits.

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1. serial_dev ◴[] No.45316161[source]
> machine that is engineered to ensure their safety

They are engineered for safety but they are not bulletproof. People die in car accidents every day.

I’d prefer not to lose someone I love because the driver behind me didn’t see we had to slow down because they were typing into their Maps app or they needed to use touch screens to change their AC settings.