Roadside mobile phone detectors

[summerdays]

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-02-06/roadside-detectors-catch-drivers-on-phones/Just spotted this news, and I think it's a step in the right direction. No idea how they can tell myself but I like the idea that other drivers will see the sign.

 

[Paul99]

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-02-06/roadside-detectors-catch-drivers-on-phones/Just spotted this news, and I think it's a step in the right direction. No idea how they can tell myself but I like the idea that other drivers will see the sign.

As long as they hook it up to one of these, it just may work....

 

[numbnuts]

but the new system can also detect if a passenger in the car is making a call.

Left hand drive car.......

 

[DRHysted]

They will only detect a mobile that is switched on and communicating with the local cell tower. Phones communicate with cell towers quite regularly just to "handshake", so these are useless. My firm looked into mobile detectors because they are banned where I work, and trying to prove someone is carrying without stripping them is impossible, so something like this that works is ideal, but to date doesn't work well.

 

[Markymark]

5 to 10 years.

Motorways will be mostly driverless cars by then abywsy

 

[mr_cellophane]

How can it tell the difference between someone with a phone to their ear, someone with a phone on speaker, but on their lap or someone with a built in bluetooth hands free. The first two being ileagal and the last one being OK.

 

[summerdays]

So basically it's a car motion detector? If so that's rubbish!

 

[classic33]

They will only detect a mobile that is switched on and communicating with the local cell tower. Phones communicate with cell towers quite regularly just to "handshake", so these are useless. My firm looked into mobile detectors because they are banned where I work, and trying to prove someone is carrying without stripping them is impossible, so something like this that works is ideal, but to date doesn't work well.

Something like this?

 

[the_mikey]

How does it know if the phone is simply providing the data connection to the in car audio system, ie, streaming radio station audio rather than sending/receiving snapchat messages or Facebook updates?

 

[Spoked Wheels]

How does it know if the phone is simply providing the data connection to the in car audio system, ie, streaming radio station audio rather than sending/receiving snapchat messages or Facebook updates?

To easily understand this I look at it like my DSL and telephone line at home, they use the same cable but they are different connections. Radio streaminng on a mobile phone uses the Internet side of the connection.

 

[summerdays]

To easily understand this I look at it like my DSL and telephone line at home, they use the same cable but they are different connections. Radio streaminng on a mobile phone uses the Internet side of the connection.

Wouldn't Facebook or twitter do the same? Or even using your phone as a sat nav?

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Wouldn't Facebook or twitter do the same? Or even using your phone as a sat nav?

I don't know much about this subject but Facebook, Twitter and SatNav are just spplications using the internet to communicate with a server. SatNav can rely on GPS only in some cases. I think on a mobile the voice conversation and sms are the only applications that use the telephone side of the communication ( I cant think of another one ATM) the tricky bit is to identify when the user is talking on the phone and distinguishing between a phone call and a Skype call for instance, one is over the internet and the other is not BUT both calls are engaging the user in an activity they are trying to prevent.

 

[summerdays]

I've just found this via twitter:
http://road.cc/content/news/142406-...etectors-could-spot-drivers-talking-wheel-and

Norfolk County Council and the firm Westotec are collaborating on a device that is able to tell if a mobile phone is being used in a moving car.

If one is detected, a photo will be taken, similar to a speed camera’s - which will then be used to see if the driver was the person on board using the phone.

Sounds like you just need your phone on your lapto avoid getting caught !

 

[summerdays]

I don't know much about this subject but Facebook, Twitter and SatNav are just spplications using the internet to communicate with a server. SatNav can rely on GPS only in some cases. I think on a mobile the voice conversation and sms are the only applications that use the telephone side of the communication ( I cant think of another one ATM) the tricky bit is to identify when the user is talking on the phone and distinguishing between a phone call and a Skype call for instance, one is over the internet and the other is not BUT both calls are engaging the user in an activity they are trying to prevent.

But using twitter or Facebook would also be wrong too!

 

[the_mikey]

the tricky bit is to identify when the user is talking on the phone and distinguishing between a phone call and a Skype call for instance, one is over the internet and the other is not BUT both calls are engaging the user in an activity they are trying to prevent.

Exactly, how does it distinguish between Skype or just listening to streaming audio or any of the automatic update and synchronising processes or sending a tweet, of just Google tracking your whereabouts AND prove that any of those activities were activities that they are trying to prevent?