Going out your way

[CooperS]

With technology in modern lux cars do you have to truly go out your way to have to not use the in car hand free system.

This morning saw an Audi R8 and then a lovely Merc GT roadster. Both old bolding men using they're phones whilst changing lanes in traffic trying to get onto the M25 junction dedicated lane. wkers.

So whilst most probably won't put they're hands up for using the phone whilst driving how many adjust don't bother connecting it?

[Truckosaurus]

You'd think supercar/GT types wouldn't dare to use their phone 'manually' as it just screams out "This is just a loaner that's why my phone isn't synced to it".

Or they are just old and/or dim and can't work out how to do it.

[funkyrobot]

Even with the technology available, do people really need to be on the phone when driving? Any phone call taken by hand or hands free is distracting.

Personally, I'd rather see a blanket ban on all phone use when driving a vehicle.

Need to make a call? Pull over and stop.

It's a shame we have a war on speed and less police to catch people holding a phone when driving.

[Dracoro]

funkyrobot said:

Even with the technology available, do people really need to be on the phone when driving? Any phone call taken by hand or hands free is distracting.

So it talking to passengers (or even just having passengers!), listening to music/radio etc.
Most drivers can make/take a phone call without compromising safety. For those that struggle, just don’t take/make a call I the same way as you might not put the radio on etc.

I’m talking about hands free of course. I am surprised how many people have enough ability to work a smartphone (i.e. nearly everyone) yet are too lazy to work out how to Bluetooth sync to their car (in the majority of cars, this really isn’t that difficult).

[Thales]

Their!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Johnspex]

Thales said:

Their!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's just the tip of the iceberg.

[ARHarh]

My brother in law hasn't even worked out how to turn his aircon on and this time of year his car is so steamed up you can barely see out. He is very unlikely to connect his hands free.

[Cliftonite]

Dracoro said:

So it talking to passengers (or even just having passengers!), listening to music/radio etc.
Most drivers can make/take a phone call without compromising safety . For those that struggle, just don’t take/make a call I the same way as you might not put the radio on etc.

I’m talking about hands free of course. I am surprised how many people have enough ability to work a smartphone (i.e. nearly everyone) yet are too lazy to work out how to Bluetooth sync to their car (in the majority of cars, this really isn’t that difficult).

Not so, though, is it?

[eybic]

• balding

[CooperS]

eybic said:

*balding

haha yer maybe part of the painting I should of brushed over.

I'm still cross but there's not much I can do about it. just bewildered in latest gen cars phone integration being what it is people still drive dangerously

[eybic]

CooperS said:

eybic said:

*balding

haha yer maybe part of the painting I should of brushed over.

I'm still cross but there's not much I can do about it. just bewildered in latest gen cars phone integration being what it is people still drive dangerously

It frustrates me too, over 50k on a car and no bluetooth in use

[Kev_Mk3]

More and more you see it, people staring at the floor (aka their mobiles in their laps) not the road ahead.

[daddy cool]

CooperS said:

eybic said:

*balding

haha yer maybe part of the painting I should of brushed over.

I'm still cross but there's not much I can do about it. just bewildered in latest gen cars phone integration being what it is people still drive dangerously

FFS

[Dog Star]

I don't get how anyone, regardless of what vehicle they're driving, is willing to risk six points. The driving licence is a great leveller, rich or poor we all get twelve to play with - the fine isn't really of any consequence. It's why I'm even more astonished to see kids who probably passed their tests recently doing it - blammo! Licence gone, and a retest.

Not only that - take the example of a pedestrian stepping out in front of you and you hit - and possibly kill them. Now this might not necessarily be through any wrongdoing of the driver, but if this happens and you're proven to have been on the phone/texting then I suspect you are going to be going to jail for quite a long time.

Having said that, personally I don't think it's dangerous all the time, however what stops me completely is the penalty for being caught. It's harsh. For me it works.

[Baldchap]

eybic said:

*balding

You rang?

[thebigmacmoomin]

When I connect my phone via Bluetooth, it streams my music without me asking and with no way of stopping it doing so (unless I remember and pause the track or delete all of the music)

[Dracoro]

Cliftonite said:

Not so, though, is it?

OK, most drivers that DO make hands free calls do so safely.

If it were a large problem there would be crashes all the time during hands free phone calls, which there aren’t, it’s just that minority who can’t do both safely.

That’s why the law was done such to ban holding the phone and did not ban hands free as there was little evidence to suggest is was a problem.

[Marlin45]

funkyrobot said:

Even with the technology available, do people really need to be on the phone when driving? Any phone call taken by hand or hands free is distracting.

Personally, I'd rather see a blanket ban on all phone use when driving a vehicle.

Need to make a call? Pull over and stop.

It's a shame we have a war on speed and less police to catch people holding a phone when driving.

I would go further and have phone use while driving being treated the same as drink driving.