Mobile phones whilst driving

[ScouseIan]

On our local radio station the other day (Radio Merseyside) a man came onto the phone in to comment on what had just happened to him.

He was driving his car when his phone went off. He did NOT answer it. He pulled into the side of the road, stopped, handbrake on and answered his phone. A following police car had observed this and stopped. The guy still got done. Apparently, because the car engine was still running he was still technically driving. I just think that is complete madness and surely misses the point why the law was brought in.

Does anybody disagree?

 

[DEANO3528]

Agree entirely.

If you are a motorist it's about time you were used to being public enemy No. 1.

You might think that there are more serious crimes in the UK, but it's the motorist that will get hounded time after time, as they are an easy touch.

Police forces around the UK have to meet targets. Those targets are easiest reached with the least amount of paperwork, hence the fixed penalty system.

Of course then they come pleading on the telly for help solving the few other crimes they can't get out of dealing with.

Yeah right!

 

[Graham_374385307]

If that is true, it is obviously bonkers, particularly as it would have probably been legal to have taken the call and continued to drive if he had had a hands free kit.

Otherwise I have to say that I am astonished at the number of drivers that I still see holding a mobile while driving. The last one I saw was on my bumper on the Motorway. After a while, I asked my wife as passenger to photograph him out of the back window (she did, but as he was so close, missed the number plate - which somewhat defeated the exercise!). Anyway he even failed to notice this, but soon shot off to tail gate another guy at over 80mph

Why do people do this when something like the Visor-mounted hand free kit I use costs about

 

[Guest]

As already posted in this section. We've seen two coppers driving and using mobiles this week!

My wife got pulled a while back when we were here, she was driving slowly looking for a friends house. She just spoke to the two young policemen in French and tried not to giggle as one tried to converse in very basic school boy French, they gave in and waved her on.

 

[Steve L]

Well that realy does just go to show how pathetic the interpretations of law have got these days.

If the motorist has parked legally and has got the hand brake on and the gearbox in neutral, then wether or not the engine is running the vehicle is rendered stationary.

Now I certainly do not approve of the use of mobiles while driving. As a van driver who carries a gang of folks to and from the work site, my firm still persist in ringing me the driver instead of one of the passengers.

If by me passing my phone to a passenger to answer could be construde as using a mobile while on the move. Then perhaps a few other actions need to be stopped.

For instance.

Using police radios while driving.

Smoking while driving. After all, a red hot *** end will distract you more than a phone if you drop it in your lap!!

Drinking cups of coffee on the move from those MD drive through type places.

Changing CD discs on the move.

All of these I've seen my self recently while driving on the M5.

Even a hands free kit can be dangerous if the driver gets more interested in the phone conversation than watching his driving. For instance having a row with the boss.

So when all those can be addressed, may be then the guy who parked legally can be addressed for the trivial matter of leaving the engine running!!

Steve L.

 

[Guest]

The facts are that Police, Ambulance and other drivers have been driving and talking on radio's for many years.

You then had Taxi divers and those that could afford car radio phones, CB radio uses and a feew ham radio ops who use them on the road.

The plain fact is that scratching your **** whilst driving can be dangerous at times along with plenty of other things you can do whls driving.

Some stupid people will do silly things wherever they happen to be on the roads, mobile phones are an easy target for the Plods and their popularity has lead to those that don't give much thought to where and when they use them getting evry one else in trouble.

The powers that be have just taken the chance to make more money from tax payers as some people give little thought to how they use what is availble to them when driving. And that is not just phones.

 

[Dustydog]

The story Scouse Ian tells cogently demonstrates how some police forces are just another Government tax collector.

I have had a full hands free kit for years. I have to admit I have been totally distracted during lengthy technical calls. To the extent I have passed my turn off and had to travel miles to get back to where I should be.

Cheers

Alan

 

[jo_374385568]

The story Scouse Ian tells cogently demonstrates how some police forces are just another Government tax collector.

I have had a full hands free kit for years. I have to admit I have been totally distracted during lengthy technical calls. To the extent I have passed my turn off and had to travel miles to get back to where I should be.

Cheers

Alan

when this law came in it was made clear that if your engine was running you were deemed to be in charge of the vehicle ie ready to drive off I think it was to stop people using phones whilst at traffic lights however I remember being caught at an accident on the way to collect my son and asking the police if it was alright if I phoned school and being told I wasn't driving so I think it depends on the descretion of each individual officer

 

[Andrew._374353608]

Right from the start of the ban on the use of mobile phones while driving, using a phone while the engine is running would be an offence, stupid I agree, and using us motorists as another tax is also very true.

Andrew.

 

[Dave_374330759]

It doesn't matter what you do, there's always a jobsworth who will interpret or adminster a law or rule to the letter and others will use a bit of common sense.

You may be interested to know that the mobile phone legislation only covers mobile phones working on mobile phone frequencies. It is perfectly legal to use a walkie talkie, cb, two-way radio, ham radio etc provided it it not using the frequency bands allocated to mobiles - who thought that one up then?

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Last night on TopGear JC was talking on hands free to the other presenter in another car who appeared to be holding a phone to his ear

After several shots he moved his hand away from his ear and there was no phone

It seems to be a reflex with some drivers to rest an elbow on the door and hold the hand by the ear

Old habits die hard

 

[Guest]

A few causes of driving accidents we know of ourselves and through friends and have seen in the press.

Changing radio station

Changing Volume/balance etc

Changing tapes and discs

Looking for tapes and discs that have been dropped

Ciggies - Lighting them

-Looking for them

-Burning one self

-disposed ciggie coming in back window

Following Map

Turning and trying to find page of map

Arguing over map

Folded map obscuring drivers view

Drink and Food

Spiders in car

Driver flapping at wasp and insects

Dogs

Cats

Pet Rat

Pet Parrot

Acts of "love"

Chatting to kids and adults

Arguing with kids and partners

Kids fighting in the car

Parents turning to address kids bad behaviour

Applying slap

Attending to hair look

Changeing clothes

Putting on knickers and Bra ( personal favourites, why???? when driving)

Adjusting seat

Trying to close passenger door on the move

Holding roof load with one hand out the window

Cleaning misted windows

Not cleaning misted windows (18 year just passed test a day earlier, drove in to my wife with three school friends in her car. She pulled away without being able to see out of the misted windows and thought they would clear before she got to the T junction at the end of her road)

Getting carried away celebrating when driving

Wrestling with soft tops hood

Reading a book

Passenger holding steering wheel/changing gear

Ogling the upposite sex

I'm sure there must be more, but thats all we can recall at the moment.

Now some of these we must have all done with out crashing or causing an incident, but most of us will have given some thought as to how we attack the problem when driving!

 

[Guest]

A few causes of driving accidents we know of ourselves and through friends and have seen in the press.

Changing radio station

Changing Volume/balance etc

Changing tapes and discs

Looking for tapes and discs that have been dropped

Ciggies - Lighting them

-Looking for them

-Burning one self

-disposed ciggie coming in back window

Following Map

Turning and trying to find page of map

Arguing over map

Folded map obscuring drivers view

Drink and Food

Spiders in car

Driver flapping at wasp and insects

Dogs

Cats

Pet Rat

Pet Parrot

Acts of "love"

Chatting to kids and adults

Arguing with kids and partners

Kids fighting in the car

Parents turning to address kids bad behaviour

Applying slap

Attending to hair look

Changeing clothes

Putting on knickers and Bra ( personal favourites, why???? when driving)

Adjusting seat

Trying to close passenger door on the move

Holding roof load with one hand out the window

Cleaning misted windows

Not cleaning misted windows (18 year just passed test a day earlier, drove in to my wife with three school friends in her car. She pulled away without being able to see out of the misted windows and thought they would clear before she got to the T junction at the end of her road)

Getting carried away celebrating when driving

Wrestling with soft tops hood

Reading a book

Passenger holding steering wheel/changing gear

Ogling the upposite sex

I'm sure there must be more, but thats all we can recall at the moment.

Now some of these we must have all done with out crashing or causing an incident, but most of us will have given some thought as to how we attack the problem when driving!

No I don't wear Knickers & Bra. It's just the thought as to why.

 

[RogerP]

slightly off topic but..

when I was taking my bike test some 26 years ago a question cropped up about wearing helmets.

Apparently if your bike runs out of petrol and you need to push it to the petrol station to re fuel you must still wear a crash helemt as you are technically 'in control of a motorbike'.

As for the subject of this thread , I've either used a handfree kit or bluetooth earpiece for years now with auto answer facility.Plus set-ups on my phone allow screening so only selected callers would ring , others go to either my pager bureaux or voice mail.

When a bluetooth earpiece now a days in less than $40 and often new phones come with them , there's no excuse at all.

 

[Steve_374341117]

I would be interested to hear comments from those who criticise mobile phone legislation if their nearest and dearest were hit by a car whose driver was using a hand held mobile. When legislation came out it was made perfectly clear that the engine of the vehicle must be turned off.

Steve

 

[Meister]

Well said Steve.

Also ....... we dont have to like a law or agree with a law but we do have to comply with it. I wish that those who choose not too would stop moaning and whining when they get caught.

You choose to break the law you deserve what you get.

 

[Guest]

Well that is very good sentiment but judging by the numbers we see using hand held phones including police and less than an hour a go an ambulance driver.

I have doubts as to those that preach and actually never do it themselves, its just like speeding. Plenty will go on about speed limits and when you see them on the road they are the same as most others, over the limit!

The number of cars we see outside pubs at lunch time or after 5pm in the UK and you're all going to tell me that they are all on Soda water or coke.

The reality is that I would be as upset as anyone else should I or one of my family be hit by a driver using a mobile, but I would be just as upset if he'd turned to tell off his child or wipe mist from his screen.

The list above is not a joke and there are more examples and all just as likely to cause a fatality as using a mobile at an in-opportune time.

The sad case of the drunken footballer killing two children. The sad case is he was drunk and laws, speed limits, life style, job and type of car will never stop a drunk killing!

A friends father was killed three years ago shortly after he voluntarily had given up safely driving due to his age, he was stood at a bus stop and hit by a van travelling within the legal limit as the guy just lost concentration on a gentle bend on his way to work.

Another person we know of has been injured as his car was rear ended by a truck as the driver was making coffee, witnesses saw the driver pouring hot water from a kettle into a mug.

Laws that are passed after the stable door has been left open for years are never likely to save lives and silly people who cause accidents using a mobile would probably be the same ones fiddling trying to find Pirate FM, checking out the play list on their Ipod or applying No7's latest blusher.