- A survey released this morning shows that many motorists have expanded their behind-the-wheel activities beyond texting to include using Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, taking selfies and even shooting videos.
Me? No. When I'm in a car, it is almost exclusively as a passenger. When I'm going somewhere by myself, I bicycle. But then again, my cell phone is an old style flip phone. It stays in my apartment, with the ringer off, and I check the battery level once a week. IMHO, distracted driving is just going to be a fact of life. People drive because they feel the need to. They'd probably rather be doing something else, and our culture doesn't place a lot of emphasis on how dangerous driving can be. So why feel too bad about working a little something else into the drive? Be it snapchatting, eating, or listening to the radio. All of those things are distracting to some degree. Radios are built into the car to distract. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is a problem of context. Driving's context is "This isn't scary. Everyone does it." Personally, it scares the willies out of me.
I have to admit, I'm a bit envious. I'm almost never the passenger in a car. I enjoy being chauffeured around though. A long, long time ago we had a post asking what the future will think of us and someone remarked about how they will marvel that we drove around in metal boxes, that we controlled l, that were filled with explosive propellants. It's crazy when you consider it.
I actually find it a little awkward anymore. Enough time has elapsed since I regularly drove that my ability to empathise with the driver is lessened. For example: if someone is upset at being held up with a slow car in front, I tend to end up reflecting on how we are still going way faster than I could ever bike. I think Douglas Adams once wrote a bit about how the act of driving helps to ensure that both the origin and destination of the trip are covered in tar and short on fish. I'm not sure how I feel about self driving ai though. I work for a large shipping company, and I have a lot of respect for people who are able to log millions of miles with out an accident. I have to admit, I'm a bit envious. I'm almost never the passenger in a car. I enjoy being chauffeured around though.
A long, long time ago we had a post asking what the future will think of us and someone remarked about how they will marvel that we drove around in metal boxes, that we controlled l, that were filled with explosive propellants.
I tend to end up reflecting on how we are still going way faster than I could ever bike.
Yeah, it's remarkable to me how people will almost always go over the speed limit, no matter what. If the speed limit is 70, people think 75-80mph is reasonable. If it's 80mp, people would think 85 or 90 was reasonable. Why is there always the need to go faster than the limit posted? I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in years (knock on wood), but this is because I don't aggressively speed anymore. What's the use? To shave off 5-10 minutes off of a long drive? Big deal. I'm not sure how I feel about self driving ai though
-As a father I hope my children never get behind a wheel like we do today. I'm all for AI, especially for those impaired.
Reminds me of something. Was talking to my cousin whose daughter just turned 16 and they're talking about getting her a used vehicle so she can drive siblings to school etc. Waste of money and rarely a good idea but okay, whatever, she's more trustworthy than most her age. We're discussing use compact cars and how cheap and efficient they are, and then my cousin says he'll probably just give her the suv we're having the conversation in, which has 100k on it, because he knows she'll get in a wreck before she's 18 anyway. Just like a fact. When did that become the norm? He said he'd feel better if she's driving around in a tank, essentially. Driving isn't fucking hard if you don't complicate it with cell phones, radios, gps, defying bad weather and who knows what else. I couldn't believe how okay he was with the inevitability that she would get in a wreck.
Sure. There is lots of good that can / will come out of self driving cars. I think it'll be interesting to see how much any gains in efficiency will equate to lessened environmental impact. I guess should acknowledge that that my qualms are selfish. I'm a Teamster. Obviously not the truck driving sort, but I know a lot of younger people who are planning on taking that career path. It probably isn't going to last long enough to see them to the end of their working days. That sucks but is what it is. -As a father I hope my children never get behind a wheel like we do today. I'm all for AI, especially for those impaired.
I text while driving once in awhile, when it's necessary (at least in my mind). I know I shouldn't but usually it's just an "ok" or other short message.