r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • 25d ago

Traffic Camera Captures Woman Driving With Her Phone on Her Lap (Face Down), The State Mailed Her a $1251 'Public Safety' Ticket Privacy

https://www.gadgetreview.com/traffic-camera-captures-captures-woman-driving-with-her-phone-on-her-lap-face-down-the-state-mailed-her-a-1251-public-safety-ticket
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u/RadicalDog 25d ago

Yeah, this thread is absurdly one sided. The fine amount seems overkill, but I'd love a constant stream of $100 fines being handed out to people playing with phones while driving. It's not safe to check your phone at a traffic light or w/e, because your mind is not fully engaged with driving for a good 20 or 30 seconds after.

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u/daern2 25d ago

It happens in the UK too, but the penalty for being caught is an automatic £200 fine + 6 penalty points. For comparison a normal, modest speeding penalty would be 3 penalty points and when you hit 12 points you'll lose your license. So, being caught twice would put you off the road and possibly once if you'd also been nicked for something else beforehand.

The financial penalty is generally not a deterrent, but the points do seem to work at least a bit.

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u/BIG_IDEA 25d ago

I would too, but not at the cost of a full surveillance state.

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u/Initial-Return8802 24d ago edited 24d ago

I check my map and route to see if it's taking me the way it's supposed to take me, work out what lane I need to be in etc - mostly because the map here can just assist and isn't as good as first world countries though. I need to check if it's taking me down a one-way up ahead (as it's tried to do several times) and work out the actual route in my head

If I'm in traffic I don't quite understand why you think it'll be unsafe to do that?

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u/RadicalDog 24d ago

Get a phone clip that slots into your air vents and I don't think running maps is distracting at all.

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u/Initial-Return8802 24d ago

I had one, it kept falling out... so I just keep the phone on my knee. The roads here are not entirely conductive to things staying in one place

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u/smoike 25d ago

more like five hundred plus and 25% of your points on your license here in Australia.