Driving Hands Free!

Jun 20, 2005
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Looks like new legislation is on the way banning the use of mobile phones, even hands free, whilst driving.
I hate the idea of this especially as most car manufacturers have installed hands free software for the last twenty years.
However I must admit back in the late nineties I was driving from Nottingham to Gloucester. So engrossed in a business call I missed the A42 exit . Only at Leicester Forest services did I realise where I was :(
Is this going to be a good or bad law or just another taxation on the car owner :whistle:
 
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Dustydog said:
Looks like new legislation is on the way banning the use of mobile phones, even hands free, whilst driving.
I hate the idea of this especially as most car manufacturers have installed hands free software for the last twenty years.
However I must admit back in the late nineties I was driving from Nottingham to Gloucester. So engrossed in a business call I missed the A42 exit . Only at Leicester Forest services did I realise where I was :(
Is this going to be a good or bad law or just another taxation on the car owner :whistle:

I don't altogether get the argument about hands free, as I don't see much difference between that and talking to passengers in the car. I have NO sympathy with the idiots with the phone in their hand - especially when they have a modern enough vehicle to have hands free!

Once this bit comes in, what about radios, music players etc...
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Tests have shown conclusively that even hands free dialogue elicits a different approach from the driver as compared to talking to the passengers.

When I worked for RR in 2000 they supplied mobiles and hands free systems in the company car. But even then the T&C for ownership of the company car was that the phone should be off when driving and if there was a need to phone anyone the car must be stationary. Infringement would lead to loss of vehicle.

Anyway it’s not yet proposed legislation its the recommendation of s committee who have looked at the topic.
 
Mar 27, 2011
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I assume by RR you mean the posh car manufacturers, they obviously hadn’t thought things through when they provided hands free and mobile phones in the company car, why bother supplying the hands free kit if you were not allowed to use it, a bit contradictory ?

BP
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Anything that takes the drivers mind away from driving is dangerous. Even before mobile phones, there have been plenty of incidents where a drivers attention was drawn to something other than driving, such as changing radio channels, dealing with children, talking or arguing with a passengers. seeing something at the road side.A momentary lapse of concentration and who knows what may happen.

Soon after mobile phones became available, I witnessed a very lucky escape for some school children at a bus stop when a driver mounted the pavement holding a mobile in their hand. I vowed I would never use a mobile whilst driving and I don't. If anyone calls me it rings and rings. No message service, because if the call is important they will try again. Call me a Luddite, but I grew up in a time when we didn't even have a home phone, and we managed really very well without having constant chats with everyone.

I will usually check my phone at the end of my journey, and if its a number i recognise I may call back.

Unlike interactions with passengers, phone conversations rely entirely on the verbal message, there are no visual clues either way and that I am convinced it takes more concentration as you have to organise words to express an emotion.

I have often thought that when a car is running it ought to block phone calls, but then that's not necessarily fair on passengers.

I was walking in a street the other day, when virtually everyone who passed by had a phone to their ear, I could hear some people quite clearly and they were just passing the time of day. chatting about what thy'd seen on Netflix the night before or the colour of their underwear and spreading gossip!
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Beehpee said:
I assume by RR you mean the posh car manufacturers, they obviously hadn’t thought things through when they provided hands free and mobile phones in the company car, why bother supplying the hands free kit if you were not allowed to use it, a bit contradictory ?

BP

No the maker of jet engines and nuclear reactors.
Having hands free wasn’t contradictory in the least as you could engage in a clear conversation and if required take notes on your laptop or a work pad on your lap. But all whilst stationary.
 
Mar 27, 2011
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ROFLMAO Who would think of supplying a hands free kit to use while stationary, if you asked a thousand people what a hands free kit was for and answer would be to make and receive calls whilst driving, priceless.

BP
 
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Tests have shown that the level of distraction when using a telephone is much higher than during a normal conversation. I'm sure that tests can be devised to demonstrate that a telephone call is a dangerous distraction that should be banned as soon as possible. It's effect on a driver is not dissimilar to being drunk.
 
Mar 27, 2011
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I totally agree that using a phone is a distraction, so is having children in the car, having the radio playing and changing a CD while driving, talking to a passenger in the car while driving is a distraction, so are loads of other things, so are we going to ban all these things due to us living in a nanny state where every action we take is dictated by politicians, it will make no difference what so ever if all mobile phone usage is banned totally in cars, let’s face it the police haven’t the resources to stop people using a phone held in their hand so how they will have a cats chance of being able to spot a person using a hands free kit, I drive around 35k miles annually and I could probably spot a dozen people daily with a phone held to their ear, when driving I probably see a police patrol car a couple of times a week but I’m sure the nanny state will continue to bring in more and more unenforceable restrictive laws so they can say how wonderful they are, god help us.

BP
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Beehpee said:
I totally agree that using a phone is a distraction, so is having children in the car, having the radio playing and changing a CD while driving, talking to a passenger in the car while driving is a distraction, so are loads of other things, so are we going to ban all these things due to us living in a nanny state where every action we take is dictated by politicians, it will make no difference what so ever if all mobile phone usage is banned totally in cars, let’s face it the police haven’t the resources to stop people using a phone held in their hand so how they will have a cats chance of being able to spot a person using a hands free kit, I drive around 35k miles annually and I could probably spot a dozen people daily with a phone held to their ear, when driving I probably see a police patrol car a couple of times a week but I’m sure the nanny state will continue to bring in more and more unenforceable restrictive laws so they can say how wonderful they are, god help us.

BP

Agreed that there are always other potential distractions inside the vehicle. Some the driver has the ability to control such as changing CD if you still use such antiquated pieces of plastic, or fiddling with MFD to see driving time or real time mpg etc. But whatever you may think it has been demonstrated that engaging in a phone call even hands free is dealt with differently by your brain compared to engaging in a conversation with a passenger. Which in itself can be a hazard if you are one who feels eye contact is required.

Nowadays whilst driving my phone is generally switched off. The last thing I need if overtaking or navigating somewhere unfamiliar is an incoming call which even though I wouldn’t answer it would be a distraction. Radios don’t do that, and even passengers tend to zip it when they can see the driver is otherwise engaged. You really don’t need police enforcement arguments to challenge a concept that should be common sense.
 
Mar 27, 2011
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Hi OC don’t take any of what I’ve said the wrong way, I know from personal use that using hands free is distracting, it’s not the principle I disagree with it’s the fact that we live in a country with a larger prison population than any where in Europe, we have drugs as easy to acquire as walking half a mile from pretty much anyone’s house and you’ll find someone selling it, we have knife stabbing that is totally out of control, we have 100’s of thousands of uninsured drivers on our roads, we have regular drink drivers and drivers using hand held phones, so what about trying to enforce some of the laws we already have then maybe if the politicians got things that are already legislated against sorted, it would be then the right time to look at how else we could be bringing in new laws, but no it’s a case of don’t bother enforcing all the laws being broken by people walking around with knives, all the drug dealers selling on the streets, I’ve reported 3 times to the police where drugs are on sale every single day, quite openly within 300 yards of a school, what’s the point they’re still there every day, would I bother to report a crime if I saw it being committed? I doubt it very much, would I think twice about answering my phone if they made hands free kits illegal, not a chance, I don’t blame the police what so ever, a combination of cuts cuts and maybe more cuts, i feel for police having to work with one hand tied behind their backs, so let’s give them a bit of help and bring out more and more unenforceable laws that’s going to be great for police moral.

BP
 
Jun 20, 2005
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Clive
When I approach an unseen speed camera my car bleats out loud! Scares me! Enough to put me off!
But why have the Government and manufacturers made hands free kit for twenty years?

Almost closing the stable door etc.....
And as for policing it all? Ridiculous.
 

Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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I have one car which has factory fitted Bluetooth, with the hands free system controlled by buttons on the steering wheel and a voice activated directory.
I use it now and again if the situation warrants it, to make and to receive occasional very brief telephone calls, with the emphasis on brief.
If I happen to be in heavy traffic, or completing overtaking manoeuvres I don't use it, in the same way that if I have passengers I don't hold lengthy conversations when driving or reply when road conditions indicate that it would be best to pause any conversation that I'm responding to.
Nobody compels us to speak, nobody compels us to answer a telephone call hands free either, we use our judgement to decide what is the best and safest approach.
I use a combination of the powers of logic that as an mature adult I possess and the years of driving experience that I now have, most of them as a HGV driver, to decide whether or not it's safe or appropriate to use the buttons on my steering wheel and the voice activated kit to make or receive brief phone calls.

My towcar has an after market Bluetooth kit, the phone has to be physically used to answer or to initiate a call so my other half uses that as a passenger, I never answer if I'm alone driving in the towcar.
It's the same old story isn't it?
Everything is now geared to the lowest common denominator, so we all have to potentially suffer because of the minority of idiot drivers who behave irresponsibly.
I'd rather see more police road traffic patrols to remove the idiots from our midst by removing their licences instead of penalising everybody.
How to succeed in politics:
Invent a ''problem'' and then come up with a draconian ''solution'' which involves more control, more intrusion into our lives and the possibility of yet more fines and sanctions. :angry:
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Dustydog said:
Clive
When I approach an unseen speed camera my car bleats out loud! Scares me! Enough to put me off!
But why have the Government and manufacturers made hands free kit for twenty years?

Almost closing the stable door etc.....
And as for policing it all? Ridiculous.

Dusty
I don’t have an answer to your question as the problem with hands free has been known now for many years. What the latest report shows is a significant rise in accidents associated with mobile phones in hands free and non hands free. Of course if you do have an accident whilst using a mobile in hands free mode then the law does have a number of options which are more severe than the standard fixed penalty mode.
 
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When we get in our Ford my phone and my wifes are automatically connected to the Bluetooth and have automatic answer on the car system hands-free so no need to touch the phone at all it will even read out over text but I have that bit disabled , where some of you have said yous drive thousands of miles a year I am the same driving all over the town everyday and see probably more than 10 toss pots holding their phones whilst driving :angry: I even shouted at one just a little while ago when he was in and out of the lines on his phone texting , my bus has a massive truck Scania horn and he got the shock of his life when I bladted that !!
 
May 7, 2012
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As one of the people who dealt with the accidents I know there is not the slightest doubt that hands free driving is far more dangerous than people think. I appreciate that the police have other problems but you are looking at several deaths a year plus many injuries so it has to be dealt with. The police cannot ignore people being killed by idiots.
A typical example I came across was a lorry driver delivering to a supermarket depot with a timed slot. Realising that he would be late he tried to phone them and when concentrating on the call he missed that the traffic ahead had stopped and ran into the car at the back of the line killing the driver. An extreme example but that is what happens if yo try to use your phone when driving.
Always remember that your call is less important than other peoples lives and by talking on the phone you are risking them.
I am afraid hands free is not the answer and tends to give a false sense of security which is not in the least warranted. We had any hands free sets removed from our company cars many years back and were banned from using them when driving.
There can be no excuse for using them. If your phone rings stop at a safe place and ring the caller back if you need to and NEVER make calls when driving, it is not worth the risk.
The difference in risk between hand held and hands free is basically that those holding phones have less control over the vehicle. Ringing or texting means taking your eyes off the road and at that point you can easily miss a problem and turn it into a crisis and you will have to bear the consequences.
 
Sep 5, 2016
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I'm surprised at the people condoning using a mobile phone in the car hands free or not, your opinions will change if one of your family ends up dead through someone using a mobile, can't wait for the new regs to come,p
 
Jun 20, 2005
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Raywood said:
As one of the people who dealt with the accidents I know there is not the slightest doubt that hands free driving is far more dangerous than people think. I appreciate that the police have other problems but you are looking at several deaths a year plus many injuries so it has to be dealt with. The police cannot ignore people being killed by idiots.
A typical example I came across was a lorry driver delivering to a supermarket depot with a timed slot. Realising that he would be late he tried to phone them and when concentrating on the call he missed that the traffic ahead had stopped and ran into the car at the back of the line killing the driver. An extreme example but that is what happens if yo try to use your phone when driving.
Always remember that your call is less important than other peoples lives and by talking on the phone you are risking them.
I am afraid hands free is not the answer and tends to give a false sense of security which is not in the least warranted. We had any hands free sets removed from our company cars many years back and were banned from using them when driving.
There can be no excuse for using them. If your phone rings stop at a safe place and ring the caller back if you need to and NEVER make calls when driving, it is not worth the risk.
The difference in risk between hand held and hands free is basically that those holding phones have less control over the vehicle. Ringing or texting means taking your eyes off the road and at that point you can easily miss a problem and turn it into a crisis and you will have to bear the consequences.
Excellent post Ray. An eye opener!
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Dustydog said:
Raywood said:
As one of the people who dealt with the accidents I know there is not the slightest doubt that hands free driving is far more dangerous than people think. I appreciate that the police have other problems but you are looking at several deaths a year plus many injuries so it has to be dealt with. The police cannot ignore people being killed by idiots.
A typical example I came across was a lorry driver delivering to a supermarket depot with a timed slot. Realising that he would be late he tried to phone them and when concentrating on the call he missed that the traffic ahead had stopped and ran into the car at the back of the line killing the driver. An extreme example but that is what happens if yo try to use your phone when driving.
Always remember that your call is less important than other peoples lives and by talking on the phone you are risking them.
I am afraid hands free is not the answer and tends to give a false sense of security which is not in the least warranted. We had any hands free sets removed from our company cars many years back and were banned from using them when driving.
There can be no excuse for using them. If your phone rings stop at a safe place and ring the caller back if you need to and NEVER make calls when driving, it is not worth the risk.
The difference in risk between hand held and hands free is basically that those holding phones have less control over the vehicle. Ringing or texting means taking your eyes off the road and at that point you can easily miss a problem and turn it into a crisis and you will have to bear the consequences.
Excellent post Ray. An eye opener!

Agreed. So RR weren’t the only company that banned use of hands free whilst driving. As some would say “ priceless” :)
 
Mar 27, 2011
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There’s always going to be individuals and companies that treat everything in life with a risk assessment, I know from experience that I feel perfectly happy making hands free calls several times on a daily basis, each to there own, I’ve lived long enough to make my own decisions and not to rely on politicians to govern each and every detail of my life, I’ve managed so far I think I’ll continue doing the same now while it’s still legal and I’ll continue when the do gooders no doubt get their way and it becomes illegal, god help the youngsters who will have every waking moment of their lives planned and dictated by politicians
 
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Beehpee said:
There’s always going to be individuals and companies that treat everything in life with a risk assessment, I know from experience that I feel perfectly happy making hands free calls several times on a daily basis, each to there own, I’ve lived long enough to make my own decisions and not to rely on politicians to govern each and every detail of my life, I’ve managed so far I think I’ll continue doing the same now while it’s still legal and I’ll continue when the do gooders no doubt get their way and it becomes illegal, god help the youngsters who will have every waking moment of their lives planned and dictated by politicians
So you say in your earlier post that you know from personal use that using the phone when driving is distracting, yet then make the case to continue to use it several times a day. Unbelievable. Think I will have a couple more beers before heading home. :)

Out
 
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The Police have failed miserably to enforce the current laws on mobile phone use and speeding,(Try going round the M25 at 70mph and see how many vehicles pass you) .So what is the point in passing another law for people to ignore.
 
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You are correct in saying that the police cannot realistically enforce such laws.
The point is to make the public aware of the problem and to allow the police to prosecute in the event of an accident occurring, just as they now do.
Ultimately the objective should be to ensure that telephone systems are disabled when a vehicle is use.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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I do find it strange that whenever we get a thread such as this one, it's frequently suggested that it's the failure of the police that's often held up as a reason not to have such a law introduced.

It's not the failure of the police that's the problem, it's the selfish people who commit the offence, who don't see it as their own duty to comply with the laws and regulations. It's like blaming someone else for your own failings!

We live in a society that has a parliament whom we elect and by virtue of that election are empowered to create legislation on our behalf. We don't then have a right to opt out of bits we don't like. We have a duty as citizens to abide by the law.

If there is a law we think is wrong we should continue to aside by it whilst lobbying our MP's to get it ammended.
 

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