But what is the answer? Higher fines isn’t doing much to change this behavior, even withdrawing licenses and impounding cars have very limited effect. Do we throw people in prison for being inattentive in a car?
I’m not sure there is any one answer but I think I would start with education. Anti-littering campaigns haven’t ended littering but they have certainly shifted the public mindset around litter, I think distracted driving is going to need to be treated the same way.
In Norway they used to make the fines a percentage of the driver’s yearly income, I do not know if this is still the case. So a chief physician for example would get fined like 150.000 NOK ~ €14.000 for drunk driving.
But what is the answer? Higher fines isn’t doing much to change this behavior, even withdrawing licenses and impounding cars have very limited effect. Do we throw people in prison for being inattentive in a car?
I’m not sure there is any one answer but I think I would start with education. Anti-littering campaigns haven’t ended littering but they have certainly shifted the public mindset around litter, I think distracted driving is going to need to be treated the same way.
campaigns to “focus on driving while driving” have already been running for 15 years here.
In Norway they used to make the fines a percentage of the driver’s yearly income, I do not know if this is still the case. So a chief physician for example would get fined like 150.000 NOK ~ €14.000 for drunk driving.
This really still only scales to impact poor -> middle class people, above that and even though they pay the same percentage, their overhead is just big enough to absorb it without the same impact to their lives. Saying “it is what it is” to a €120.000 ticket really shows how little it actually hit people like this, it’s a nuisance but ultimately nothing more.