Ford say mobile phone bans can be counter productive

Stuff reports:

Car maker Ford believes that “hyper enforcement” of mobile phone laws could be contributing to more accidents.

In New Zealand, drivers drivers can not use hand-held mobile phone while driving unless it is an emergency situation, but the global leader for Ford’s infotainment interface, Jeff Greenberg, has said the onus should be on car makers to reduce mobile phone-related accidents with smarter technology.

Greenberg said the current strategy of simply banning mobile phones had encouraged motorists to be more discrete.

“You see this regularly with hyper enforcement – people who would normally hold their phone up high to text (gestures phone at eye level), which is still bad by the way, are now holding their phone down near their lap and completely taking their eyes off the road,” he said.

“There can be unintended consequences to being overly vigilant. That’s what our concern is: that whatever policies are adopted, that we really think through the unintended consequences to make sure we don’t make the problem worse.”

A valid point. A better approach would be car manufacturers making it easier for cellphones to pair with the native car systems.