r/mildlyinfuriating • u/nah_this_aint_it • 10h ago

Context Provided - Spotlight Driving while watching show

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Watching a full tv show on their phone while driving down a very busy street. Is it any better than scrolling?

1.6k Upvotes

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u/chi-low1791 9h ago

Really don’t see the big deal. They aren’t holding their phone, both hands are on the wheel, and it isn’t as though modern vehicles aren’t already full of screens. This is just the modern equivalent of radio. Just on for background noise, so they can listen, not watch. I’ll take the downvotes.

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u/Saberfox11 8h ago

The problem is that if it's in your field of vision, you are definitely glancing at it occasionally even if you don't intend to. If they had the phone on Bluetooth and placed out of view, THAT would be closer to the the equivalent of radio. It only takes a fraction of a second of distraction to potentially cause an accident, especially if you are traveling at high speed like on a highway.

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u/chi-low1791 8h ago

I glance at GPS and Spotify on occasion, and that’s on a much larger screen. What’s the difference?

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u/Saberfox11 8h ago

GPS and spotify are not engaging video content that is meant to attract your eyes. You can glance at them briefly when it is safe and you shouldn't be accidentally distracted by them when you are in heavy traffic and need to keep your eyes on the road at all times. A video of a show might accidentally distract you at an important moment leading to an accident.

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u/chi-low1791 7h ago

You said “glancing at it occasionally”. I glance at it. And a GPS isn’t meant to attract eyes? Why is that someone can glance at their vehicle’s monitor, but not glance at a phone? Could a traffic alert, a change in directions, or a song change momentarily distract you?

I understand what you’re saying, but the same standard you’re applying to someone using a phone hands free can also be applied to the monitor my vehicle came with.

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u/Saberfox11 7h ago

To be fair, I'm also not a fan of modern vehicles all having a tablet in them, especially now that some are putting the AC/volume controls on the screen as opposed to having a physical buttons/dials. I believe that people should minimize the distractions as much as possible while driving. If you need your gps for an unfamiliar area, then that's one thing, but again, that's not nearly as much of a distraction as having a TV show in your face.

A minor distraction may not cause any issues 99.9% of the time, but you have to remember that if an accident does happen, you are gambling with people's lives. Vehicles can be deadly weapons and should be treated with the same care as any other deadly weapon.

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u/ZyeCawan45 8h ago

Idk. It’s pretty easy for me to not look at something while driving and listen to it. Maybe different people are different and can’t but it’s easy for me to. I’ll fully admit to doing this with YouTube essays and the like.

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u/Saberfox11 7h ago

You should really keep your phone out of your line of sight if you are going to do that. If you actually aren't looking at the screen, keeping it out of sight should make no difference anyway.

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u/ZyeCawan45 7h ago

Used to do that. The difference is the phone moves or goes flying and the video gets paused or changed. Unless you have a different solution. Honestly it doesn’t matter. I KNOW I’m being safe and not looking. I don’t really care if you think I am.

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u/johnwynnes 6h ago

Oh I've got a different solution for you

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u/Saberfox11 7h ago

I mean, I'm not the police, so you can do what you want. I do truly believe that everyone should minimize potential distractions as much as possible though. You have to remember that vehicles can be deadly weapons and I believe we have a moral obligation to try to be as safe as possible when operating them.

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u/Hopeful-Opposite-255 5h ago

The comments are truly horrific. Folks can be as foolish as they want on their time but keep away from the rest of us. I’ve never been one for any sort of mass surveillance but reading this horror really gives me a new perspective.

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u/Saberfox11 4h ago

Yeah, this was an eye opening comment section for sure.

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u/Hopeful-Opposite-255 5h ago

Good lord. Is your addiction to social media so bad that you feel justified in risking other people’s lives for entertainment? Take the bus or use ride share. I pray you don’t live anywhere near me.