I have ranted that software needs to be stupid before. I am not suggesting that software should not work effectively, in fact, quite the opposite. I just don’t think that software should make assumptions about what I want and it definitely should not override my common sense.
I mention this because I just read about Safe Driving Systems Corporation. I cannot think of a dumber idea (I know that they have competition so they aren’t the only ones with a dumb idea).
At first blush, their idea has merit. Software that will detect if you are moving at driving speeds and turn off the ability to call and/or text. This may sound great if you are a driver, but what about if you are a passenger? Does this mean that the teenager in the back seat can’t text to her BFF? Even a person that normally drives will occasionally be a passenger therefore they would need to be able to turn the software off.
The counter-argument to this, of course, are companies that install this on phones that are provided for their delivery drivers. They put this on to prevent liability problems. But is this really necessary? Does it take an intrusive piece of software to provide professional drivers with common sense?
And if they software could be turned off because the user was a passenger, doesn’t that mean the driver with no common sense would be able to turn off the software to text his buddy about the cute girl in the red Toyota that he just passed?