Motorists in the dark about mobile phone law
Discussion
ananova said:
Motorists in the dark about mobile phone law
Around a third of motorists are confused about, or unaware of, a forthcoming new law governing the use of mobile phones. From the beginning of December, new legislation will come into effect making it illegal to hold a mobile phone while driving.
The Government announced it was considering the law change last August.Since then it has consulted the public and experts on the proposal - with nearly 90% of responses in favour of a ban.
Research from the RAC showed one-fifth of the motorists who were aware of the change in the law were wrong in their knowledge of what the new law would comprise.
The RAC recommends that if you do need to use a phone while in your vehicle that you do so only with a fully-fitted car kit.
It also recommends keeping call-making to a minimum and using pre-programmed short-dial numbers wherever possible.
500,000 motorists are on the phone in their cars at any one time, according to the research. The practice is illegal in at least 30 countries.
In the UK, drivers must have proper control of their vehicles at all times and can be prosecuted for careless, inconsiderate or dangerous driving, if using a phone causes them to drive this way.
Penalties include an unlimited fine, disqualification and up to two years' imprisonment. It can also be an offence for employers to require their employees to use mobile phones while driving.
A few points in response to this:
The Government are going to make a fortune out of this.
If the law requires a driver to be in control at all times then why not prosecute smokers?
Don't we think there is enough law and that specific laws targeting mobile phone users gives the Government the excuse they need to make more money.
When a police officer uses his mobile phone or radio in the car will this be covered by the same law?
We all know what to do come the next elections!
The Government are going to make a fortune out of this.
If the law requires a driver to be in control at all times then why not prosecute smokers?
Don't we think there is enough law and that specific laws targeting mobile phone users gives the Government the excuse they need to make more money.
When a police officer uses his mobile phone or radio in the car will this be covered by the same law?
We all know what to do come the next elections!
Interesting.....
I use both radio and hands free mobile phone at work.
I am happy to drive to a job or in a pursuit at high speed and monitor radio traffic and occasionally reply or update my control by radio ( it's hands free too! )
This does not cause me a problem or distract me in any way.
If I take a call on the mobile, I will for some reason slow down.
Not on purpose, I just do.
I don't know why the concentration levels are so different, I don't slow down when talking to a passenger or maintaining a commentary.
No doubt, someone out there will be able to give an objective, considered and hopefully accurate reason as to why this happens.
It seems to me that the converstion over the phone becomes the primary focus for my concentration and the driving becomes of secondary importance.
That's why I prefer the radio!
I use both radio and hands free mobile phone at work.
I am happy to drive to a job or in a pursuit at high speed and monitor radio traffic and occasionally reply or update my control by radio ( it's hands free too! )
This does not cause me a problem or distract me in any way.
If I take a call on the mobile, I will for some reason slow down.
Not on purpose, I just do.
I don't know why the concentration levels are so different, I don't slow down when talking to a passenger or maintaining a commentary.
No doubt, someone out there will be able to give an objective, considered and hopefully accurate reason as to why this happens.
It seems to me that the converstion over the phone becomes the primary focus for my concentration and the driving becomes of secondary importance.
That's why I prefer the radio!
I think it's related to the delay on a mobile phone caused by the processing time of the data compression, and the subtly unnatural quality of the sound. This confuses your brain's perception of how the other person is reacting, and you have to concentrate harder on the actual words because the non-verbal parts of speech are missing or distorted.
It gets worse when the person on the other end is using a hands-free kit, and you hear a delayed echo of your own voice coming back a fraction of a second later, which can make it very hard to speak.
If you're a musician or something and have an echo unit with adjustable delay, you can feed people their own voices through headphones with a suitable delay and then ask them to recite poetry to the party... they might find it quite difficult
It gets worse when the person on the other end is using a hands-free kit, and you hear a delayed echo of your own voice coming back a fraction of a second later, which can make it very hard to speak.
If you're a musician or something and have an echo unit with adjustable delay, you can feed people their own voices through headphones with a suitable delay and then ask them to recite poetry to the party... they might find it quite difficult
I can't really see why we need persuading that using a hand-held mobile phone is dangerous. We see the effects of it every day, and I personally am becoming sick at the number of times I have had a repmobile or a 40 tonne artic come at me over the white line while the driver has been merrily yacking away on his mobile.
Common sense alone says it is dangerous. Why the arguments? And before anyone else recycles the 'why not ban smoking too' chestnut, let me say I am a smoker, and I have never failed to be in proper control of a vehicle while I've been smoking. (Note to non-smokers: you can hold a fag between your fingers and keep both hands on the wheel in between drags, and the time you need to spend with one hand off the wheel is no more than you'd need to change gear/CD/radio station. Why not try it?
)
Common sense alone says it is dangerous. Why the arguments? And before anyone else recycles the 'why not ban smoking too' chestnut, let me say I am a smoker, and I have never failed to be in proper control of a vehicle while I've been smoking. (Note to non-smokers: you can hold a fag between your fingers and keep both hands on the wheel in between drags, and the time you need to spend with one hand off the wheel is no more than you'd need to change gear/CD/radio station. Why not try it?
)When I first got a moby 4 years ago I always used to use it whilst driving, but the more I did the more I noticed I wasn't paying attention to the road, I don't use it at all now although I'll often eat a pasty or cake whilst driving along and don't find this a distraction at all. So I think its actually the conversation that distracts you as apposed to holding the phone.
lucozade said:
1) The Government are going to make a fortune out of this.
2) If the law requires a driver to be in control at all times then why not prosecute smokers?
3)Don't we think there is enough law and that specific laws targeting mobile phone users gives the Government the excuse they need to make more money.
4)When a police officer uses his mobile phone or radio in the car will this be covered by the same law?
1) Only if the mobile using muppets continue to do so
2) Smokers get heart disease and cancer; why punish them further?
3) Two way radios are not covered by this legislation. And you have a defence if you can show you're making an emergency call (police control trying to get in touch 'cause radio is
covered there) 4) The more corrupt the state, the greater the number of laws.
Ahem...
lucozade said:
The Government are going to make a fortune out of this.
To make any money the Government have to catch them. The number of traffic cops has been cut sharply as its easier to raise revenue using scameras, so who is going to issue the tickets.
This is just another case of reacting to newspaper headlines. Even before this law you could be charged with driving with out due care while on the phone. But the number of prosecutions was very limited since there are not enough traffic cops to impose the law. So what is the solution more traffic cops or a new law. The new law is cheaper and get more headlines.
You can't do this, you can't do that, you can't do f@cking anything anywhere, anytime in this criminally litigious age, where scum and villainy have the whip hand, so it feels, in all things.
In rebellion against this further slight against our innocent liberties, I shall celebrate my defiance this coming December 1st, by wielding a Gekko-spec Motorola military grade radio receiver to my head and simultaneously sellotaping a plethora of Hugh Heffner's finer centrefolds across my dashboard.
It's my car and I'll w@nking well do what I frigging well like in it, you over preened legislative pieces of vomit tainted bile.
>> Edited by derestrictor on Monday 20th October 09:41
In rebellion against this further slight against our innocent liberties, I shall celebrate my defiance this coming December 1st, by wielding a Gekko-spec Motorola military grade radio receiver to my head and simultaneously sellotaping a plethora of Hugh Heffner's finer centrefolds across my dashboard.
It's my car and I'll w@nking well do what I frigging well like in it, you over preened legislative pieces of vomit tainted bile.
>> Edited by derestrictor on Monday 20th October 09:41
sorry to laugh in view of your rant DeR, but I do find it very amusing 
sausagepilot said:
So I think its actually the conversation that distracts you as apposed to holding the phone.
Hear Hear! How come no one else has ever mentioned this in any of the debates, articles or campaigns I've heard. People quite happily multi-task whilst driving providing the task is relatively automatic and doesnt require much in the way of brain power but if you are thinking about an important conversation you are not totally focused on driving.
However, more legislation will not help. What we need is more driver training. I think it should really be left to the individual to make the decision. In a busy, unfamilar city I wouldnt dream of answering a call even on hands free, but on an empty, straight road, I'd quite happily answer the phone without hands free, whilst also eating a pasty, doing the crossword, reading a map, rolling a fag, setting the radio station and changing gear.
No law will ever eradicate deaths on our roads. Most deaths are attributable to lack of driving craft and common sense which can only be attained through experience. Unfortunately there is no cure for the terminal numpty. Although more training would help less experienced drivers.
onedsla said:
Whilst I agree that hand-held mobiles should not generally be used whilst driving, does anybody else find the idea of 2 years inprisonment a little harsh!!?
Indeed...especially as 2 years is also the maximum sentence for, as an example, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Hardly seems proportionate to little old moi...
loaf said:Isn't that the dangerous driving max setence rather than specifically for using a mobile phone?
Whilst I agree that hand-held mobiles should not generally be used whilst driving, does anybody else find the idea of 2 years inprisonment a little harsh!!?
Indeed...especially as 2 years is also the maximum sentence for, as an example, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Hardly seems proportionate to little old moi...
icamm said:
Does everybody know that earpiece 'hands free' kits will be illegal, too? Saw that on the news yesterday.
The last I heard they had discussed this and decided it was unenforcable. So I am fairly sure that any hands-free kit is okay.
In todays paper it said any earpiece kit that needed a hands on touch of the phone would be included in the ban. Slightly odd as I don't know of any car kit that is fully touch free.
This phone call in the car lark has always puzzled me as I can't understand why people seem to pay more attention to the phone call than the driving.
I am fairly sure that if I answer a call or make a call whilst driving my mind remains focussed on driving. Howevewr any calls I make and receive will not call for me to make notes, or indeed involve significant thinking.
As someone has stated in this thread your chances of being caught on the phone whilst driving are fairly limited due to the shortage of police on the road!
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