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

[speedking31]

surveyor_101 said:

Psycho Warren said:

Lets hope they clarify the legislation so that stopped in a safe place is acceptable, regardless of if engine is running.

If engine running its an offence.

Reason being folk could just stop in the middle of the road or at traffic lights and chat away so it had to be included to stop these silly beggars.

Why silly? It's not dangerous so why make it an offence?

[surveyor_101]

speedking31 said:

hy silly? It's not dangerous so why make it an offence?

I didn't make the law but assume it was included so smart arses could just stop were they like or a traffic lights and chat away. You should be in control of your vehicle even when waiting at lights.

I assume they wanted people to leave their phones alone when driving so there is no temptation including when stopped momentarily.

See people all the time and normally when the car in front seems to be driven eractically 8/10 times it's a phone that is the problem.

[jith]

surveyor_101 said:

speedking31 said:

hy silly? It's not dangerous so why make it an offence?

I didn't make the law but assume it was included so smart arses could just stop were they like or a traffic lights and chat away. You should be in control of your vehicle even when waiting at lights.

I assume they wanted people to leave their phones alone when driving so there is no temptation including when stopped momentarily.

See people all the time and normally when the car in front seems to be driven eractically 8/10 times it's a phone that is the problem.

I assume that those with even limited intelligence can distinguish between sitting at lights or a junction and being parked up in the winter with your engine running due to low temperatures. It's once again a classic example of ill thought law, and the police misinterpreting the intent in the law, or deliberately enforcing it inappropriately.

J

[speedking31]

This law doesn’t prevent you from stopping where you like, engine off handbrake on, use phone, get out if necessary. Inconvenient and selfish, yes, but not dangerous.

If people want to move off slowly from the lights then that’s their right.

[Psycho Warren]

surveyor_101 said:

I didn't make the law but assume it was included so smart arses could just stop were they like or a traffic lights and chat away. You should be in control of your vehicle even when waiting at lights.

I assume they wanted people to leave their phones alone when driving so there is no temptation including when stopped momentarily.

See people all the time and normally when the car in front seems to be driven eractically 8/10 times it's a phone that is the problem.

The law would just need to specify that a vehicle needs to be stationary in a safe position, not causing an obstruction. Middle of a junction is clearly not safe and causing an obstruction.......

[Mr Snrub]

Have just completed a 300 mile motorway journey so had a lot of time to think about the enforcement question. Only saw three marked police cars the whole time, two with the blues on already and one camera van on a bridge. Another thing I noticed coming towards me were the amount of HGV drivers with their phones at the ear or balanced at the top of the wheel, something that wouldn't have been seen even if there were police there

[Spitfire2]

Mr Snrub said:

Have just completed a 300 mile motorway journey so had a lot of time to think about the enforcement question. Only saw three marked police cars the whole time, two with the blues on already and one camera van on a bridge. Another thing I noticed coming towards me were the amount of HGV drivers with their phones at the ear or balanced at the top of the wheel, something that wouldn't have been seen even if there were police there

Well if you could see then a police officer could see them - as you say, if they were there though.

I wouldn't complain if the police had a real blitz on this behaviour. So many muppets reckon its perfectly safe land no riskier than pushing a button on the stereo to change tracks. Only way to change the behaviour is to make them fear the consequences.

[Mr Snrub]

Spitfire2 said:

Mr Snrub said:

Have just completed a 300 mile motorway journey so had a lot of time to think about the enforcement question. Only saw three marked police cars the whole time, two with the blues on already and one camera van on a bridge. Another thing I noticed coming towards me were the amount of HGV drivers with their phones at the ear or balanced at the top of the wheel, something that wouldn't have been seen even if there were police there

Well if you could see then a police officer could see them - as you say, if they were there though.

I wouldn't complain if the police had a real blitz on this behaviour. So many muppets reckon its perfectly safe land no riskier than pushing a button on the stereo to change tracks. Only way to change the behaviour is to make them fear the consequences.

they were on the other carriageway though, with the crash barrier blocking the numberplates, so little an actual traffic car could have done. Not sure if many forces use unmarked bikes, but that must be the best option for catching cars and vans

[surveyor_101]

Psycho Warren said:

The law would just need to specify that a vehicle needs to be stationary in a safe position, not causing an obstruction. Middle of a junction is clearly not safe and causing an obstruction.......

Get onto your local mp and justice secretary and ask for the law to be changed.

I expect the op was given very polite words of advice that's it. Again police dammed whatever.

Gassing on here isn't going to. When the engine is running your in control of a car, a previous government thought that people in control of killing machine cars need to concentrate on driving not using a phone. Unless your very very poor most people can afford a hands free solution if they don't already have one in their car. About 2/3!of the people I come across have late model decent cars with hands free, they lazy or ignorant on utilising feature.

[surveyor_101]

Psycho Warren said:

The law would just need to specify that a vehicle needs to be stationary in a safe position, not causing an obstruction. Middle of a junction is clearly not safe and causing an obstruction.......

Suffering from lack of imagination on here lately, however you won't belief the amount of people who would sit blaockimg roads on the phone if that's all they had to do if a copper came into view.

[Countdown]

Greater Manchester Police crackdown

[anonymous-user]

surveyor_101 said:

Again police dammed whatever.

They're not damned if they use common sense, driving down the road with the phone to your ear constitutes a fine whilst parked up in a safe place with the engine running with the phone to your ear doesn't.

[surveyor_101]

Raygun said:

They're not damned if they use common sense, driving down the road with the phone to your ear constitutes a fine whilst parked up in a safe place with the engine running with the phone to your ear doesn't.

Safely parked is ok, within the law,but that's purely down the coppers opinion of safely parked.

[drf765]

Don't hold your phone and use it while driving.

[anonymous-user]

surveyor_101 said:

Safely parked is ok, within the law,but that's purely down the coppers opinion of safely parked.

Common sense is what is needed like all laws.

[speedking31]

Countdown said:

Greater Manchester Police crackdown

Article accompanied by photo of testing for red diesel, fantastic journalism

[Biker 1]

Mr Snrub said:

Not sure if many forces use unmarked bikes, but that must be the best option for catching cars and vans

Bikes are easily the best way to spot all this muppetry - you usually see them from behind, reflected in their door mirrors, & also looking down whilst filtering. The give away is the erratic weaving & poor throttle control.....

[Ken Figenus]

Driver on the phone made my son leap back off on a f ZEBRA CROSSING today as he ploughed on regardless. Very glad I always taught son never to take others' actions for granted on the road and to think for them. Could have been a squashed 12 yrs old - he was quite shaken. They really need to hammer these idiots harder still.

[AH33]

It's not just people on their phones, its people looking away from the road for stupid reasons.

There are cars now which will read out your facebook posts while you drive. What fking moron is this aimed at?

[drf765]

AH33 said:

It's not just people on their phones, its people looking away from the road for stupid reasons.

There are cars now which will read out your facebook posts while you drive. What fking moron is this aimed at?

There are millions of Facebook apparently.