Doing the commentary while traveling at speeds above 30mph means you have to be really switched on and missing one thing can lead to failing the course. Those Austin Westminsters were quite quick back in the sixties.
Make what you will of the various reports about using hands free is a distraction. Everyones abilities are different and some would be capable of multi-tasking in a driving situation, while others have enough trouble just operating the door handles.
While the implication that having a telephone conversation while driving requires a perceptualisation of the conversation, is this any different from listening to a talk show on the radio or even a audible book.
I have no problem listening or taking part in some conversations either with passengers or on the hands free phone, radio or an audible book which are ideal for long journeys. I know when I have to stop listening or talking when the road/traffic conditions require attention. This takes priority.
When I got my newish slightly smarter car, there where far more distractions from all the warnings and information being presented while driving than any type of audible conversations. Eventually I got used to them and can now put them to the rear of my mind while I concentrate on the driving.
While the implication that having a telephone conversation while driving requires a perceptualisation of the conversation, is this any different from listening to a talk show on the radio or even a audible book.
I have no problem listening or taking part in some conversations either with passengers or on the hands free phone, radio or an audible book which are ideal for long journeys. I know when I have to stop listening or talking when the road/traffic conditions require attention. This takes priority.
When I got my newish slightly smarter car, there where far more distractions from all the warnings and information being presented while driving than any type of audible conversations. Eventually I got used to them and can now put them to the rear of my mind while I concentrate on the driving.
The police drive pursuit vehicles at high speeds in and out of traffic and they probably have more distractions than any other driver, yet their accident rate is very low.
Most modern cars are able to be controlled by voice... But very few people (or car reviewers) bother, and the latter in particular just moan about using touch screens. My XC40 and my Sportage together with my wife's Kona allow temperature changes, changing radio stations, finding and setting destinations in navigation all to be done by Voice Command.
My real bleat with mobile phone use is the person being attached to the phone when their car obviously has hands free capability
My real bleat with mobile phone use is the person being attached to the phone when their car obviously has hands free capability
Coming from a background of motor accident claims and from personal experience, I do appreciate that some phone conversations are more distracting than others, but this also applies to conversations with passengers probably to a lesser extent. I know of accidents caused by the use of phones, indeed when someone rang me about an accident case while I was driving I did find I got things wrong before I was able to stop in a lay by.
For those who doubt the potential problem they need to speak to people involved in accident work to get the truth. Working for a large insurer I can confirm they took out all hands free sets in company cars after studying the problems, although this as now been overtaken by the fitting of blue tooth in cars as a standard so they are back to square one. Making calls while driving was strictly prohibited,
I tend to use voice commands to either my Garmin or the cars own satnav, which is Tom Tom. They work very well to voice control. But by and large once it is programmed for a destination I really don’t have much need to touch it. Although if I ask my wife to do anything I suddenly find we are on a route to Belfast or somewhere else. 😱
I have to disagree. I think satnav removes a major distraction in that I don't need to think about where I'm going, how far it is to the next turning and I'm not looking out for signposts so I can better focus on what's happening around me. I use cruise control for the same reason. If there isn't much traffic about I use it so I don't need to keep taking my eyes off the road to look at my speedo.
People fiddle with them to input destinations. People also have a quick look at the screen while driving as it is a natural instinct.
Just as drivers glance at the speedometer occasionally (well some do) and the warning lights which may appear.
I do find it ironic that hand-held phones are an offence, an increasing number of cars have their functions hidden behind menu layers on a touchscreen - I'm glad that my Touareg is "old-fashioned" which is another good reason for keeping it.
Some companies are reverting back to having primary functions as individual controls, with other settings via a screen menu. Our Kia’s have such an arrangement, whereas if I want for example the mindfulness sounds (tropical birdsong, beach pebbles etc ) or satnav level of detail I need to visit the infotainment menu via the touch screen.
There shouldn't be any need to fiddle with them unless you change your mind about where you're going after you set off. I can program my inbuilt satnav on the move as easily as changing the radio station, it's all done via one control knob, but I prefer to use my phone (in a cradle) which I don't touch while my car is moving.
Glancing at a satnav screen is no different to glancing at a map, a list of directions, your Speedo, your radio or your heater control (probably safer than a map or list of directions).
Hard to believe the same engine was fitted in the Austin Healey 3000 sports car.
I believe that giving the commentary during the test is now optional. My membership dates from 1964 but a commentary was required for ten minutes then.
I did my last refresher in June 2021.
While giving a commentary (it is now called Spoken Thought) is optional, you cannot get the top qualification a F1rst, without doing so. When I did my test in 2019, I chose to give a commentary as I felt it help demonstrate to the instructor the thought processes I engaged when taking certain driving decisions during the test.
For many years I thought that sort of supercharger had been fitted as they were that quick for big old heavy tank. However in comparison to today's vehicles it was awfully slow, but ti could still reach over 120mph which I did legally on more than one occasion! LOL! No mobile phones as we had two way radios and you had to hold the mike in your hand when speaking. At high speed it was the constable in the passenger seat duty to answer calls.
In normal production form, the Austin-Healey 3000 had a lot more power (150 bhp) than the Westminster (103 bhp) despite sharing most of the engine parts - but quite likely that police Westminsters had the more powerful engine as part of it's special build.For many years I thought that sort of supercharger had been fitted as they were that quick for big old heavy tank. However in comparison to today's vehicles it was awfully slow, but ti could still reach over 120mph which I did legally on more than one occasion! LOL! No mobile phones as we had two way radios and you had to hold the mike in your hand when speaking. At high speed it was the constable in the passenger seat duty to answer calls.
All Police vehicles (that weren't company demonstrators) during my 30 years 75-2005) were absolutely bog standard with no performance enhancements.
The ONE exception was the Volvo 850 T5 where, due to excessivebrake fade from high speed, the brakes were seriously uprated. Massive front discs and special wheels to accommodate the bigger discs coupled with much larger calipers and pads (all of which were truly necessary)
Many manufacturers produced "police specification" cars - in Vauxhall's case with no radio/tape/cd, base fabric seats, steel wheels, uprated suspension, different transmission - I find it strange that no force specified any engine changes.
I understand that BMW will no longer be supplying cars to British police forces, and Jaguar no longer supplies cars to Government, its Audi from now on. Oh for the days when a nice XJ picked me up for travel to and from the airport.
A sad story about BMW police cars.
BBC finds police BMWs at risk of exploding still on the roads
PC Nick Dumphreys' widow Kathryn says cars being used with the fault that killed him are "not safe".
www.bbc.co.uk
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