Annoyed With Myself - Big Time

[fatboy69]

I was going to post this in the 'my friend did this' thread however because I was stupid I have decided to come clean.

Last night - after a long, tiring & frustrating day at work - I got stopped by the BiB for driving whilst using my mobile - the call was just 21 seconds long however this was long enough for a parked up patrol car to spot me on the phone.

No excuses - I know I was in the wrong & that it was extremely stupid however it was late at nite, I was just a mile from home (which is even more dumb on my behalf) & I guess that I thought that being so close to home I would 'be ok to answer the call'.

So I did. Which was stupid.

Anyway I was breathalysed, which I passed as I dont drink at work (neither d I drink & drive), after which I was issued with a summons of Notice of Prosecution for driving while using a mobile.

The officer said that a decision would be taken by people other than him as too whether I would I be taken to court (he thought this would unlikely) where I could argue my case - which i can't because I was in the wrong & I don't have defence apart from being stupid - receive points & a fine, be made to take a Drivng Standards Retraining course or not to take any action at all.

So has any else been stopped like this & if so what penalty did you get?

I have had a clean licence for over 20 years so I'm hoping for the Driving Standards course.

I deserve any flak I get for being so sodding stupid.

[deltashad]

Unlucky fatboy. I'm sure there are plenty of people on this forum who are guilty of the same.

I hope they don't throw the book at you.

It's a little reminder to everyone how easy it is to be caught for doing something like this.
Good luck. Nobody's perfect.

[rallycross]

It's not you that's stupid it's the daft uk nanny state law that's stupid.

[Geekman]

fatboy69 said:

I deserve any flak I get for being so sodding stupid.

Late at night, not much traffic on the roads, I'd say you don't deserve much flak at all, and were unlucky to get caught doing something that isn't really any more dangerous than using a sat nav or the plethora of electronics that come built into cars nowadays. And in saying that, I'm sure I'm now going to get a load of flak from the holier than though brigade, so knock yourselves out

I'd imagine as there weren't any aggravating circumstances you'll almost certainly be offered the course

[Mk3Spitfire]

In my force at the moment, it's working like this;
Stop someone for being on phone. Instead of ticket now, we're reporting. The people in the traffic office will look at your licence/points etc and decide what to give you. Could be either;
FPN - 3 points, £100
Court - Similar penalty
Or, a course similar to speed awareness course.

[rolando]

rallycross said:

It's not you that's stupid it's the daft uk nanny state law that's stupid.

With all due respect, don't talk such utter cr@p.

I just hope I'm not around when you're not concentrating on the job in hand, i.e. driving, when you cause an incident, be it minor or major.

[Mk3Spitfire]

rolando said:

With all due respect, don't talk such utter cr@p.

I just hope I'm not around when you're not concentrating on the job in hand, i.e. driving, when you cause an incident, be it minor or major.

You better hope Nigel Worcs doesn't see this!

[roofer]

Why do people actually use a phone without a hands free kit nowdays?

[Sir Bagalot]

rolando said:

rallycross said:

It's not you that's stupid it's the daft uk nanny state law that's stupid.

With all due respect, don't talk such utter cr@p.

I just hope I'm not around when you're not concentrating on the job in hand, i.e. driving, when you cause an incident, be it minor or major.

And here we have someone taken in by it all.

Talking on a mobile (in your hand) is no different to smoking, eating a Kit Kat, taking a sip of water whilst driving.

[smileymikey]

My virgin clean licence took a three point hammering last year for the same thing...I drive about twelve hundred miles a week ( most of it at the time in Central London) my wife bless her. Decided to phone me just before Staples Corner...The same wife that used to bk me for talking on the phone. Take it on the chin buddy

[fatboy69]

I didn't use my hands free simply because I forgot to connect it on my way home. Had I connected it I would have been ok but I didn't.

When I was talking the officers, who were both extremely polite, it did occur to me that switching radio channels, lighting a cigarette, programming the sat-nav etc was just a dangerous as driving with a phone in my hand.

However knowing that I had broken the law I decided it would be somewhat churlish to use the above as a valid excuse.

I don't have an excuse - i just hope that I get the Speed course as points will mean that I can no longer drive my company cars which will mean getting me, & others, to work, will be difficult.

Can't believe that I was so fking stupid!!!!

Edited by fatboy69 on Sunday 30th March 20:50

[Nigel Worc's]

Mk3Spitfire said:

rolando said:

With all due respect, don't talk such utter cr@p.

I just hope I'm not around when you're not concentrating on the job in hand, i.e. driving, when you cause an incident, be it minor or major.

You better hope Nigel Worcs doesn't see this!

I've seen it, rolando, hand your licence in straight away, you are obviously not fit to drive anything, god knows what'd happen if you have to change gear, put an indicator on etc, polar bears everywhere would no doubt die !

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

rolando said:

rallycross said:

It's not you that's stupid it's the daft uk nanny state law that's stupid.

With all due respect, don't talk such utter cr@p.

I just hope I'm not around when you're not concentrating on the job in hand, i.e. driving, when you cause an incident, be it minor or major.

But it's ok to light a cigarette... fiddle with a sat nav... drive with your right arm resting on the door, holding the wheel with two fingers with your other hand on the wand of power etc etc.
It IS a silly law, considering all the other bad car control scenarios there are.

[Nigel Worc's]

fatboy69 said:

I just hope that I get the Speed course as points will mean that I can no longer drive my company cars which will mean getting me, & others, to work, will be difficult.

Eh ?

Please tell me that this is some stupid company policy, and that you aren't already sitting on a heap of points ?

[agtlaw]

fatboy69 said:

I was issued with a ... Notice of Prosecution for driving while using a mobile.

Interesting, as the alleged offence doesn't require this.

[fatboy69]

My licence is clean - the company I work for have a strict 'any points on your licence means you cannot drive our cars' policy.

Which we are all aware of.

[TVR1]

OP, which brand of car were you driving?

[jayemm89]

My step-mother got given the course after being caught on the phone. Frustratingly, she was stationary in traffic, 300 yards from the house, trying to phone my dad and warn him that there were roadworks. BiB was literally walking past.

If you've got a clean licence I would expect that you'd get a course, apparently they actually do work quite well.

It's annoying, but yeah, bluetooth pays for itself in these cases.

[Nigel Worc's]

fatboy69 said:

My licence is clean - the company I work for have a strict 'any points on your licence means you cannot drive our cars' policy.

Which we are all aware of.

Fairy nuff, their cars, their company, their loss !

[fatboy69]

TVR1 said:

OP, which brand of car were you driving?

Not sure how relevant this is - it doesn't matter. I broke the law. I got caught.