Using Mobile Phones While Driving - New Laws

[sgtkate 10]

after all number crunching only one thing matters driving while using your phone is pure stupid and anyone caught doing so is more stupid

 

That's an odd thing to say...why would you being caught or not have any impact on the stupidity of the action?

 

Regardless, as cyclone says, mobile phone use while driving isn't anywhere near the worst problem on the roads so whilst I fully support the increase in penalty points and fine for it, we should be HUGELY clamping down on other things that cause severe accidents, mainly just irresponsible and poor quality of driving. Tailgating, lack of indication, cutting other drivers up etc.

[L00b 441]

Manufacturers of cars should also stop including hands free Bluetooth technology. Any telephone call, hands free or not is a distraction from the road.

I'm not so sure if built-in hands-free tech is as much of a problem as audio loudness levels (or people's average levels of deafness these days?): every other day, I can hear the hands-free car kit ringing inside a modern (well insulated) car or another with their windows closed, waiting at the light outside my office, a good 10 meters away, through a modern, inch-thick triple (sound insulated) glass pane.

 

And I mean loud: louder than my desk phone ringing!

 

Then I just get this mental image of Dom Joly at the wheel bellowing "helloooo, I'm in the library car" at the top of his voice

 

It's usually a recent car with a German badge or an SUV of some sort, rarely an older car or a cheap/small runabout.

Edited March 1, 2017 by L00b

[Eater Sundae 12]

That's an odd thing to say...why would you being caught or not have any impact on the stupidity of the action?

 

Regardless, as cyclone says, mobile phone use while driving isn't anywhere near the worst problem on the roads so whilst I fully support the increase in penalty points and fine for it, we should be HUGELY clamping down on other things that cause severe accidents, mainly just irresponsible and poor quality of driving. Tailgating, lack of indication, cutting other drivers up etc.

 

I agree that we should be clamping down on other aspects of bad driving. However, that wont happen any time soon. Traffic police are expensive. I reckon the change in penalty for using a phone is to try and frighten people, so it is worth trying. Once they've had a purge for a a few days, it will be back to normal.

[Event Horizo 10]

I agree that we should be clamping down on other aspects of bad driving. However, that wont happen any time soon. Traffic police are expensive. I reckon the change in penalty for using a phone is to try and frighten people, so it is worth trying. Once they've had a purge for a a few days, it will be back to normal.

 

It will simply make people put their phone on their lap and use loudspeaker. Or text more whilst driving which is even more dangerous :o

It's a scary thought thinking your driving 60mph along a road and the oncoming driver might be texting at your same speed. One lapse in his concentration and he veers into your path. 120mph crash. game over man

[Penistone999 10]

The best advice from the link:

 

Manufacturers of cars should also stop including hands free Bluetooth technology. Any telephone call, hands free or not is a distraction from the road.

 

A hands free phone call in no different from listening to the radio . Do you want that banned too ?

 

Maybe we should also ban manual vehicles ,as you have to take your hand off the wheel to change gear ?

[MEC176 10]

 

Manufacturers of cars should also stop including hands free Bluetooth technology. Any telephone call, hands free or not is a distraction from the road.

 

My Ford has Blue Tooth and it is handy to have, so would you say listening to the Radio or a CD is also a distraction from the road and have all in car entertaiment removed.

 

Got in before me there Penistone 999

Edited March 1, 2017 by MEC176

[Alcoblog 10]

Some woman drove into the back of my girlfriend's Citroen C3 whilst she was waiting to pull out at a junction a few weeks back, severely damaging (beyond repair) the rear bumper. The woman admitted that she'd been on her mobile and not paying attention.

Against my advice, my girlfriend said that if the woman paid for the repair, she wouldn't contact the police or insurance fearing the woman may lose her license and all bad stuff that happens when you do. Also, my girlfriend didn't want it to affect her own insurance, which I'm pretty sure it shouldn't have anyway.

 

I sourced a new bumper, John Bee painted it, and I bolted it on last weekend (pain in the neck, involving removal of rear wheels and inner wheel arches among other things). Top marks to John Bee though for an excellent colour match/paint job

 

I think the woman got off extremely lightly. Not all girlfriends are so empathic.

[El Cid 214]

22 people were killed and 99 seriously injured in accidents where a driver was using their phone in 2015.

 

Topping the charge sheet is failing to look properly (the Smidsy factor – "Sorry mate, I didn't see you', relevant in 20.5 per cent of fatals involving driver error).

Could this be improved by cars having side lights/head lights on 24/7?

Eating behind the wheel is also cited as a top cause of distractions.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/8702111/How-do-accidents-happen.html

[LeMaquis 10]

A hands free phone call in no different from listening to the radio . Do you want that banned too ?

 

Maybe we should also ban manual vehicles ,as you have to take your hand off the wheel to change gear ?

 

You don't hold the radio to your ear though. And changing gear is a part of driving. Talking on a mobile phone isn't. Try driving without changing gear. Then try driving without using a mobile phone. The latter is a lot easier.

[davyboy 18]

It has been suggested that all fines for this offence be used to increase the number of traffic police officers, but there is little point at present in increasing a penalty if you can't catch the miscreant.

I don't think that £200 and 6 points is enough.

Even the use of hands free takes away concentration on the road.

My wife waffles away and gets annoyed because I've switched off to concentrate on what's happening in front of the road ahead.

But that could me a man thing...one thing at a time!

[El Cid 214]

My Ford has Blue Tooth and it is handy to have, so would you say listening to the Radio or a CD is also a distraction from the road and have all in car entertaiment removed.

 

Got in before me there Penistone 999

 

My employers policy is do not use a mobile, even hands free; but they gave us hands free to use the mobile as a tracker.

[MEC176 10]

 

Could this be improved by cars having side lights/head lights on 24/7?

 

Yes that’s fine but what is really annoying to me is these new cars with low down lights at the front that shine on and off when cars turn corners that is distracting you thing he’s got a light out when there is only one on, ok it illuminates the road at night but are not indicators there for turning purposes.