A ban on hands-free devices | PH Footnote
Legislation could kill the car hands-free device, but leave complicated infotainment systems unaffected
A report by the House of Commons’ Transport Select Committee has recommended banning the use of all mobile phones whilst driving, including hands-free devices. Chair of the committee, Labour MP Lilian Greenwood, said that the current law creates “a misleading impression that hands-free use is safe. The reality is that any use of a phone distracts from a driver’s ability to pay full attention, and the government should consider extending the ban to reflect this”.
The finding comes despite a recent High Court ruling which muddies the waters around what exactly constitutes use of a phone while driving. Builder Ramsey Barreto was found guilty of the offence after being spotted filming while passing the scene of a crash in North London. His conviction was later overturned, however, with Lady Justice Thirwall ruling that “the legislation does not prohibit all use of a mobile phone held while driving”. She said: “It prohibits driving while using a mobile phone or other device for calls and other interactive communication (and holding it at some stage during that process).”
Clearly a change in the law is needed, then, in order to reflect the ever-evolving way in which people use their smart devices - even the term ‘mobile phone’ seems an outdated one in 2019. But the MPs’ views raise an even bigger question than whether fiddling with a phone while driving is dangerous. If being distracted by the 5.5-inch screen of a smartphone is worthy of up to six points and a £200 fine, then what about the 17-inch display of a Tesla Model X?
Some manufacturers have attempted to persuade drivers to lock their phones away whilst behind the wheel with many, including Audi, placing the wireless charging pad within the armrest to ensure devices stay out of reach. The German marque’s latest interior refresh, however, has seen the climate controls shift to a secondary touch screen located directly beneath the infotainment display. Attempting to glance down at it to adjust the AC requires taking your eyes off the road for far longer than swiping to answer a call on a dash-mounted mobile.
Then there’s the case of cars like the VW Up. I thoroughly enjoyed my long-term GTI’s use of my smartphone in lieu of a built-in infotainment screen, its dash-top location even made it less distracting to use than the majority of factory-fitted systems. Under the Transport Committee’s recommendations, could I have found myself on the wrong side of the law for using my phone while driving, though?
Distracted driving is undoubtedly an issue, but modern motoring requires a far more nuanced approach to legislating against it than the simple vilification of mobile phones. With in-car tech becoming more and more prevalent, but fully-autonomous cars still realistically several years off, manufacturers need to act responsibly too. Designing a cabin that can’t be used without having to focus on a knee-height screen doesn’t seem to be a safety-first decision.
And when it comes to mobile phones themselves, well, prosecutions for breaking existing laws have declined by more than two-thirds since 2011, despite incidents involving drivers talking and texting having increased over the same period. Perhaps enforcing the laws we already have would be a good place to start, before rushing to implement any ill-conceived new ones.
Let us know of your thoughts on the matter below.
Added to which, magistrates are often reluctant to take the word alone of a single-crewed officer over the denials of the miscreant. With no plans to double-crew and limited spread of effective dash cams on the police fleet things are not going to improve any time soon.
How would the police it, when almost all new cars have built in hands free devices? Especially considering they can't even seem to police the current laws.
I have to agree on infotainment controls as well, I've spent quite a bit of time with Land Rovers new dual screen system for climate controls etc. As quite a tall person having to adjust my eyeline enough to manage to alter the seat heating or something means taking my eyes off the road completely. With the complexity of them its not a split second look either. I found it too dangerous and it put me off buying a new RRS!
My personal bug bear at the moment is dash cams and sat navs stuck on windscreens blocking the drivers view, I wish they'd do something about that!
It’s the same as dangerous driving, middle lane hogging and not using indicators. We seem to have to need to enforce all these rules, why are people so completely incapable of using any common sense or emotional intelligence anymore?
There are many, many situations where a chatting passenger would have no bearing on the situation in terms of helping the driver remain concentrated on the road and general surroundings as opposed to being on the end of a phone-line; in fact I can think of a few where passengers in a car would actually be more distracting (children bickering in the back of a car being the first one that comes to mind).
It's not the fact that their eyes aren't on the road, so much as the fact that their minds aren't.
It's not the fact that their eyes aren't on the road, so much as the fact that their minds aren't.
its utterly daft legislation formulated by more idiots with zero understanding of technology
millions of people use there smart phones as sat navs in cradles
also android auto and car play are also going to be illegal
technoluddites at the helm ...
still i guess we wont need to worry about using smartphones in cars if Comrade Corbyn bans private car ownership in 2030 lol
However, even with noise from children going on in the car, the research* is pretty clear that you're not as absent as you are on a phone call. The most significant thing is that you are much more distracted when preparing to speak or are speaking. The second factor is that there's something about a disembodied voice that requires more concentration and takes you away from the present. It requires active as opposed to passive listening.
- see for example https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/0805...
its utterly daft legislation formulated by more idiots with zero understanding of technology
millions of people use there smart phones as sat navs in cradles
also android auto and car play are also going to be illegal
technoluddites at the helm ...
It’s the same as dangerous driving, middle lane hogging and not using indicators. We seem to have to need to enforce all these rules, why are people so completely incapable of using any common sense or emotional intelligence anymore?
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