Dating My TV #6

See "Dating My TV #5".

I have dated my mobile TV on several occasions. During one of those times, I turned on the TV program and had my mobile phone (OMNIA II) mounted onto the dashboard of my car. See "Dating My TV #2.

To cut the long story short, I did not get to watch anything on the go because the reception was too disruptive. However, it kept me thinking about this whole idea of watching moving pictures while driving. Commonsense tells me that it is dangerous.


Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute has conducted a series of experiments using driving simulators and found that drivers watching mobile TV are as impaired as drivers who are legally drunk.

Somehow, many people do not seem to feel that way. (and that includes the Singapore traffic police?)

I have seen far too many cars with video players mounted on or above their dashboards. Many of them play animated movies to keep their junior passengers entertained while on the road. The idea is sweet but what about the distraction to the drivers?

In South Korea, there is a service known as Digital Broadcasting Media which is similar to Starhub's "TV on Mobile". Many drivers started watching TV on their mobile screens in their front seats since its launch in 2005. The Korean police believed that such enjoyment had been the cause of many traffic accidents.

In 2008, the local authorities decided to ban the use of the system in the front seats of taxis and the ban was challenged in court. Oddly, the court ruled that the taxi drivers get to keep their screens on the dashboard.


What is the position of the law in Singapore? So, did I go against the law when I mounted my mobile phone on my dashboard and 'attempted' to watch some TV programs? Perhaps, someone can enlighten me. Well, even if it was not illegal, what I was given would not have granted me this modern distraction.

Just as well.

Related Post: Dating My TV #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5.