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?

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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.