Using phone driving to increase to 6 points & £200 fine

Using phone driving to increase to 6 points & £200 fine

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Discussion

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Makes no difference to me, I abide by the current rules and don't engage in long conversations in any case. I hope the escalation of penalties persuades some that it's a more serious matter than they thought. Time will tell.

I still believe the general standard of driving, especially amongst young and not so young women, is a more serious issue.

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Crumpet said:
About time! Question; does this apply to using a phone while holding it in your hand? If the phone is mounted on the dash in a suitable holder is that technically legal to use?

I have my iPhone mounted to the right of the car's touchscreen and have it open on Apple Music or Spotify to be able to control songs. It's a lot easier and less of a distraction to use that than to use the car's own touchscreen system and all the other controls but am I breaking the law by doing so? If so, does it render a dash mount completely pointless?
The legislation specifies a mobile phone as one which requires to be held during the course of a call or other interactive communication function.

If it's in a cradle and doesn't require to be held to be used, then the specific legislation shouldn't apply.

There could still be the issue of not being in proper control of your vehicle, if plod thought your use of the cradled phone was affecting your driving.

zarjaz1991

3,471 posts

122 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Makes me laugh all the (presumably older) people going on about 'texting'.

Get with the programme....these idiots aren't 'texting', they are pissing about on Facebook, Whatsapp and other such vacuous crap.

Harji

2,196 posts

160 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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This will make no difference until there is a Police presence to act, and due to cutbacks by Theresa May, nothing will change.

defblade

7,392 posts

212 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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worsy said:
Shoot me down, but I don't see the problem in stopped, waiting at lights in picking up your phone and reading a message/checking the time/ <some other small task>.
'cos they don't stop reading just because the lights change. Next time you're stopped at the lights, notice how many people are looking down and just flicking up occasionally as they drive past you, rather than concentrating forwards. I find it's especially bad on the morning commute.

WaferThinHam

1,680 posts

129 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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defblade said:
worsy said:
Shoot me down, but I don't see the problem in stopped, waiting at lights in picking up your phone and reading a message/checking the time/ <some other small task>.
'cos they don't stop reading just because the lights change. Next time you're stopped at the lights, notice how many people are looking down and just flicking up occasionally as they drive past you, rather than concentrating forwards. I find it's especially bad on the morning commute.
I find it depends how hung over they are. :P

caelite

4,273 posts

111 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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defblade said:
worsy said:
Shoot me down, but I don't see the problem in stopped, waiting at lights in picking up your phone and reading a message/checking the time/ <some other small task>.
'cos they don't stop reading just because the lights change. Next time you're stopped at the lights, notice how many people are looking down and just flicking up occasionally as they drive past you, rather than concentrating forwards. I find it's especially bad on the morning commute.
Yes, and that is an issue with legislation, before it was made illegal the actual level of distraction was minimal for most. I have experienced 1st hand recently how minimal the effect is when it is legal recently well in Texas because people are able to openly hold there phone high up within eyeshot, the reason people have it on there lap and need to take there eyes off the road entirely is because it reduces there chances of getting caught.

Imo remove the mobile legislation. Allow it to fall under driving without due care in circunstance where people take the piss. But hey, nobody listens to libertarian viewpoints of reduced legislation nowadays so I may aswell be talking to a wall.

Edited by caelite on Saturday 17th September 17:59

CAPP0

19,530 posts

202 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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I believe the penalty should be a non-negotiable 30 day ban for the first offence, a year for the second, etc. Until this is made as unacceptable, and as detrimental to your driving record, as drink-driving, it won't go away, and those of us who are vulnerable on the roads will continue to be. It'll take ages though - it wasn't so long ago that drink driving MIGHT get you a ban, and it wasn't that long before that when it amounted to "Now now sir, had a few have we, take it steady and get home safely".

If people want harsher punishments, there have been petitions raised but the numbers signing have been in the hundreds, not the 10,000 (?) needed before parliament are obliged to look at it.

mac96

3,715 posts

142 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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defblade said:
worsy said:
Shoot me down, but I don't see the problem in stopped, waiting at lights in picking up your phone and reading a message/checking the time/ <some other small task>.
'cos they don't stop reading just because the lights change. Next time you're stopped at the lights, notice how many people are looking down and just flicking up occasionally as they drive past you, rather than concentrating forwards. I find it's especially bad on the morning commute.
Also I find it helps to use the time spent waiting to be aware of what's going on around before I move off- eg the cyclist creeping up on the inside.

Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

166 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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'thing is, the roads are safer than they have every been and phone use has gone from pretty much zero to most drivers using them in cars in 20 years, yet there has been no corresponding spike in RTA's.

It is most certainly very irritating, but is it as dangerous as we are being lead to believe?

V8RX7

26,763 posts

262 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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It will make a difference by at least 1.

I do answer calls briefly when I'm driving - I'm willing to risk 3pts but not 6.


Don

28,377 posts

283 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
quotequote all
Crumpet said:
About time! Question; does this apply to using a phone while holding it in your hand? If the phone is mounted on the dash in a suitable holder is that technically legal to use?

I have my iPhone mounted to the right of the car's touchscreen and have it open on Apple Music or Spotify to be able to control songs. It's a lot easier and less of a distraction to use that than to use the car's own touchscreen system and all the other controls but am I breaking the law by doing so? If so, does it render a dash mount completely pointless?
Hey Siri. Play me music by Motorhead. Job done. Hands never leave the wheel.

I leave my iPhone in the boot of my car. It's bluetooth'd to the in-car system. I also have an Apple Watch. I can just talk to the Watch and it makes the phone do whatever I say, and the sound comes out via the in-car system.

Highly effective. I can make calls, take calls, control the music, etc and my hands never leave the controls of the car.

Personally I don't do involved calls when driving but I can tell the Mrs I will be late or whatever in a ten second call - I'm well prepared to do that provided I remain in absolute control of the vehicle. Which I do. Because everything is hands free.

I can even send texts - completely hands free: Hey Siri, send a text to Mrs Don, say "I will be twenty minutes late." etc.

Don

28,377 posts

283 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
quotequote all
V8RX7 said:
It will make a difference by at least 1.

I do answer calls briefly when I'm driving - I'm willing to risk 3pts but not 6.
Get a hands free. You can then continue to do so and still behave responsibly. And today, you ain't risking any points. A brief "I'm driving can this wait?" response can sometimes save a lot of bother. People are usually very succinct in those circumstances.

V8RX7

26,763 posts

262 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
quotequote all
Don said:
V8RX7 said:
It will make a difference by at least 1.

I do answer calls briefly when I'm driving - I'm willing to risk 3pts but not 6.
Get a hands free. You can then continue to do so and still behave responsibly. And today, you ain't risking any points. A brief "I'm driving can this wait?" response can sometimes save a lot of bother. People are usually very succinct in those circumstances.
I run multiple cars and change them very frequently plus some are convertible so the wired & visor type don't work for me.

I will forget / loose the ear piece type so I'll just not answer calls and check my phone when I stop.


Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Good.

9pts and £500 would be even better.

Talking on the phone is bad enough, but texting is idiotic, and women are more often than not the culprits from what I have seen.

Nobody wants a nanny state, but this is just common sense.

Hands free brackets can be bought for peanuts.


frisbee

4,956 posts

109 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Willy Nilly said:
'thing is, the roads are safer than they have every been and phone use has gone from pretty much zero to most drivers using them in cars in 20 years, yet there has been no corresponding spike in RTA's.

It is most certainly very irritating, but is it as dangerous as we are being lead to believe?
Why do you need statistics? Get in your car, find a good road, now look down in your lap.

Boosted LS1

21,165 posts

259 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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I recently pulled up next to a young woman who had her phone strapped to the top of the steering wheel, incredible. Her head even followed the turning wheel but only down to 40 degrees or so. What a waste of space she was on her FB app or whatever.

Issi

1,782 posts

149 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Is it worth beeping at everyone you see calling or texting and then mouthing "put the sha@@ing phone down!?

Slidingpillar

761 posts

135 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Issi said:
Is it worth beeping at everyone you see calling or texting and then mouthing "put the sha@@ing phone down!?
Bet they just give you the finger...

caelite

4,273 posts

111 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
quotequote all
frisbee said:
Willy Nilly said:
'thing is, the roads are safer than they have every been and phone use has gone from pretty much zero to most drivers using them in cars in 20 years, yet there has been no corresponding spike in RTA's.

It is most certainly very irritating, but is it as dangerous as we are being lead to believe?
Why do you need statistics? Get in your car, find a good road, now look down in your lap.
Yes. Now get in your car, find a good road & hold your phone up above the steering wheel in eyeshot of your windscreen and select someone to dial and call. I can bet you will have a much easier job doing that than you would looking at your lap.

My argument is that people are going to do it anyway, why not allow them to do it as safely as possible, there is already legislation in place to prosecute drivers which dont do it safely (Driving without due care, dangerous driving etc). I completely agree that texting/facebooking/twittering well driving is bang out of order and completely unecessary however making a phone call is no more of a distraction than having a talktative kid or non-driver sitting in the passenger seat.

As other have pointed out phone use has consistantly gone up in recent years without corresponding accident statistics going up so it really is far less dangerous than many people seem to believe.