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I Hate Texters

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by HPrimeAdvanced, Feb 22, 2018.

  1. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    So what about the in-car nav system or a Garmin GPS?
     
  2. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    Little bit curious here, so bear with me.

    I see many posts here on Prius Chat about using their car to reply to texts, calls etc. But why does nobody utilize their digital assistants built into their phones? I've seen tons of posts where Apples "Siri" is mentioned, but nobody ever talks about using it to answer their phone, send a text, email look up a video for a kid in the back seat etc. It's all "Hands Free" and you never have to touch your phone. (At least that is an assumption because I utilize Cortana.

    Does Apples Siri not function in that manner?

    For example with Cortana, I NEVER have to touch anything. Cortana answers and it's all coming through my vehicles audio system. I send/reply to texts, place calls, even sent an email a couple times. Oh, and had it look up a video on YouTube for my grandaughter sitting in the backseat who was watching videos on my phone and wished to watch "Shopkins" videos. (She's 4 years old)

    Again - NEVER once did I touch the phone. This is all done through the vehicles audio system. Cortana is the one who notifies me through the audio system of an incoming call or text, not the car. Which I feel should be mentioned. Cortana literally replaced my cars functionality when it comes to texting, answering calls.

    So why don't people use this functionality if it's available?

    Obviously if you don't have a smart phone... well then your not able to do this.

    Oh, and it also guides me when on the road. Make a turn, 2 miles ahead take exit whatever.... So it also does Navigation
     
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  3. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    That's a bit drastic - if this is what would be required, then every trucker on the road would be at a standstill along with 30% of the drivers on the interstate. Those things have been on the dash of vehicles for over a decade now.
     
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  4. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    Because to use either of the two assistants on my phone (Google and Samsung), I have to pull it out of my pocket and unlock it first.
     
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  5. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    The in-car NAV is just simply not very good; if you did look at it, you would lose line of sight for road obstacles. The Garmin requires no "looking to"; I almost never look at it, since it just speaks to me, and I speak to it. We should all realize that MINIMAL use of these distracting devices is key; if at all possible, avoid ANY distractions. The more distractions, the more chance of an accident. Texting is EXTREMELY distracting and should only be performed when NOT driving!! If you've got to text, or lookup something on your phone, or put on your makeup, or eat a burger or taco, etc., PARK THE BLOODY CAR!!


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  6. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    I find the in-car nav to be excellent except at choosing a destination.
     
  7. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    That's my problem; I choose as many as 5 or 6 new destinations per trip.

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  8. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    Did you mean if a destination is already entered? Then you need to have your phone mounted so that you can look at it without your hands. It is not reasonable to be picking up any device and focusing on it for more than a second. I don't think it's legal to be doing anything with a cell phone in your hand while driving in California:

    "Starting the first day of 2017, drivers no longer are allowed to hold their cellphones in their hands for any reason, including using any of a phone’s apps, such as music playlists. 'The whole idea is you don’t have the phone in your hand, period,' said Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, author of the new law, which he says should make it easier for officers to stop and cite drivers for illegal phone use." Read more here: California driver handheld cellphone law get tougher, loopholes closed | The Sacramento Bee

    There simply can't be any reason that suffices to be futzing with a smartphone in your hand while driving. I think that makes sense.
     
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  9. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    It sounds like you regularly drive a lot of places you have never been before, and on fairly short trips, since you have mentioned charging several times per day.
     
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  10. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    Set them before you start driving.
     
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  11. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    Mounting it somewhere is less safe then having it in my hand.
     
  12. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Yeah, clients will call me with varying destinations, and I run errands to different places, including looking for new charging stations!

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  13. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    They occur while I'm driving; I rarely know where I'll be traveling at the beginning of the day; I'm always on call!

    It's true, in California it's now against the law to hold a phone while driving. The problem is lack of enforcement. BTW, my insurance solution to allow insurance companies to deny coverage for texters involved in an accident would only deny coverage for the texter's own car; it would not deny coverage to any non-texters involved in the accident. These people only understand financial punishment!! Oh all right, the 2x4 solution sounds pretty good to me too!!


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    #113 HPrimeAdvanced, Mar 10, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2018
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  14. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    That is not what studies have proven, and not what the law allows:

    "However, phones must be mounted on the dashboard or windshield or console. With a phone mounted, the new law allows the driver to touch the phone once, to 'activate or deactivate a feature or function ... with the motion of a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger.'"

    What you seem to be describing doing is repeatedly picking up a phone and holding it while you look at and/or enter information or otherwise interact with the phone. That is worse than talking on a phone without a hands-free device. That is exactly the type of activity all of these laws that are being passed are specifically designed to stop.
     
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  15. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    Okay, well, then you have a much greater need for that Garmin then most of the rest of us, I'm guessing. I wouldn't mind having one on a long road trip, but that would be a big expense for a rare use.

    Do you pay to charge your Prime, or are you only using the free charging stations?
     
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  16. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    I pay at most stations, hey, but the other day found a charge station (Stopped, using the ENTUNE CHARGE STATIONS locator) which was marked as a TEST SITE.
    Turns out it's the location in Santa Ana for a manufacturer of charge stations which competes with ChargePoint in the manufacturing of chargers.
    BTCP, Mfrs,
    1719 S. Grand Ave
    Santa Ana, CA
    Santa Ana Business Center
    They don't distribute; only manufacture.
    They have available to use, all the different types of chargers, including several for free!! They welcome anyone. The L2 station I used was FREE, but you needed an EVGo app on your phone to trigger it. (They manufacture for EVGo, the Irvine Company chargers, etc.) Many of their chargers bill using a standard credit card. The guy I spoke to, Omead, was very helpful, and triggered my charge session with his card.
    Very cool. They even had a 350kW charger!!

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  17. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    Not enter anything, just look at the map already in progress. Phone in hand is safer than using the nav system because I don' have to look down. I use the nav system most of the time because of the law and because of its size, but it's less safe.
     
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  18. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    Even if that is somehow safer for you, you are risking a ticket in many states. Much worse than that, if you are in a wreck, even if the wreck is not otherwise your fault, and they can prove you were using your phone like that, you will face increased civil liability. Worse yet, if someone is injured or killed, it could be used to establish a degree of criminal fault that would send you to prison.

    If someone jaywalks in front of your car and you are driving legally and reasonably in all ways, you will probably not face charges (though your insurance company might well settle any civil claims without your permission--I had that happen to one client). However, add something in like having alcohol in your system (over or even under the limit), or operating a handheld device (whether it is legal or illegal where you are driving), and that could easily establish criminal liability.

    When discussing the safety of using cell phones while driving, it is frequently compared to drunk driving. To analogize further, my father was a terrible alcoholic and regular drunk driver. But, if he didn't drink, he would be shaking so badly that he was not safe to drive. So, in that circumstance, drinking a bit made him a safer driver, just as you holding your phone might be safer for you. But that would not matter when it came time for civil or criminal liability.
     
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  19. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    But, when you're paying to charge at a charging station, aren't you paying much more per mile than using gasoline?
     
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  20. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    No, and it depends. I've had stations charge me a flat $5/charge fee; ridiculous for the 1.5 hour I was there. Most pay stations I've used charge $0.30/kW, and gasoline out here is running an average of $3.20/gal, so with those numbers, it costs about the same. At home, I'm paying 1/2 the electrical rate, so it's cheaper to run from that. The several, widely dispersed free stations I've found, are of course the best solution, if I'm in those areas. My primary mission in all of this, is to evaluate the current availability and viability of the current charging infrastructure, it is not to find all the free stations. So far I continue to maintain that the current infrastructure is not ready for the majority of the current EV cars. You gotta go plug-in hybrid for my needs.


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