Using Mobile Phones While Driving - New Laws

[silentP 10]

People are already separated into those that break laws and those that do not, a new law will have little impact I'm guessing. Driving is a game of chance with too many not giving a damn. More disturbing perhaps is their willingness to defend their driving as safe.

[TORONTONY 10]

People are taking no notice of this update on the law … I counted maybe half a dozen people over the last couple of days with a phone stuck to their ear whilst driving, a couple of them lorry drivers.

The smoking ban in cars is also been ignored.

We need a stiffer penalty, 12 month ban and £500 fine might make these idiots comply

 

Oh my god , is there a smoking ban in cars over there? That is Orwellian, and I am a non-smoker.

[truman 10]

Oh my god , is there a smoking ban in cars over there? That is Orwellian, and I am a non-smoker.

 

If there are kids under 10 (I think) in the car....

[TORONTONY 10]

If there are kids under 10 (I think) in the car....

 

Ok , that makes absolute sense, I was just gobsmacked by the statement about a smoking ban in cars being abused lol.

[truman 10]

Ok , that makes absolute sense, I was just gobsmacked by the statement about a smoking ban in cars being abused lol.

 

Sorry,just had a quick look and it's no smoking if kids under 18 are in the car (not 10)..

[TORONTONY 10]

Sorry,just had a quick look and it's no smoking if kids under 18 are in the car (not 10)..

 

Well, how about if a 17 year old smoker is driving his own car and puffing away, merrily.

[sgtkate 10]

Well, how about if a 17 year old smoker is driving his own car and puffing away, merrily.

 

Well as it's illegal to smoke until you are 18, he'd be breaking 2 laws.

[alchresearch 215]

Well as it's illegal to smoke until you are 18, he'd be breaking 2 laws.

 

I think that's just for purchasing and consuming in a public place.

[Becky B 31]

Why do all arguments when someone disagrees turns into some pathetic point scoring exercise to try to prove moral superiority? It's annoying, achieves nothing except stifling debate. Whether Cyclone does or doesn't use a mobile phone while driving has ABSOLUTELY no bearing on the evidence and data driven answers he's asked for about is there actual scientific evidence that talking on a phone is more detrimental to your driving ability than talking to a passenger. Noone has yet offered evidence that is it...so of course we can ban mobile phone calls and texts whilst driving, handsfree or not, but if talking to a passenger is just as distracting then how are we going to address that? How many people are killed because someone was talking to a child in the back of their car?

 

No, but from reading his responses in this thread he seems to be arguing that talking on a mobile isn't distracting, I wondered if it was from personal experience.

Scientific evidence seems to be irrelevant to a large proportion of the driving population if what people see on the roads every day is any judge (how many posters on here are saying they still see people using their phones whilst driving, for example, despite the law).

 

There are clearly people who think the laws don't apply to them, because they are special for some reason: "talking on a mobile doesn't distract me, that law can apply to the people it does distract", "I'm a better driver than anyone else, I don't agree with this speed limit because I'm such a good driver so I will ignore it", for example.

 

And if people can't ask questions on a forum, then what is the point of posting?

[willman 10]

I think that's just for purchasing and consuming in a public place.

 

Its also illegal to purchase on behalf of anyone under 18 - so technically how would anyone under 16 obtain smoking material? (Thats a question not a reproach to you)

[TORONTONY 10]

Well as it's illegal to smoke until you are 18, he'd be breaking 2 laws.

 

What is now the legal driving age in the UK? If it is now 18 then you are correct, however if it is 17 then there is nothing illegal in my scenario. Firstly he has a license to drive, he owns the car, and his car is private property and you can smoke on private property . How he got the cigarettes is not a factor as he has not committed an offence,while driving his car and should not have been pulled over in the first place, unless it was some highway code infraction. Smoking alone in your car is not an infraction.

[silentP 10]

What is now the legal driving age in the UK? If it is now 18 then you are correct, however if it is 17 then there is nothing illegal in my scenario. Firstly he has a license to drive, he owns the car, and his car is private property and you can smoke on private property . How he got the cigarettes is not a factor as he has not committed an offence,while driving his car and should not have been pulled over in the first place, unless it was some highway code infraction. Smoking alone in your car is not an infraction.

 

.....so long as it's legal