What can be done about the use of mobile phones?
Discussion
My commute is 25 miles ea. way; for the vast majority of the year and when the weather gods are favourable, I try and ride my bicycle at least twice a week.
The roads I travel on are wide A-roads with traffic a steady 50mph for the most part, and although free flowing, there is very limited opportunities for overtaking.
Being a vulnerable road user I'm hyper aware of driving standards and the sheer volume of motorists on their phones is astounding, not just having a quick glance but looking at them as if they are sat on the couch browsing.
Interestingly, phone usage doesn't appear to be limited to any one user group.
What can be done to combat this? Instant 12 month ban? 5 year ban?
The roads I travel on are wide A-roads with traffic a steady 50mph for the most part, and although free flowing, there is very limited opportunities for overtaking.
Being a vulnerable road user I'm hyper aware of driving standards and the sheer volume of motorists on their phones is astounding, not just having a quick glance but looking at them as if they are sat on the couch browsing.
Interestingly, phone usage doesn't appear to be limited to any one user group.
What can be done to combat this? Instant 12 month ban? 5 year ban?
Death sentence is the only way Millenials will be surgically removed from their Instalife......
Its f
king woefull just HOW many drivers have a phone in their hands whilst driving at motorway speeds these days.
But fk em, eh? They dont have the follwers I do, right ?
Pricks, the lot of them.
Its f
king woefull just HOW many drivers have a phone in their hands whilst driving at motorway speeds these days.But f
k em, eh? They dont have the follwers I do, right ?Pricks, the lot of them.
It’s not just young people though. Today alone I witnessed a bloke in his 40s, the same car as me that has mobile phone connectivity using his mobile to his ear whilst driving, an old woman alongside me at the traffic lights at the end of a motorway slip road eating what appeared to runner beans with a fork. I can only assume she had started her meal somewhere on the motorway. The centre of Bristol on the way home an older woman putting on some sort of powder make up and slowly crawling forward through the traffic. One hand with her brush and the other holding the tub of make up. It’s mental out there it really is.
Edited by oldaudi on Monday 12th August 22:22
Network base stations and phone location services can determine movement - could someone with points or a conviction be ‘locked’ out of the network/their phone when moving fast enough through a cell?
almost no one could use a phone while moving 30 years ago, and we got by!
Edit: they could probably buy a new sim or phone...
almost no one could use a phone while moving 30 years ago, and we got by!
Edit: they could probably buy a new sim or phone...
I sounded my horn at a female who wandered across into my lane coming onto the Aston Expressway from the tunnels the other evening. Getting dark, she's got the phone resting on the wheel and is poking it with both hands, she was speeding and one of her headlights was out. She turned to me with a scowl on her face and said "what?" I see at least half a dozen on every commute.
Same here in Canada and appears to be a problem for drivers of 18 to 80. No day passes where I do not see several people look down at their laps or texting, browsing, or even watching a video now and then.
Fines and points are all severe , but the social acceptability is still an issue.
Years ago people drove drunk much more often and it was not regarded as a grave offence as it rightly is now. People used to smoke everywhere, even on planes, and it is now unacceptable to sit beside a stranger and light up a cigarette.
Yet texting is still something do in all sorts of circumstances. I see endless numbers of pedestrians texting and once saw a guy on a skateboard texting.
The only way I can figure for it to be reduced is better education, serious advertising, higher fines and a driving ban.
Fines and points are all severe , but the social acceptability is still an issue.
Years ago people drove drunk much more often and it was not regarded as a grave offence as it rightly is now. People used to smoke everywhere, even on planes, and it is now unacceptable to sit beside a stranger and light up a cigarette.
Yet texting is still something do in all sorts of circumstances. I see endless numbers of pedestrians texting and once saw a guy on a skateboard texting.
The only way I can figure for it to be reduced is better education, serious advertising, higher fines and a driving ban.
Not defending use of phones by drivers, not at all. Turn 7 summed it up on post 2, but something seems to stop people's brains working when they get the call.
Most Saturday evenings I drive past this pub, it's a really tricky bit of road, junction, blind bend, narrow pavement, pelican crossing just round the corner, road itself not that wide, folks spilling out onto the pavement outside the front door for a smoke break/ fresh air, you get the picture. Therefore I slow the f*ck right down, 10 mph or less depending if they're standing in the gutter. Few times now some silly sod steps out fully into the road without looking right in front of me and then saunters down the road completely oblivious to a thundering great clattering vehicle they've just caused to stop. tts.
What really gets my goat, is that I have every confidence in the belief that these people would react as blindly to the phone if they were not in a boozer but driving a vehicle. Yet they have a licence, a vote, even permitted to sit on a jury ffs.
Time to calm down.
Most Saturday evenings I drive past this pub, it's a really tricky bit of road, junction, blind bend, narrow pavement, pelican crossing just round the corner, road itself not that wide, folks spilling out onto the pavement outside the front door for a smoke break/ fresh air, you get the picture. Therefore I slow the f*ck right down, 10 mph or less depending if they're standing in the gutter. Few times now some silly sod steps out fully into the road without looking right in front of me and then saunters down the road completely oblivious to a thundering great clattering vehicle they've just caused to stop. t
ts.What really gets my goat, is that I have every confidence in the belief that these people would react as blindly to the phone if they were not in a boozer but driving a vehicle. Yet they have a licence, a vote, even permitted to sit on a jury ffs.
Time to calm down.
Edited by FiF on Tuesday 13th August 07:01
And just to add another (controversial!) dimension to the debate see the article below. Personally I've always been of the view it's the talking on a mobile phone that's the real distraction when driving (as opposed to physically holding the handset) and it seems others are of the same opinion; texting and e-mailing while driving are obviously on another level again.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
JNW1 said:
And just to add another (controversial!) dimension to the debate see the article below. Personally I've always been of the view it's the talking on a mobile phone that's the real distraction when driving (as opposed to physically holding the handset) and it seems others are of the same opinion; texting and e-mailing while driving are obviously on another level again.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
I don't personally find that as you are the same when having a conversation with a passenger.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
I'll get stick and I don't care, I occasionally use my phone while driving. If it's 11pm on an empty motorway and I just need to send a quick message to my Mrs to say I'm getting home at 11.30 and to not wait up then I will.
I will also quickly reply to an email (3 or 4 word response type thing) at traffic lights when my car is in N and handbrake on.
I don't even think about it in built up areas or busy roads etc
Call me a prick etc , I don't care really :-)
I'm sure many others are same boat as me but wouldn't care to admit it.
Enjoy roasting.
I just heard the story on the news.
As someone who makes lots of hands free calls it it would be a major inconvenience.
What’s next? no talking to passengers, listening to the radio or music? They all provide a similar level of distraction to a hands free call.
I have heard the argument that a passenger is aware of what’s going on in the car and will be quiet if the driver needs to concentrate, but what about loud music?
The point is that if you take all of these things away easily distracted drivers will find something else to fiddle with (those e cigarette pipe things for example)
As someone who makes lots of hands free calls it it would be a major inconvenience.
What’s next? no talking to passengers, listening to the radio or music? They all provide a similar level of distraction to a hands free call.
I have heard the argument that a passenger is aware of what’s going on in the car and will be quiet if the driver needs to concentrate, but what about loud music?
The point is that if you take all of these things away easily distracted drivers will find something else to fiddle with (those e cigarette pipe things for example)
JNW1 said:
And just to add another (controversial!) dimension to the debate see the article below. Personally I've always been of the view it's the talking on a mobile phone that's the real distraction when driving (as opposed to physically holding the handset) and it seems others are of the same opinion; texting and e-mailing while driving are obviously on another level again.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
This disconnect by your brain I think that is what research has proved,https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
It really does need the same stigma as drink driving.
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