Ah, I thought this was going to be a out entertainment. I remember driving late at night, alone for hours to go see my parents. The interstate was empty at 2am, so I would toss an iPad on the dash with it plugged into my aux port and watch a movie. 99% of the time, I’d be looking through the reflected movie on the windshield, paying attention to the road. But those scenes that are visual-only, I could shift my focus without losing my situational awareness to see what was going on and shifting it back. Only took a few ms, but I miss those days.
When I explain this to people they freak out. I’m not a big movie watcher, I like to listen to them though. So for me, it was just nice to see what was happening in those scenes where nobody is talking and you have to actually see it (you know, where the bad guy sneaks up behind the good guy and the dark music is playing). I think most people would probably actually try to watch the movie while driving, and kill themselves. Maybe that’s why they freak out.
I’ve also seen people reading a book while driving (before Teslas) and that. That takes some mad skills that I’ve never gotten even after spending hundreds of thousands of miles on the road.
You must be one of those people who watch movies. I would just listen, for years. Especially when I had a passenger watching the movie. With a passenger, I can ask “what just happened?” But by myself, I’d have to look away from the road to see what happened. Putting it on the dash so I could just change my focus, without taking my eyes off the road, mind, seems way more responsible.
I don't think you understand how people are saying that its not ok just because you've convinced yourself it isn't dangerous. If you were just listening the screen would be off.
Please stop putting others at risk and don't this nonsense. You don't have the right to put other road users at risk just because you've decided you can't be distracted.
> Putting it on the dash so I could just change my focus
So, you're watching movies. And no the next qualifier of "without taking my eyes off the road" doesn't change that you're watching a fucking movie. You're literally changing your focus from the road to a movie. You've put a screen with moving images in between yourself and the road you should be paying attention to.
I’m having flashbacks to that time I explained to my son why the sky is blue and air is clear. It’s clear that you are not grasping anything I’m saying.
I specifically put it there to be less dangerous than checking my speedometer. Driving safely late at night requires very little attention and for that matter, most of the attention isn’t directed at the road you’re driving on. You are basically scanning the road for debris, but also, and more importantly, scanning the side of the road for animals that might kill you by trying to cross an otherwise empty road. This is also very boring by the way, since 99,99% of the time, there is nothing there. By having it on the windshield, even if I shifted my attention for 500ms every 10-15 mins, to see what a sound was, I wouldn’t lose my peripheral vision and the situational awareness. There were times where the situation warranted taking it off the dash and giving 1000% of my attention, but that was rare at 3am. I’ve driven on the late night roads than most people will drive in their entire life, hell, I’ve even had military training on it.
Anything can take your attention from where it is needed while driving: loud passengers, music you’re emphatically singing to, other drivers, complacency, exhaustion, etc. knowing how to mitigate or eliminate those risks is the important thing.
> By having it on the windshield, even if I shifted my attention for 500ms every 10-15 mins, to see what a sound was, I wouldn’t lose my peripheral vision and the situational awareness.
This is a tremendous claim without evidence. I can’t believe that you think putting a screen with moving and unpredictable images in your sight line isn’t distracting.
You’re a dangerous driver even if you’ve convinced yourself otherwise.
Like I said, I have seen way worse, like people reading a book, while on cruise control. That shit is dangerous, hell, cruise control is dangerous all on its own.
I wouldn’t know if the images were predicable or not, I wasn’t watching the movie. I literally have typed that many times now, though I’m fairly certain you haven’t read it. Whatever distractions, flashing lights or whatever from the screen… have you ever driven with passengers before? Passengers are far less predictable than 99% of all movies I have ever experienced.
I’m saying you’re watching a movie because you literally yourself told us, and I quote “I would toss an iPad on the dash with it plugged into my aux port and watch a movie. 99% of the time, _I’d be looking through the reflected movie on the windshield_”
People do worse things, so your terrible choice is acceptable? Passengers are sometimes disruptive so it’s okay for you to distract yourself?
When I explain this to people they freak out. I’m not a big movie watcher, I like to listen to them though. So for me, it was just nice to see what was happening in those scenes where nobody is talking and you have to actually see it (you know, where the bad guy sneaks up behind the good guy and the dark music is playing). I think most people would probably actually try to watch the movie while driving, and kill themselves. Maybe that’s why they freak out.
I’ve also seen people reading a book while driving (before Teslas) and that. That takes some mad skills that I’ve never gotten even after spending hundreds of thousands of miles on the road.
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