Using Mobile Phones While Driving - New Laws

[DT Ralge 10]

What I'm struggling to understand, is if interacting with your (secured to dashboard) phone touchscreen is dangerous and an offence; why is interacting with your car's built in touchscreen device perfectly okay?

 

I should add, I'm somewhat playing devils-advocate here, and I would think scrolling though FB while driving is way too discrracting and should be penalised.

 

Doing anything is not ok if anything goes wrong - hence woman reaching for apple in bag on passenger seat, steering goes off a bit - the observed offence (loss of control) still gets a ticket.

The same offence is so easily committed by interacting with radio, touch screen or whatever.

It’s hard to find a PC, though.

 

---------- Post added 13-09-2018 at 06:01 ----------

 

The law has expressly prohibited touching your phone, anything else could be covered under driving without due care, but that would be a harder thing to prove in court.

I don't think the law makes any attempt to answer the question you pose though as to why the mobile phone is singled out.

 

I think it is singled out because of the explosion in mass take-up and use of mobile phone. All the other possible distractions have always been there but add to that potential, virtually everyone playing with a mobile and you have the authorities running for the rule book.

 

Hands-free, in any case, may be legal but it can still be lethal (scampers off for flak helmet). Companies are slowly adding themselves to the list of “no phone use while driving” policy holders. Ask yourself whether ANY conversations and away-with-the-fairies moments nudge you into visualising and/or internalising. Then ask yourself whether you are coping with the additional cognitive load in the visual part of your brain. Research shows quite clearly there’s a significant narrowing and shallowing of driver eye movements when this goes on.

Edited September 13, 2018 by DT Ralge

[Cyclone 10]

Ask yourself whether ANY conversations and away-with-the-fairies moments nudge you into visualising and/or internalising. Then ask yourself whether you are coping with the additional cognitive load in the visual part of your brain. Research shows quite clearly there’s a significant narrowing and shallowing of driver eye movements when this goes on.

 

Best do away with passengers then, they invariably want to speak and not sit in silence.

[DT Ralge 10]

Best do away with passengers then, they invariably want to speak and not sit in silence.

 

You know full well that there’s no benefit in going down an absolutist route to disprove any assertion.

My assertion was merely that lots of things distract and that hands-free chats aren’t as risk-free as many would think or as the Law (and its application) might suggest.

Getting drivers to acknowledge this and to recognise and manage distractions is my interest.

[Cyclone 10]

I don't disagree that talking requires more concentration than not talking.

[alchresearch 214]

Best do away with passengers then, they invariably want to speak and not sit in silence.

 

We've done this one before.

 

A passenger in a car will be more aware of the driver, their concentration and surroundings.

 

Someone on the phone who can't see and judge this will not.

[Cyclone 10]

Yes, and you make a lot of assumptions about the passenger in order to make that claim.

[peak4 279]

The actual legislation is HERE

 

with the CPS Prosecution Guidance HERE

 

so normal dedicated satnavs, car radios etc. are excluded.

However, there are still other offences which may occur, such as driving without due care, in a position not to be in full control, without due consideration for other road users etc.

 

Plenty of accurate info at this link as well.Link-1

[Cyclone 10]

So if it's in a cradle you can actually poke at it. Good to know.

[Top Cats Hat 10]

As a cyclist who a) passes a car about a three feet from the driver, and b) is about two feet above the driver's hands I'd say that in stationary or slow moving traffic about 20%-30% of drivers now are checking their devices and 50% of those are checking their facebook.

[Albert smith 11]

As a cyclist who a) passes a car about a three feet from the driver, and b) is about two feet above the driver's hands I'd say that in stationary or slow moving traffic about 20%-30% of drivers now are checking their devices and 50% of those are checking their facebook.

Its those that are checking their lipstick ,hair and make up as well as waps net that gets up my nose.

[alchemist 37]

Best do away with passengers then, they invariably want to speak and not sit in silence.

 

The passenger in the car is likely to be more aware of the surroundings and what is happening than someone on the phone. Unless of course the person on the phone is in the back seat, the ultimate back seat driver

[scousemouse 10]

In the days when radios were an added extra to a car, my late father would never have one, as he said its a distraction, I don't recall how many years ago, but it must be very many.