what is worse .. .. .. ..

[DucatiGary]

just wondering what everybodys thoughts are on this,

what is worse:-

driving 10% over the speed limit

OR

driving below the speed limit but with a mobile phone in hand.

I see hundreds of people using mobile phones everyday on my travels, and on the motorways alof of people speeding I suppose.

and somtimes I see both speeding and on the phone . . . . . . . dont worry i have a hands free kit installed into my car and with only 1 point left on my license I drive like a vicar

[dickymint]

Maybe one day when speed cameras are scrapped they could save face by utilising them for catching people using their mobiles. Which IMHO is a far worse offence.

[wiggy001]

Maybe one day, when the government learns not to enforce rules as a kneejerk to save the lowest common denominator from himself and give Guardian readers a warm glow, people will begin the respect the law of the land.

Neither of the above scenarios is automatically dangerous. Why are some people incapable of understanding this?

[turbobloke]

dickymint said:

Maybe one day when speed cameras are scrapped they could save face by utilising them for catching people using their mobiles. Which IMHO is a far worse offence.

Fortunately or unfortunately, in a rare moment of coherent speech, ladyboy has already ruled out cameras prying inside cars as an invasion of privacy, so we're safe to pick our noses for all of, what, the next 24 hours at least, until the next rush of blood into that cavity where ministerial brains would normally be.

I'd agree 100% with the mobile phone issue if it wasn't an offence to be on the phone in a stationery vehicle, say in a going-nowhere-for-ages traffic jam, and if it could be shown that the lowered concentration in using a mobile is greater and significantly more dangerous than the dozens of other distractions drivers face every minute. Not condoning it, just asking.

[motco]

turbobloke said:

Fortunately or unfortunately, in a rare moment of coherent speech, ladyboy has already ruled out cameras prying inside cars as an invasion of privacy....

So what's identifying a driver with a forward facing camera through the windscreen if it's not 'prying inside cars', then?

[turbobloke]

motco said:

turbobloke said: Fortunately or unfortunately, in a rare moment of coherent speech, ladyboy has already ruled out cameras prying inside cars as an invasion of privacy.... So what's identifying a driver with a forward facing camera through the windscreen if it's not 'prying inside cars', then?

Good point. As you'll appreciate, I can't speak for the right honourable member for ladyboyland, but can remember that the comment referred to use of talivan and cctv roadside images prying into the car for mobile use. However after seeing Sister Slap applying lippy on that talivan video, there are times my intense dislike of this Orwellian stuff quivers a bit...but then it's soon back rock solid when I hear about the latest idiotic scumera trickery.

[Mr Whippy]

motco said:

turbobloke said: Fortunately or unfortunately, in a rare moment of coherent speech, ladyboy has already ruled out cameras prying inside cars as an invasion of privacy.... So what's identifying a driver with a forward facing camera through the windscreen if it's not 'prying inside cars', then?

Nothing to stop you wearing a "stig" type helmet in a car yet though. Fire-proof balaclava would do, you know, "just in case", "for safety occifer"

Dave

[dickymint]

Mr Whippy said:

motco said: turbobloke said: Fortunately or unfortunately, in a rare moment of coherent speech, ladyboy has already ruled out cameras prying inside cars as an invasion of privacy.... So what's identifying a driver with a forward facing camera through the windscreen if it's not 'prying inside cars', then? Nothing to stop you wearing a "stig" type helmet in a car yet though. Fire-proof balaclava would do, you know, "just in case", "for safety occifer" Dave

Unless it's a hoody

[J1mmyD]

DucatiGary said:

just wondering what everybodys thoughts are on this, what is worse:- driving 10% over the speed limit OR driving below the speed limit but with a mobile phone in hand.

Yesterday's example (which is really just a mirror of what I see daily) - came up behind a guy in lane 3 - I was doing a displayed 80 (so you can comfortably read 74) he was doing 50. Traffic was pretty heavy, but at this point both the inside lanes were free for a good 100 yeards ahead.

He swerved left as I came up behind him (not tailgating or flashing lights), he then corrected right before seeing me in his rear view mirror and moving to the middle lane without turning his head.

As I went past, I looked across at him - left hand on top of the wheel, right hand holding a mobile to his left ear.

Now ... I have nothing against using a mobile while driving. Hell ... I did it for years and even now I regularly talk and drive using bluetooth. What I do have a problem with is leaving yourself in such a position that you cannot pay the correct attention to the road that is demanded by the traffic conditions.

This same argument applies to all road usage. 100mph+ isn't unsafe, if you can see a mile ahead, your vehicle is properly maintained to operate at those speeds and the road condition is good with no other traffic around. Also, 70mph IS unsafe if you're driving bumper to bumper along the M1 at 5.30 any evening. (Yeah ... I'm one of those sad b*****ds who actually leaves a thinking distance between myself and car in front of me in stop start traffic. It doesn't even bother me anymore when the BMWs get right up the arse of the car in front while on the inside lane, then cut in .... after all, they do have to brake test somewhere, don't they?).

It just seems that too many people on the roads don't think about what goes on outside their lil steel box. (Did you know that the average driver only looks 15 feet ahead of his own car? Don't ask me who the average driver is ... it's just one of those comments I've read .... apparantly 47% of all statistics are made up on the spot too).