So no. We simply need to take away the driving licence of such people.

Maybe a warning with a eye tracker or something...

Someone just needs to put that in a car. We've also got lidar based cruise control systems to maintain distance as well as panic brake systems that can react to something in front of the vehicle faster than a human, which is partially there to account for people texting and driving while flying up on a red light with stopped traffic.

We have all the tech needed to make it damn near impossible for a 2 ton mass of steal to just unflinchingly mow someone down, yet we live in a world where it's cheaper to not make those things standard, even knowing without it, more people will die than with it.

New law: driver's phone must be in semi-disabled mode

The phone can already infer it is inside moving vehicle. The bigger challenge is, how to determine the phone belongs to the driver?

Say N passengers in car (including driver), each with cell phone.

When phone infers moving vehicle, it attempts to mesh with other phones in the vehicle.

If N=1, driver is solo, phone semi-disables

If N>1, phones ask users to vote on who is the driver.

Result: 1 phone disabled (Voting tie disables both/all)

The only inconvenience here is to a passenger with a phone-less driver.

> Illinois law prohibits the use of electronic communication devices to write, send, or read text messages, emails, or other electronic communications while driving.

> In 2024, legislation went into effect that also made it illegal to use teleconferencing apps, watch videos, or access social media sites while driving.

> Drivers who are in a crash resulting from distracted driving may face criminal penalties and incarceration.

Well, this would also ban things like GPS, or hooking up Spotify to your steering wheel media buttons.

I think targeting texting + social media is the right approach.

And even if they did an increasing number of cars have small-TV-sized "cell phones" built into the dash.

And as a bonus prize, when you crash due to the distraction and the power is gone you get to solve a 3 part puzzle to open any of the doors to get away from the fast moving fire that probably broke out when the battery cells ruptured.

“There is a limit to human charity," said Lady Outram, trembling all over.

"There is," said Father Brown dryly, "and that is the real difference between human charity and Christian charity. You must forgive me if I was not altogether crushed by your contempt for my uncharitableness today; or by the lectures you read me about pardon for every sinner. For it seems to me that you only pardon the sins that you don't really think sinful. You only forgive criminals when they commit what you don't regard as crimes, but rather as conventions. So you tolerate a conventional duel, just as you tolerate a conventional divorce. You forgive because there isn't anything to be forgiven.”

― G.K. Chesterton, The Complete Father Brown

A few hours ago I saw (on Twitch) some guy live stream his helicopter piloting over a rural picturesque village in Sweden while shouting loud cheers to "chat".