Posted on 07/26/2017 10:28:39 AM PDT by dirtboy
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state is set to study the use of a device known as the "textalyzer" that would allow police to determine whether a motorist involved in a serious crash was texting while driving.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that he would direct the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to examine the technology, as well as the privacy and constitutional questions it could raise.
"Despite laws to ban cellphone use while driving, some motorists still continue to insist on texting behind the wheel — placing themselves and others at substantial risk," Cuomo said in a statement provided exclusively to The Associated Press. "This review will examine the effectiveness of using this new emerging technology to crack down on this reckless behavior and thoroughly evaluate its implications to ensure we protect the safety and privacy of New Yorkers."
The device is called the "textalyzer" because of its similarity to the Breathalyzer, which is used to identify drunk drivers. It would allow police to see if a motorist had been texting, emailing or otherwise using his or her cellphone before a serious crash.
The "textalyzer" is still some months away from being ready, according to Cellebrite, the Israel-based tech company developing the device.
Privacy and civil liberties groups already have questioned whether the technology's use would violate personal privacy, noting that police often must obtain search warrants before looking at a person's phone.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
You can’t drive drunk. You can’t drive high on drugs. Unless it is a real emergency, if you want to text, pull over or wait awhile. It’s not that difficult. You are endangering others.
The stats I have seen reveal how dangerous it is. If civil libertarians complain about this, they should complain about the govt telling us we can’t drive drunk. Or the govt requiring driving tests. Or the govt even requiring a license. Slippery slope, my ass.
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What happens if I'm texting as a passenger in my own vehicle, and it's involved in a crash?
P.S. -- I do a lot of work in traffic safety in my profession, so I'm not dismissing the public safety issues related to texting and driving at all.
"Slippery slope my ass"Okay... So what's your opinion if a person is texting seconds before they pull into traffic and they are involved in an accident (NOT THEIR FAULT), but the sniffer reveals they've texted in the last 10 minutes? The technology assumes that anyone texting is automatically guilty or at-fault in any traffic incident.
How does it differentiate from incoming vs. outgoing text messages?
many newer phones have voice text...certainly not the same thing as typing...
Last week a guy turned left in front of me while I was doing the legal speed of 45 min. An accident would not have been my fault. Had I been texting, I may not be here today.
I don’t have all the answers. But I am not afraid of trying to develop the technology to keep drivers from texting. I am not going to assume that someone who texted 10 minutes earlier is going to be found guilty in an accident. Texting while driving is dangerous for all of us. And I don’t want them to have the contents of texts -— just that someone was texting while driving and caused injury or death to another innocent driver. Driving is a privilege and subject to all kinds of regulations, including licensing and passing vision and driving tests.
I did not say I want them to have access to read all your text messages -— only determine that you were texting during an accident. For the technology to work and be acceptable, they will have to make sure it is the driver texting. It may be something as simple as a chip in the steering wheel that can determine if a cell phone was texting within perhaps 18 inches. That would not affect passenger texting.
Why is this so intrusive when we allow the police to stop us if they see us weaving? Tech will take out the human element and any potential bias of an officer. Why should we allow the invasion of privacy with officers filming us with their body cams? If we are not doing anything wrong, why is that acceptable?
That's an excellent point.
If you're texting behind the wheel and a drunk driver runs a red light and hits you, who is at fault?
One of my objections to a lot of these traffic regulations is that they often do nothing but obscure some legal matters that should be obvious. If I'm stopped at a red light and some @sshole runs into me from behind, it shouldn't matter whether he's texting, drunk, sleeping, or just plain retarded.
Correct! I use my Droid's Voice to Text and Text to Voice feature while driving. Completely hands free.
I get an incoming text and it asks me over my car stereo if I want the message read to me. I say "Yes" and it reads the message.
When it's done reading the message it asks if I want to reply. I can say Yes or No.
If I say "Yes" it tells me when to start speaking. When I stop speaking it reads the message back to me, asks if it's correct and if I want to send it.
The amazing thing is, it's near 100% accurate in converting to text what I say.
So how would this textalizer thing know that I sent a text using my Google hands-free texting app?
I've come across a number of studies in my work indicating that driving a vehicle with a hands-free phone is no less safe than using a hand-held phone. Removing one of your hands from the steering wheel isn't what makes it unsafe to drive while talking on a cell phone -- it's the distraction of the phone conversation, regardless of how you're using the phone.
I completely agree that texting while driving is a poor choice, and dangerous to others.
I only disagree that empowering the state to further invade our private spaces is a viable solution.
In my experience; if it can be misused, it will be misused.
hmmmm
same thing happens when “wagon Wheel” comes on or “Stairway to Heaven”
head bangin air guitar mayhem....
The same can be said of eating, reading, (yes I've seen people read the newspaper while driving) women putting on makeup while driving and even talking to someone else in the vehicle.
What are we going to do next: legislate everyone have a ballgag in their mouth so they can't talk while driving?
This is about selling police more hardware they don’t need. Follow the money.
Texting drivers slow down 5 miles under the limit and weave in their lane. They are quite easy to spot without a ‘sniffer’.
How ‘bout detecting if women are applying makeup while driving?
They wouldn’t need access to all your texts, just info from the phone company on if you were texting in the window from X to Y. As for passengers they’re not driving. The article is pretty vague, there’s good ways this could be done and bad. It’ll all depend on the execution.
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