Auto Safety Experts Concerned About CarPlay and Distracted Driving

[vpndev]

several categories

It turns out that talking to passengers does not significantly increase reaction times, but talking on the phone or texting, even when intermediated by a voice interface, does significantly increase reaction times. Therefore doing these things behind the wheel is a bad idea.

There are more than two categories, however.

At times such as high-speed merge even listening to a passenger is too much distraction. The kind of time when you can't even afford the very brief time it takes to look at the speedo, for example. It all depends upon the driving conditions.

I group the various scenarios as follows:
1. no distraction - AT ALL
2. talk to passenger
3. tune radio
4. hands-free phone for short call

 

[ohbrilliance]

CarPlay enables you to do more non-driving things while behind the wheel. It's entirely fair that the associated risks be fully scrutinised. I'm a cyclist and my safety (as well as the safety of other road users) should not jeopardised by drivers performing non-driving tasks.

This may be particular to the driver, but in my experience, I've been alarmed at how dangerous it feels to even make a hands-free call in the car. I imagine talking to Siri and thinking of the wording of composing an iMessage would be just as bad if not worse.

 

[iVoid]

Some Auto safety "experts" won't be satisfied until we are all strapped in to our seats, with our hands super glued to the steering wheels and wearing something like this to keep us from not looking at the street:

 

[bbbb4b]

The human brain works harder to talk to people that are remotely located.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/impactful-distraction
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hands-free-texting-is-no-safer-to-use-while-driving/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130524160745.htm

etc.

Yep. Plus, with additional people physically in the car means additional brains, road scanners (eyes), alert systems (mouths). LOOK OUT!!

It's the same reason people can walk down the street together carrying on a conversation, yet somebody walking down the street talking on their cellphone walks like a moron, and actually talks at a double decibel level (even though the person on receiver end essentially has the speaking persons mouth pressed against their ear). People's brains just function differently when talking to device rather than to a person.

 

[apolloa]

No kidding. I remember I once drove a Volvo S80 as a rental for a business trip. That car has safety devices up the wazoo -- parking radar, "hey you're tailgating" alarms, lane-drift sensors, it even shows you a picture of a coffee cup and says "maybe it's time for a break" if you drift around in your lane too much.

And the reason I know this? I was trying to figure out how to turn on the radio, which caused me to drift around a bit on the highway (luckily it was nearly empty).

So why was it too hard to simply pull off the motorway and stop and then learn how to use the controls of a strange car before driving it? It is on your onus to learn the controls of a rental car before driving it, not the cars fault. Sure a unified system may help you, but that doesn't exist, and YOU are in control of the vehicle and you should get off the public highway to turn the radio on etc.

 

[LordVic]

So why was it too hard to simply pull off the motorway and stop and then learn how to use the controls of a strange car before driving it? It is on your onus to learn the controls of a rental car before driving it, not the cars fault. Sure a unified system may help you, but that doesn't exist, and YOU are in control of the vehicle and you should get off the public highway to turn the radio on etc.

you have to admit though, from a usage standpoint, that Volvo was a terribly designed console, by any era of car.

even if you know how to operate the thing. Trying to change radio stations by feel without looking might become a disaster...

HOpefully they at least had brail or some form of tactile differences to the buttons so you could tell which area of that monstrosity your hand was near

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Whatever happened to individual responsibility? If something is distracting, then don't do it! You can't micromanage drivers through legislation. If you want to eliminate distracted driving, get rid of all those ugly buttons and knobs on a car's dashboard, the side and rear view mirrors, and any number of things that take your eyes off the road.

 

[Karma*Police]

I guess better to double the reaction time than to have no reaction time at all?

 

[bbbb4b]

I know that Mercedes video posted yesterday consisted of multiple, unedited takes but that video sure didn't help the notion that CarPlay was going to be a simple interaction.

If you were just casually watching that video and not paying attention, you could think that it took the guy nearly ten minutes to get in the car, dictate a text, get directions, and turn on music -- all while the car was parked. Imagine trying to do those things while you're driving!

Yeah. Was unfortunate for that raw video to be released. I'm sure it was quite confusing to a lot of people.

 

[MrCornfed]

.

 

[Frosties]

you have to admit though, from a usage standpoint, that Volvo was a terribly designed console, by any era of car.

even if you know how to operate the thing. Trying to change radio stations by feel without looking might become a disaster...

HOpefully they at least had brail or some form of tactile differences to the buttons so you could tell which area of that monstrosity your hand was near

Big knob upper right - light touch without taking eyes of the road by feel - radio on

What is the problem?

 

[LordVic]

Whatever happened to individual responsibility? If something is distracting, then don't do it! You can't micromanage drivers through legislation. If you want to eliminate distracted driving, get rid of all those ugly buttons and knobs on a car's dashboard, the side and rear view mirrors, and any number of things that take your eyes off the road.

Individual responsibility gets thrown out the window when your actions can directly (or indirectly) lead to the harm of the public and others.

dangerous and distracted driving doesn't just put yourself at risk. If that were the case, go ahead, get yourself killed.

But sadly, in too many cases, there are a lot of innocent drivers who are seriously injured or killed by other peoples driving follies.

I'm sure the kids whose mother just got killed by some driver who was texting and driving really cares about the personal responsibility of that driver.

as for interior things. Sure, lets ban everything. however, some of those things in your car, like.. you know. Adjustable mirrors do actually save more lives. (you're not supposed to adjust them when driving though)

 

[apolloa]

you have to admit though, from a usage standpoint, that Volvo was a terribly designed console, by any era of car.

even if you know how to operate the thing. Trying to change radio stations by feel without looking might become a disaster...

HOpefully they at least had brail or some form of tactile differences to the buttons so you could tell which area of that monstrosity your hand was near

No different to other cars, Mercedes used to be ridiculously stuffed full of buttons, they have changed now though by the looks of it, and you've never seen a Porsche or Audi? Add the toy's and add the buttons.

 

[LordVic]

Big knob upper right - light touch without taking eyes of the road by feel - radio on

What is the problem?

so whats the upper left knob? or the two lower nobs?

or the D pad surrounded by other buttons? or the dialpad? or...

is it so hard to admit that this particular dash was not the pinaccle of interior engineering?

 

[apolloa]

so whats the upper left knob? or the two lower nobs?

or the D pad surrounded by other buttons? or the dialpad? or...

is it so hard to admit that this particular dash was not the pinaccle of interior engineering?

It is your 'personal responsibility' to read the instruction manual BEFORE you drive the vehicle.

 

[Deevo]

Testing

It's time to start making everyone submit to drivers tests every year - or at least periodically. If you can pass your drivers test while texting, you get a special license. And there should be big penalties for people who are cause an accident while texting without the special license. Also, if you can't pass even the basic test anymore you don't drive.

We have to admit that there are people who can simultaneously drive and text better than some people can drive. Seriously, there are people that just can't handle texting (or any other distractions for that matter) while driving.

Driving tests would make this whole argument pointless.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Would they rather that we use maps on the iPhone itself (legal in California by the way)?

 

[Sandstorm]

*sigh* And thus spake the uninformed.

So it turns out that they've done studies on this stuff. They're not just making it up. They're not just out to get you because they hate freedom.

It turns out that talking to passengers does not significantly increase reaction times, but talking on the phone or texting, even when intermediated by a voice interface, does significantly increase reaction times. Therefore doing these things behind the wheel is a bad idea. By doing them, you are not just endangering yourself, but making it much more likely that you will kill other people. And so maybe we should be discouraging people from doing it.

Now, of course, you are more than welcome to disbelieve these studies. Indeed, more or less the natural reaction among certain circles to a study that comes to a conclusion that the person doesn't like is to say, 'the study must be wrong.' And those circles are big and influential enough to often prevent laws from being based on science because they don't like it. (C.f. global warming, handgun regulation, poverty, unemployment... and so forth.)

But I wouldn't recommend it. Because even those people still have to live in a world where science actually works. They can choose not to believe it, but it can still kill them.

Oh no, in no way I disbelieve that talking is somewhat distracting. And I'm definitely not a climate change denier, creationist, gun lover or other similar nonsense believer. I have strong feeling that in Europe such circles are not that big and influential (especially if compared to US).

What was on my mind - people will always talk, even if you make it illegal (it seems like a hobby for some politicians to make more and more things illegal). So let's better concentrate on easy, safe handsfree solutions and safer cars, with intelligent automatic breaking, lane assist and similar technologies. Because people won't change, we're always remain easily distracted and our only hope is safer and smarter cars. And inevitably, self driving cars.

 

[mac*jedi*g]

Just find a way to place HAL9000 in our vehicles. That will resolved ALL distracted driving --- whether you like it or not!

"HAL, read me my last text, please" --- User
"I don't think that is advisable, Dave" --- HAL9000
"Don't give me sh8t, HAL... read me my... damn.. text!!" --- User
"Shutting down life support features, including Air Bag Protection package; aiming for the nearest tree --- all because you talked mean to me, Dave" --- HAL9000
"F-- You HAL <crash>" --- User

 

[LordVic]

It is your 'personal responsibility' to read the instruction manual BEFORE you drive the vehicle.

The problem isn't knowing what the dials are.

it's finding the dials without visual interaction with the console (idealy).

if you have to take your eyes off the road to make sure your hands are on the right nobs, you've got too many knobs. If you have to constantly take your eyes off the road to make sure you're hands are on the right buttons. You have too many buttons.

if all this happens, then you have a console that was not designed right.

personal responsibility would actually say, it's not just your responsibility for knowing the buttons by reading the manual, but also knowing appropriate times for using.

with this many buttons and knobs requiring that much additional viewing time due to complexity, its not a well thought out console. And theres a great reason why it never caught on.

 

[Stella]

Not surprised.

Fatalities due to distracted drivers, here, have exceed that of drunk driving.

Travelling to work, I see so many people on their cell phones, doing their make up etc - its just sad. And of course, very selfish. The drivers will kill someone sooner or later, and then blame the victim.

 

[notjustjay]

So why was it too hard to simply pull off the motorway and stop and then learn how to use the controls of a strange car before driving it? It is on your onus to learn the controls of a rental car before driving it, not the cars fault. Sure a unified system may help you, but that doesn't exist, and YOU are in control of the vehicle and you should get off the public highway to turn the radio on etc.

You are absolutely correct. I should have set up the radio how I liked it while I was still parked in the rental lot. I did spend more time than usual trying to figure out the other systems (air conditioning, etc.) So I take responsibility for a little bit of distracted driving while I was trying to figure out what buttons to push. I made the call at the time that the 4-lane highway was pretty empty so I was willing to risk it.

I just found it ironic that Volvo saw fit to load the car with all manner of safe driving mechanisms, yet fail to create a distraction-free console.

By the way, I wasn't kidding about the coffee cup.

 

[LordVic]

Not surprised.

Fatalities due to distracted drivers, here, have exceed that of drunk driving.

Travelling to work, I see so many people on their cell phones, doing their make up etc - its just sad. And of course, very selfish. The drivers will kill someone sooner or later, and then blame the victim.

Despite Ontario's zero tolerance on handheld devices.

Last night on my way out, I passed no less than 6 people, who were in the left and left middle lanes, going under the speed limit of the freeway, talking on their Cellphones, forcing me to pass on the right.

sometimes, I wish I could drive them off the road. It is clear that despite the teeth of the new law here, there's just not enough ability to enforce it.

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

Then fix the technology in the rest of the vehicle.

Wrong comment, because the other technology is proven.

 

[Piggie]

To be honest.

I don't think ANY car controls you use during driving should really be on a smooth glass sheet you need to look at to know where you need to press your finger.

Car controls are real things, dials, knobs, levers ect that after a while you can pretty much control just be feel/muscle memory. You finger tips know the controls, perhaps a fraction of a second glance

Having a smooth zero tactile sheet of glass with buttons that could be anywhere, is a terrible idea for anything you need to use DURING driving.

other than perhaps some REALLY big buttons that are always in the same spot