Driving with Mobiles...The Yanks may get it right before us!

[BSRU]

It could happen in Japan first, they have already changed the law so that Sat-Nav's cannot be fiddled with while the ignition is on. Once you have set your route you cannot change it without turning off the ignition.

 

[numbnuts]

So your in a ditch upside down in your car after coming off the road and you can't get out of your car to call anyone ….....

 

[2Loose]

So your in a ditch upside down in your car after coming off the road and you can't get out of your car to call anyone ….....

If it were to happen, they would have to consider emergency calls and work out a way to allow them as an exception.

As for 'won't happen', I think that the fact that someone so high up in transportation in the States thinks that this is a good idea, indicates that others must understand this too.

Perception is changing at the top as the numbers of deaths and injuries 'caused by mobile phone' keep stacking up methinks.

 

[BSRU]

So your in a ditch upside down in your car after coming off the road and you can't get out of your car to call anyone ….....

It quite easy to allow emergency calls, you can already make emergency calls on a phone with no sim card as the phone is told by the network what emergency numbers to allow.

 

[BentMikey]

Plus the car would be stationary and the engine could be turned off.

 

[Arch]

Quote from the linked article:

Yes, I liked that, in fact I thought I'd quoted it, but I must have made a mistake and deleted it. I'm obviously one of that other 50%....

 

[jonny jeez]

It quite easy to allow emergency calls, you can already make emergency calls on a phone with no sim card as the phone is told by the network what emergency numbers to allow.

erm, its not actually that easy. Non sim calls are still reliant upon sufficient signal to work. With a jammed signal, nothing can get out. Creating a farady cadgem limits signal, not network.

 

[jonny jeez]

Yes, I liked that, in fact I thought I'd quoted it, but I must have made a mistake and deleted it. I'm obviously one of that other 50%....

Busted!!

 

[Dan B]

erm, its not actually that easy. Non sim calls are still reliant upon sufficient signal to work. With a jammed signal, nothing can get out. Creating a farady cadgem limits signal, not network.

You could create a faraday cage and then put a picocell inside it with a shielded cable to a transmitter outside. If the picocell was not on any known network (O2, Vodafone, etc) - and, presumably, it wouldn't be - then it would only accept emergency calls


So that much is doable, if a bit more involved than I think most people are thinking. But you can't fit a faraday cage to a convertible ...

 

[Davidc]

Great idea. it would need a suitble penalty for operating a vehicle without a working jammer though. Like crushing the vehicle on the spot and leaving the occupants to walk home.

 

[slowmotion]

Presumably the faraday cage would be built into the car's glazing as well as the bodywork. What happens when you open the windows?

 

[Dan B]

At 2100MHz (which iirc is the frequency for 3G) the wavelength is 14cm, so any holes in the cage would need to be significantly smaller than this. Chickenwire cover on the sunroof?

 

[Davidc]

Just put the jammer in - why bother with the Faraday cage? If it spills a little it won't matter, it's only going to affect other vehicles and if the rules are right they won't notice because their phones will already be jammed.

Get it really right and the spill will be enough to kill off mobile phones in restaurants, shops, on the pavements (OK sidewalks if it's in America) and anywhere else they can be annoying!

How did we manage without the things? Life must have been impossible before they were invented.

 

[Riding in Circles]

At 2100MHz (which iirc is the frequency for 3G) the wavelength is 14cm, so any holes in the cage would need to be significantly smaller than this. Chickenwire cover on the sunroof?

A faraday cage would be the most expensive route for this, you would need microfilaments in the glass amongst other things, electronic signal jammers on major routes would make more sense. They could be directional so they only cover the road space.

 

[Piemaster]

I can picture it now. Convertables actually being driven with the tops down. Queues of traffic with the drivers head sticking out of the window. Actually that may be ok - slap on the back of the head or grab the phone and drop it on the bonnet as you're cycling past.....