Using mobile phone when stopped/parked

[emmaT2014]

Variomatic said:

p1esk said:

...which is easy to do, but wrong. Justice does not lie there.

You'll get absolutely no argument from me on that one!

Sadly, it seems that we keep voting in gubmints who like to pass easy legislation (usually to be seen to be tough as a knee jerk reaction to Press-led "public" outrage) rather than leaving it to the justice system to apply existing laws in a sensible way, which might take more court time and cost more.

The end result is that the Sun and Daily Mail readers get what they demand then find they don't like it.

The media, without exception, do this:
1. Criticise the police for not enforcing the law...and
2. Criticise the police when they do enforce the law that they have recently criticised the police for not enforcing

At least the papers have performed some service, they have brought to the pubic attention that the law is enforced on some occasions. When it is seldom ennforced with a small resource at least this sort of publicity brings it to the public attention that there is 'some' risk of getting caught breaking the law.

[rambo19]

herewego said:

If I remember correctly the pressure for a specific mobile phone law came from the police. The only problem in my view is that the police could apply it better if they got out of their cars and stood at the side of the road. It's possible the police could occasionally misapply it just as with any other law. We don't know if it was misapplied in this case or not.

I would love to see police at the roadside catching people on their phones.
A copper at one end of the road calling another copper on his radio telling him what cars to pull.
Phone use at the wheel is at epidemic proportions now.

[rewc]

rambo19 said:

Phone use at the wheel is at epidemic proportions now.

I'm surprised there are not thousands of accidents as a result if that is the case.

[rambo19]

rewc said:

I'm surprised there are not thousands of accidents as a result if that is the case.

I reckon there is!
There are probably 1000's of accidents every year through mobile phone use but are not recorded as such.

[staniland]

The police recently admitted they WILL NOT check mobiles after a KSI RTC:

http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/22783/uk-police-deny...

Driving while chatting on a mobile affects driving to the same degree as being drunk:

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/Politics/...

Robert Goodwill, the road safety minister, said he would take up the issue with the Ministry of Justice after The Sunday Times showed him the results of a study by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).

It found that a driver’s reaction times slowed by 46% when he or she was making a call on a hand-held mobile, by 37% when texting while driving and by 27% during hands-free calls.

For those on the drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, reaction times were reduced by 13%.

end quote.

Drink drivers are scum who deserve to rot in prison, same with drivers on mobiles.

[surveyor]

staniland said:

The police recently admitted they WILL NOT check mobiles after a KSI RTC:

http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/22783/uk-police-deny...

Driving while chatting on a mobile affects driving to the same degree as being drunk:

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/Politics/...

Robert Goodwill, the road safety minister, said he would take up the issue with the Ministry of Justice after The Sunday Times showed him the results of a study by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).

It found that a driver’s reaction times slowed by 46% when he or she was making a call on a hand-held mobile, by 37% when texting while driving and by 27% during hands-free calls.

For those on the drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, reaction times were reduced by 13%.

end quote.

Drink drivers are scum who deserve to rot in prison, same with drivers on mobiles.

While not ban talking in the car, changing the radio station or indeed smoking at the wheel.....,,

[rambo19]

surveyor said:

While not ban talking in the car, changing the radio station or indeed smoking at the wheel.....,,

Because none of those are as bad as using the phone whilst driving.

IME, people who defend using the phone whilst driving are the ones that do it!

[Nigel Worc's]

rambo19 said:

surveyor said:

While not ban talking in the car, changing the radio station or indeed smoking at the wheel.....,,

Because none of those are as bad as using the phone whilst driving.

IME, people who defend using the phone whilst driving are the ones that do it!

I use my phone whilst driving, sometimes whilst smoking or glancing at the sat nav, and I've been known to change gear too.

Am I off your Christmas card list ?

[surveyor]

rambo19 said:

Because none of those are as bad as using the phone whilst driving.

IME, people who defend using the phone whilst driving are the ones that do it!

Yes I do. Hands free obviously.

And you know what? I have not crashed into a nun, a child or anything else.... I must be god.

[rewc]

rambo19 said:

Because none of those are as bad as using the phone whilst driving.

IME, people who defend using the phone whilst driving are the ones that do it!

I never ever do it but I still think that prosecuting people for using a mobile phone whilst driving when they are actually parked safely, but the engine is running is a travesty. The report of the prosecution of the care worker has done the Police no favours.

[Rick101]

A lot of people are coming round to the idea that hands free, although freeing up a hand, has all the other distractions of a telephone conversation.

Certainly in my workplace it's been banned.

[Vipers]

rewc said:

rambo19 said:

Phone use at the wheel is at epidemic proportions now.

I'm surprised there are not thousands of accidents as a result if that is the case.

Don't need thousands, just the one fatality is enough, and I am sure there are some of those. For those who find it difficult moving with the times, like driving and phones, Scotland's drink limit lowered, remember, we used to have kids in coal mines.

Which ever law we change, there will be those who will object, seat belts, well "My brother would have been killed if he had been WEARING his seat belt", heard it all before.






P.S. Googled, didn't know this TBH "It’s also illegal to use a hand-held phone or similar device when supervising a learner driver or rider."

Edited by Vipers on Wednesday 17th December 10:14

[p1esk]

staniland said:

The police recently admitted they WILL NOT check mobiles after a KSI RTC:

http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/22783/uk-police-deny...

Driving while chatting on a mobile affects driving to the same degree as being drunk:

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/Politics/...

Robert Goodwill, the road safety minister, said he would take up the issue with the Ministry of Justice after The Sunday Times showed him the results of a study by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).

It found that a driver’s reaction times slowed by 46% when he or she was making a call on a hand-held mobile, by 37% when texting while driving and by 27% during hands-free calls.

For those on the drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, reaction times were reduced by 13%.

end quote.

Drink drivers are scum who deserve to rot in prison, same with drivers on mobiles.

I find it hard to believe the 46/37/27% figures.

In any case, I would suggest that reaction times are a very crude, and possibly misleading, indicator of safe driving ability. Once again it's something that's relatively easy to measure in a test situation, but maybe not particularly helpful in understanding the subject at hand.

As for Robert Goodwill, he's currently my MP. I wonder if he'll still be my MP next June...

BTW, do you mean drink drivers, or drunk drivers?

The former could be quite OK, in the eyes of the law, too.

[p1esk]

rambo19 said:

surveyor said:

While not ban talking in the car, changing the radio station or indeed smoking at the wheel.....,,

Because none of those are as bad as using the phone whilst driving.

IME, people who defend using the phone whilst driving are the ones that do it!

You could be right about that last bit. You might also find it defended by some of those that don't do it.

[p1esk]

Rick101 said:

A lot of people are coming round to the idea that hands free, although freeing up a hand, has all the other distractions of a telephone conversation.

Certainly in my workplace it's been banned.

Yes, I've never seen the merits of the distinction between hand held and hands free.

I'm sure others will disagree, but I've also never seen the need to make a fuss about always (apart from the need to make gearchanges) having both hands on the steering wheel. There are times when both hands should be used for steering, but both hands at all times? Nope, quite unnecessary.

[p1esk]

Vipers said:

rewc said:

rambo19 said:

Phone use at the wheel is at epidemic proportions now.

I'm surprised there are not thousands of accidents as a result if that is the case.

Don't need thousands, just the one fatality is enough, and I am sure there are some of those. For those who find it difficult moving with the times, like driving and phones, Scotland's drink limit lowered, remember, we used to have kids in coal mines.

Which ever law we change, there will be those who will object, seat belts, well "My brother would have been killed if he had been WEARING his seat belt", heard it all before.






P.S. Googled, didn't know this TBH "It’s also illegal to use a hand-held phone or similar device when supervising a learner driver or rider."

Edited by Vipers on Wednesday 17th December 10:14

But Colin, if we were to adopt the "one fatality is enough" principle, we'd never be able to do anything. Is that the policy you would advocate?

[Phatboy317]

p1esk said:

In any case, I would suggest that reaction times are a very crude, and possibly misleading, indicator of safe driving ability. Once again it's something that's relatively easy to measure in a test situation, but maybe not particularly helpful in understanding the subject at hand.

Indeed.

It could be said that if you find yourself in a situation where quick reactions are necessary, then you probably hadn't been paying sufficient attention to the road ahead in the preceding few seconds.

[Vipers]

Phatboy317 said:

p1esk said:

In any case, I would suggest that reaction times are a very crude, and possibly misleading, indicator of safe driving ability. Once again it's something that's relatively easy to measure in a test situation, but maybe not particularly helpful in understanding the subject at hand.

Indeed.

It could be said that if you find yourself in a situation where quick reactions are necessary, then you probably hadn't been paying sufficient attention to the road ahead in the preceding few seconds.

With the amount of idiots on our roads these days, anything which increases your attention on driving is a good thing. Paying attention you say, like me driving in L2 at about 30 mph in a 40 zone just having slowed to negotiate a roundabout and about to pass a bus and a small truck who were both in L1, when without warning or indicator, the truck decides to pull straight out to pass the bus.

Yes he wasn't paying attention, but good job I was.

Having said that there will always be those who will argue till your blue in the face, holding a hand phone conversation is perfectly safe whilst driving, while those in the other camp will disagree. Such is life.

Safe driving guys, as my instructor told me "Treat everyone else on the road as an idiot".

[agtlaw]

Department of Transport said this when making the then new regulation in 2003:

"Driving
3. The consultation document suggested that the proposed offence should apply unless the driver was parked with the engine switched off. Some respondents felt this was unreasonable and would prevent drivers using their phones while caught in a traffic jam.
4. We consider that drivers should not use hand-held phones while at traffic lights or during short hold-ups that may occur during a typical journey. However, we accept the view that it is unnecessary for a vehicle to be parked with the engine switched off in order to avoid prosecution. Under existing law a person may be regarded as "driving" a vehicle while the engine is running and the vehicle is stationary. We consider this satisfactory for the purposes of this offence and will not therefore include a new definition of "driving" in the regulation."

Derek's comments about drink driving 'in charge' offences are not particularly relevant or helpful in the context of using a mobile phone whilst driving.

[Phatboy317]

Vipers said:

Paying attention you say, like me driving in L2 at about 30 mph in a 40 zone just having slowed to negotiate a roundabout and about to pass a bus and a small truck who were both in L1, when without warning or indicator, the truck decides to pull straight out to pass the bus.

In your case it may well have been entirely without warning, but in my experience things rarely happen without some warning, and it's there where attention and anticipation are invaluable.

I daresay that you did half-expect it to happen, though?