Eyes on road, not Pokemons

It’s bizarre when police feel the need to warn drivers against playing Pokemon Go while driving.

It was a tongue- in- cheek Facebook post, but there was a serious message behind it, and a reminder about using a cellphone while in charge of a motor vehicle.

There was a time when drivers concentrated on the job at hand, but, as all road users know, those times have long past.

Those caught using their phones while driving risk an $ 80 fine and 20 demerit points. If that is supposed to be a deterrent, it is an abject failure.

The police also posted on their Facebook page: “You will most likely also get a shoulder shrug and a head shake. Be safe.”

As droll as the message is, distractions behind the steering wheel are contributing to accidents and death on the roads. Using cellphones while driving has to be the most widespread abuse of the law in the land — certainly the most openly and visibly abused legislation on the books. TONY VERDON

Drivers using phones while driving show reckless regard for fellow motorists, and hold the law in contempt.

Now insurers are putting pressure on smart phone developers to engineer phones so they cannot be used behind the wheel ( see page 23).

How Silicon Valley responds to that challenge, without overly complicating the lives of all smartphone users, is intriguing.

Meanwhile, we’re left with modest fines, demerit points, accompanied by a shoulder shrug and head shake, to deal with the most rampant abuse of the law. This might be one instance where a widely abused law isn’t an ass.

Technology nerds who created the cellphone and all of its undoubted ttractions, might provide the answer to what has become a scourge. ABOUT US Editor Tony Verdon Editor at Large Liz Dobson Contributors Colin Smith, Mathieu Day, Matthew Hansen, Bob McMurray, Cameron Officer, Donna McIntyre Cover design Jennifer Adams Cover photo Supplied Advertising Head of Automotive, NZME Todd Fuller 021 986027 todd. fuller@ nzme. co. nz