Mobile phone law

[Billwizzer]

Whilst being in total agreement with the new laws a note of caution. Me and the wife driving home at about 1.30.am I noticed a police car parked up on a all night service station, as we passed he proceeded to follow us we were doing 30 mph as it was in a well known speed camera zone . Within 60 seconds on came blue lights I pulled in they pulled up along side me blocking the road . The lady officer said I was using my mobile. I responded by saying it was still in my pocket She said I had Ii up to my ear. I then struggled to remove it from my pocket whilst still seated . anyway cut a long story short .I demanded they check the phone for usage. after a few words they said it was not necessary started to laugh and then said forget it and drove off smiling.
Not all police are heroes , some are just bored.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Is there anyone out there that thinks its a safe thing to use a mobile phone when driving?

 

[SteveW77]

Is there anyone out there that thinks its a safe thing to use a mobile phone when driving?

Judging by the number of people I see doing it on a daily basis, there must be thousands.

 

[JonnyG]

texting ,texting is worse than actually being on the phone...And whilst using a phone i suppose covers both uses i believe it should be made clear that texting is far worse... when i'm on the road in a lorry i get a pretty good look at whats going on around me, like the tranny van that's just shot past me and now i'm re catching him, he's clearly taking a call! but the amount of people i see texting whilst having their phones placed near to their laps is astounding and takes away nearly all of their observation skills away with just ability to look up and view the road directly in front of you and then only occasionally. almost like driving blind.... i agree holding a phone and having a conversation is dangerously distracting as opposed to holding a conversation hand free, because again whilst holding a phone the only observation you carry out is the view just in front of you for more so of the time than when texting... hands free, you can still observe everything from the view in front of you to scanning the road well ahead and indeed use your rear mirrors too, well that is if you're the sort of driver who normally does so... So whilst anything can be distracting, for me texting is the worst closely followed by holding a phone, with hand free being one of those things in life that is acceptable because someone decided the risk was acceptable....Me? i don't have to worry about it from a being caught point of view i simply don't answer my phone ,it'll only be somebody asking about PPi ! but do wish we still had more police patrol's and not just for catching phone users,given some of the stunts i see on the roads..

 

[Thingy]

I know they differentiate between hand held and hands free mobiles, but in all honesty I have to say that I find myself very distracted even whilst using the hands free system. Bearing in mind my driving experience both in cars and HGVs, I shudder to think how the distraction affects young and/or inexperienced drivers. personally I would ban all phone use in a moving vehicle.

Lets be fair, phones keep a record of the number that rang, pull over and call back. Usually if its number witheld, its probably somebody cold calling that also needs to be banned. B)

 

[Parksy]

Whilst being in total agreement with the new laws a note of caution. Me and the wife driving home at about 1.30.am I noticed a police car parked up on a all night service station, as we passed he proceeded to follow us we were doing 30 mph as it was in a well known speed camera zone . Within 60 seconds on came blue lights I pulled in they pulled up along side me blocking the road . The lady officer said I was using my mobile. I responded by saying it was still in my pocket She said I had Ii up to my ear. I then struggled to remove it from my pocket whilst still seated . anyway cut a long story short .I demanded they check the phone for usage. after a few words they said it was not necessary started to laugh and then said forget it and drove off smiling.
Not all police are heroes , some are just bored.

I'm guessing that because you happened to be driving at 1:30 a.m. the police, far from being bored, were actually doing their job.
They probably knew full well that you were not using your phone, but by stopping you and speaking to you they would be able to detect any smell of alcohol on your breath. If they had suspected that you were driving under the influence you would have been breathalysed, so the mobile phone stop was a ruse.
Well done to the police for checking

 

[knight-1]

So on the 1st March, the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving changed to 6 points and a £200 fine. I'm sure we've all seen people carrying on as normal though!

The use of mobiles has become the norm for many, irrespective of whether they are driving or not and as one involved in safety campaigns, changing behaviour is almost impossible.

I suppose the penalty will not deter many, until they fall foul of it, so what does it take to deter people? I have a personal view that the fine should be higher as we don't like being hit in the pocket!!

I'm interested to know what others think?

I completely agree with the new penalty . There is no excuse for using a mobile phone whilst driving. With technology so advanced in today's vehicles "if you have to" why not use the hands-free facility linked into the vehicles audio unit? Failing that turn your phone off or put it away where your not tempted to operate it.
Personally even though I have the tec-spec I don't use the phone at all whist driving or riding.

Drive-Safe.

 

[Billwizzer]

Whilst being in total agreement with the new laws a note of caution. Me and the wife driving home at about 1.30.am I noticed a police car parked up on a all night service station, as we passed he proceeded to follow us we were doing 30 mph as it was in a well known speed camera zone . Within 60 seconds on came blue lights I pulled in they pulled up along side me blocking the road . The lady officer said I was using my mobile. I responded by saying it was still in my pocket She said I had Ii up to my ear. I then struggled to remove it from my pocket whilst still seated . anyway cut a long story short .I demanded they check the phone for usage. after a few words they said it was not necessary started to laugh and then said forget it and drove off smiling.
Not all police are heroes , some are just bored.

I'm guessing that because you happened to be driving at 1:30 a.m. the police, far from being bored, were actually doing their job.
They probably knew full well that you were not using your phone, but by stopping you and speaking to you they would be able to detect any smell of alcohol on your breath. If they had suspected that you were driving under the influence you would have been breathalysed, so the mobile phone stop was a ruse.
Well done to the police for checking

So all vehicles driving at 1.30 am should be pulled over and checked for drink driving? They will have a busy time on the motorways. I thought the law stated that they had to have reasonable cause to stop a vehicle. But as you say you were guessing.

 

[Parksy]

So all vehicles driving at 1.30 am should be pulled over and checked for drink driving? They will have a busy time on the motorways. I thought the law stated that they had to have reasonable cause to stop a vehicle. But as you say you were guessing.

But you were not on the motorway, you wrote that you were driving at the 30 mph speed limit. Although I've no doubt that you would never drink and drive the police might have done the same thing earlier and removed a driver who might have injured or killed you from the road.
I wish that the police would stop and check more motorists, it certainly wouldn't bother me in any way if they stopped me for a check no matter what the time was.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

In my youth when courting I was stopped 5 nights in a row at the same place when going home about midnight - "just a routine check sir". "Where have you come from, where are you going, why?" After the second night my reply was "the same as the previous times you have stopped me". They didn't argue.

 

[Raywood]

I know it may seem odd but the people driving to the letter of the law late at night are often those who have been drinking and are sober enough to know it. They then drive extra carefully and that gives them away. At that time the police may stop those driving badly and the ones over cautious.

 

[carper2]

I couldn't agree more.

Les

 

[Keefanmaxx]

With technology so advanced in today's vehicles "if you have to" why not use the hands-free facility linked into the vehicles audio unit?

Because you can't update social media by Bluetooth!!

I'm amazed at the number of replies to this thread. It seems there is a common agreement of the penalties being right for the offence.

I agree with Knight and others .... the best place for the phone is on the glove-box ..... or turned off.

 

[Grahamh]

Logic tells me that the penalty has been increased as a deterrent. I'd be interested to know how many have been fined for use of a phone whilst at the wheel..... If I stand on a street corner in this little town in North Dorset I can count the number of drivers - car, van, lorry, bus - that are using their phones and it's lots and lots. The fact is that the police are not interested or haven't the resource to enforce the law. Therefore doubling the penalty will not make any difference at all - it's just the powers that be making a token gesture as a sop. The same applies to speeding, smoking in cars and many other offences.

 

[saint-spoon]

I was sat at traffic lights waiting to turn right into work this morning and I reckon about every third car there was someone looking down at their phones and there didn't seem to be any "type" of person engaged in phone activity