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North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: London incidents
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? 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.AFAIK "Emergency Only" mode allows for 911 calls, just not inbound/outbound calls. 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. 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.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") 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, <[email protected]> "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.
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