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Comment by axaxs | Hacker News Reader

Fascinating, and well studied, but I don't buy the '1 in 10 distracted'. As someone who has done tons of driving, I'd honestly put the number of distracted drivers, specifically dicking with their cell phone, somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of all drivers. And that's just my corner of the nation, I'm sure it's more in others.

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I commute about 35-40 minutes both ways and it’s crazy to me how many people I see messing with their phones while driving at freeway speeds. It just makes me wonder: Do people not realize how dangerous it is? Or do they just not care?

I honestly think it should be treated the same as driving while intoxicated (in my state it’s just a fine which I believe does nothing to deter people).

Absolutely. To answer your question, both. I think people realize there is some inherent danger, but don't care. Partly because of the 'itll never happen to me' thought, and partly because humans have been driven to isolation so much as to see other drivers as not human, but merely obstacles. Depressing truth.

Probably it is the regular long commute and that most of time nothing happens. It is long, people are bored daily and impatient. Some won't get free time after they come home.

So they push boundaries progressively getting comfortable with more and more risk. Because there is no negative feedback and nothing happens. (Until it does).

That's why in the Netherlands you are fined ~$250 for even holding a phone while driving.

Holding a device while you are on a bike will cost you around $105.

This all because there was an increase in accidents when social media became available everywhere.

I was surprised by how many people in Amsterdam would text message on bicycles. Many times without helmets on.

Cyclists in Amsterdam don't wear helmets as a rule -- YouTube is chock full of videos of Amsterdam bicycle traffic, so you can see for yourself. Therefore, it's not surprising that a texting cyclist wouldn't wear a helmet.

To be clear, texting on a bicycle is not a good idea, helmet or no helmet.

Clever; this should be put in everywhere. And I'd make the fines at least three times as high and equal for both drivers and bicyclists.

The state of Queensland just introduced Australia's toughest penalties: AUD$1000 fine and four demerit points for touching your phone when behind the wheel (even when stopped at lights).

1 in 10 cause accidents. Most of the distracted drivers will (fortunately) not cause an accident.

That's an impossible number to calculate. Just today, in fair but flowing traffic, I noticed a vehicle braking constantly and erratically. The person behind them apparently had enough and swerved to my lane to pass them, nearly causing an accident that wouldn't have involved the other driver. Sure enough, it was a middle aged lady staring at her phone.

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