Honest 836 Report post Posted July 9, 2008 Rx: Don't mix driving with talking! 10 Jul, 2008, 0230 hrs IST, ET KOLKATA: The laws might prohibit it. But as they say, every law has a pitfall. So, even though talking on a mobile phone is prohibited while driving, it is not uncommon to find people using headsets, steering wheel speakers or other hands-free devices to remain connected. The common notion is such gadgets are a safer alternative than using the phone itself and a good way to escape the bindings of law. Research though suggests otherwise. Multitasking while driving may exceed the brain's capacity to process multiple information and thereby, affect attention level. For instance, even a simple form of multitasking like talking to someone while driving can be hazardous. Medicos feel it's not a case of limited hands — simultaneously holding a phone and driving. "The impact on the brain while using the phone or handsfree is all the same," says a senior consultant (neurology) at New Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Manvir Bhatia. "It severely impairs the person's ability to take a decision or concentrate while driving. Such multitasking while driving is quite harmful since it hinders the person's response time." WORSE THAN DRUNKEN DRIVING A study conducted by the University of Utah, US, found that drivers, while talking on their mobile phones, exhibited a sluggish behaviour and slower reaction as compared to drivers on alcohol who exhibited more aggressive driving and frequent braking. "The driver's concentration gets distracted. The vehicular movement then gets haywire and people loose their control on the wheels," Ms Bhatia added. IT'S JUST NOT DRIVING Even using a MP3 player or mobile phone while walking or crossing the road can be equally risky. "All these may not be multitasking to a lay person, but creates immense pressure on the brain's working memory," says senior neurologist at Kolkata's Apollo Gleneagles Hospital Amitabh Ghosh. "The person then gets error prone and what's more, multitasking creates stress which further fatigues the brain." However, docs suggest with time the brain gets accustomed to such multitasking activities. "The multitasking activity then becomes like automatic behaviour and the problem gets reduced, but then it is always advisable not to undertake multitasking while on the roads," says Mr Ghosh. Why give your mind another reason to get fatigued in such already stressful times and lifestyle? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted September 19, 2008 IMImobile helps police track drunk drivers Business Line Hyderabad, Sept. 18 IMImobile on Thursday announced that it has teamed up with BPL Mobile to help Mumbai Police track drunk drivers. The Hyderabad company has developed a solution for the police to access a mobile database and interface to track repeat and new drunk drivers. With BPL Mobile providing the network connectivity, police are able to access criminal records at the scene of the crime via their mobile phones. Police are, therefore, able to check offenders’ records with greater efficiency, ensuring that repeat offenders do not slip through the net and new offenders are logged on the system from the outset. The Chairman of IMImobile, Mr Vishwanath Alluri, in a statement said, “this solution is being offered to the Mumbai police free of charge. We hope to extend this solution to other parts of the country.” ‘Info in seconds’ The Deputy Commissioner of Traffic, Mumbai Police, Mr Harish Baijal, said “with the support from IMImobile and BPL mobile, our officers can get the information of previous convictions of drunken driving within a few seconds. This technology has been very beneficial and will help us maintain discipline on Mumbai’s roads.” In addition, the system is able to send out SMS alerts on known offenders to entire police units, especially useful during the busy festival season. The database is confidential, with only top-ranking officials having complete access. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted November 23, 2008 New mobile phone based system to track rash drivers Press Trust of India l 23 Nov l Mumbai After drunk motorists, rash drivers are now in the sights of the city's traffic police who are hoping to curb the number of habitual offenders with a new mobile phone based system. The new system, which operates through SMS, will allow police officials to send details regarding drivers caught for rash driving to a central server which would then supply information if the driver had a previous record. The system is already in place for catching drivers driving under the influence of alcohol and would soon help curb offences like rash driving, lane cutting and jumping signals, Sunzay Passari, Vice President (Value Added Services), BPL Mobile said. "The traffic police is presently in the process of getting their database converted into a digital format and we expect the process to take about three weeks," Passari told PTI. A database is already in place for the drivers driving under the influence of alcohol and has been in use since September. In a stringent drive against drunken driving since last year the Mumbai Traffic Police has caught over 4,000 offenders, many of whom have also had their licenses permanently revoked for being habitual offenders. The SMS system being used has been jointly developed by BPL Mobile and Hyderabad based IMI mobile. A new feature that is also being worked on is sending SMS alerts prior to festive occasions warning drivers caught earlier for committing traffic offences. "However, the system is still in the development stage and we are still working on it," Passari said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
