Texting when driving: when allowed?
Discussion
dinkel said:
Heathwood said:
Your based in the Netherlands OP arent you? Do they have different rules for these sort of things over there?
Rule is: holding a phone while driving is illegal.Reality is: no coppers to check this.
I'm doing 200 kms every day and I see both city and highway police maybe twice a week.
My sister got rear ended last week at a fair old speed by someone looking at a mobile (possibly texting) on her lap. My sister had 2 children under 3 years old in the car (which is now a write off). Couldn't been a lot worse but shouldn't have happened at all.
Should be alright as long as you've still got both your arms.
Obviously if you only have one then you cannot safely text and steer at the same time, so Mr Plod would be unhappy.
However if not then I'm sure most coppers would see that, as you have 2 arms, you're clearly fully in control of your vehicle and thus should be left to text with impunity.
Email or Facetwit while driving, however, and even if you've got more than the normal 2 arms, you should be hung, drawn and quartered.
Obviously if you only have one then you cannot safely text and steer at the same time, so Mr Plod would be unhappy.
However if not then I'm sure most coppers would see that, as you have 2 arms, you're clearly fully in control of your vehicle and thus should be left to text with impunity.
Email or Facetwit while driving, however, and even if you've got more than the normal 2 arms, you should be hung, drawn and quartered.
iridebikes said:
scenario;
You are going to meet a friend at a location. Your friend texts you while you are driving to ask if you have left. You reply 'yes'
You are on a single lane straight road doing approximately 40 mph, using a blackberry/phone with a qwerty keyboard..
Is this acceptable? i personally think yes, although illegal (in my opinion) if you cannot type 3 letters while holding a steering wheel and watching the road you aren't really capable of fiddling with the radio ect?
You must be a weapons grade donkey's warty bellend if you think that is acceptable.You are going to meet a friend at a location. Your friend texts you while you are driving to ask if you have left. You reply 'yes'
You are on a single lane straight road doing approximately 40 mph, using a blackberry/phone with a qwerty keyboard..
Is this acceptable? i personally think yes, although illegal (in my opinion) if you cannot type 3 letters while holding a steering wheel and watching the road you aren't really capable of fiddling with the radio ect?
Dog Star said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Dead right. And it's miles more than 80A lot of people seem to do it, though I do think young women are the biggest culprits. Worst I've seen was a couple of weeks ago, I was riding behind a 308 with its mirrors folded in so I kept a fair distance until pulling up next to the car (close) at the lights. The woman was texting as I pulled up next to her so I just peered at her through the window, yes in a pervy way as she had a low cut top on, then gestured towards her mirrors too when she looked up.
She mouthed, "Sorry," then went about her texting/browsing Facebook again until the lights changed.
No road sense whatsoever.
To get the idea what could happen - and does - check this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwqctGdtMq8
. . . it's a movie worth seeing.
. . . it's a movie worth seeing.
iridebikes said:
You are on a single lane straight road doing approximately 40 mph, using a blackberry/phone with a qwerty keyboard..
Is this acceptable? i personally think yes, although illegal (in my opinion) if you cannot type 3 letters while holding a steering wheel and watching the road you aren't really capable of fiddling with the radio ect?
if your friend texted you 'are you in the middle of your driving test', would you have read it and answered 'yes'? If not, why not?Is this acceptable? i personally think yes, although illegal (in my opinion) if you cannot type 3 letters while holding a steering wheel and watching the road you aren't really capable of fiddling with the radio ect?
iridebikes said:
scenario;
You are going to meet a friend at a location. Your friend texts you while you are driving to ask if you have left. You reply 'yes'
Of all the examples you could have used that has to be the most bent.You are going to meet a friend at a location. Your friend texts you while you are driving to ask if you have left. You reply 'yes'
Virtually all text messages are unnecessary in the first place. Especially those sent by women.
And they're definitely unnecessary when driving.
It's an interesting debate this one. Driving along a dual carriage way (or motorway) with no slip roads, nothing in sight in front or behind, what harm will a quick look at a phone and a quick reply do? Attention potentially off the road for less time than looking at a nice car passing or nice scenery...
Changing a song on an iPhone can be done by touch almost as easily as changing the radio station.
I think the rule is slightly wrong here but have no idea how it could be policed, I think it should be anyone doing something distracting while conditions don't allow it (as I said how would that be policed). There are hundreds of potential in car distractions, its choosing the sensible time to be distracted, ie leave the text till stopped at lights, punish the kids for fighting when pulled over, don't light the fag or change the radio when changing lane, etc.
If more people used common sense on what was safe there wouldn't have blanket rulings but as common sense seems to get more and more diluted its probably the only option.
Changing a song on an iPhone can be done by touch almost as easily as changing the radio station.
I think the rule is slightly wrong here but have no idea how it could be policed, I think it should be anyone doing something distracting while conditions don't allow it (as I said how would that be policed). There are hundreds of potential in car distractions, its choosing the sensible time to be distracted, ie leave the text till stopped at lights, punish the kids for fighting when pulled over, don't light the fag or change the radio when changing lane, etc.
If more people used common sense on what was safe there wouldn't have blanket rulings but as common sense seems to get more and more diluted its probably the only option.
Steve_F said:
It's an interesting debate this one. Driving along a dual carriage way (or motorway) with no slip roads, nothing in sight in front or behind, what harm will a quick look at a phone and a quick reply do? Attention potentially off the road for less time than looking at a nice car passing or nice scenery...
Changing a song on an iPhone can be done by touch almost as easily as changing the radio station.
I think the rule is slightly wrong here but have no idea how it could be policed, I think it should be anyone doing something distracting while conditions don't allow it (as I said how would that be policed). There are hundreds of potential in car distractions, its choosing the sensible time to be distracted, ie leave the text till stopped at lights, punish the kids for fighting when pulled over, don't light the fag or change the radio when changing lane, etc.
If more people used common sense on what was safe there wouldn't have blanket rulings but as common sense seems to get more and more diluted its probably the only option.
You just don't get it do you?Changing a song on an iPhone can be done by touch almost as easily as changing the radio station.
I think the rule is slightly wrong here but have no idea how it could be policed, I think it should be anyone doing something distracting while conditions don't allow it (as I said how would that be policed). There are hundreds of potential in car distractions, its choosing the sensible time to be distracted, ie leave the text till stopped at lights, punish the kids for fighting when pulled over, don't light the fag or change the radio when changing lane, etc.
If more people used common sense on what was safe there wouldn't have blanket rulings but as common sense seems to get more and more diluted its probably the only option.
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