London incidents

Tue Jul 12 10:34:32 UTC 2005

At 6:16 AM -0400 2005-07-12, Jim Popovitch wrote:

>  I think the world has shown that cellphones have been used over and over
>  to detonate explosive devices.  Why wait for it to be proved again
>  before doing something?

	What do you suggest?  Eliminating the entire mobile telephone industry?

>                           AFAIK "Emergency Only" mode allows for 911
>  calls, just not inbound/outbound calls.

	You can only change to something like that after an emergency has 
happened, by which time it is too late.  If the bombers do the kind 
of thing they did in Madrid (using the alarm function), then you 
don't need mobile phones at all, except as a cheap source of easily 
programmable digital alarm clocks.

	I'm sorry, I just don't see mobile phones being the bad guy here. 
I don't see any kind of activity designed to restrict their use as 
being a positive thing, regardless of the timing.

>                                           Besides, the US (at least) is
>  full of a lot of people who need to hang up the phone and start driving
>  good again.
>
>  -Jim P. (who is tired of being caught in traffic behind weaving,
>  slowing/speeding, hand-waving and head-shaking, cellphone "drivers")

	All testing results I've heard of indicate that the real problem 
is that the driver is distracted when doing anything but driving. 
Many accidents happen when drivers are futzing about with their 
radios.  Many happen when drivers are talking to other people in the 
car.

	The problem with mobile phones in the car has less to do with 
taking a person's hand off the wheel (although that is something to 
be concerned about), and more to do with the fact that the driver is 
distracted by talking to the person on the other end.

	So, to make good on this, you'd have to outlaw all activities 
which could potentially interfere with driving.  All mobile phones of 
all sorts would have to be kept out of the range of hearing of the 
driver (also eliminating all hands-free units), all car audio/video 
systems would have to be eliminated, you could not allow any GPS 
devices, you'd have to outlaw eating food and/or drinking beverages 
while driving (including soft drinks, coffee, etc...), and you'd have 
to have a muzzle law for all passengers.

	Drivers would have to be completely isolated from all sights, 
sounds, and other distractions not directly related to driving.

	Do you honestly think that there's a snowball's chance of ever 
being able to achieve even one of these goals?

	Believe me, I understand your frustration.  Unfortunately, since 
we have the best government that money can buy (or worse, depending 
on what country you live in), I don't see that you or I or anyone 
else will be able to do anything to even slow down the introduction 
of new technologies whose primary goal (or side-effect) is to further 
distract drivers.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

   SAGE member since 1995.  See <http://www.sage.org/> for more info.