Driving while on a mobile phone!

[Notters]

As shown on a documentary the other day, a hands free kit is no safer, so you'd better stop that too. And I hope they make it illegal soon.

Here it is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04c01vs/panorama-drivers-who-kill

and it is largely the conversation that is the issue, i.e. concentrating on hearing and understanding someone who is not there. Not so much the pressing of buttons, etc.

 

[thisistips]

The problem with this is that you are required to use your fingers and eyes to make that call. The act of speaking in the phone isn't always the issue.

One example I am aware of is of a young girl who wasn't on a phone when she hit a young family on the coast road. She was however, reaching to the passenger seat to get her phone to make that call. The subsequent collision killed a member of that young family.

The driver was sentennced to 18 months in prison.

An outright ban on mobile phones which exists today is the onlly way to save on confusion, get out clauses and ultimatley lives.

And this is why I would 'grass' someone on the phone.

 

[wardy wonder land]

some ideas :

high roof mounted cameras on unmarked police cars to video mobile offenders, when pulled over & shown the footage, the cops then have a block of wood, 3 inch nail, hammer the nail though the phone into the wood - hand back to driver - no fines, no courts, 5min job - the inconvinece of getting a new phone outweights the £60 fine

Insurance Black boxes to include phone jammers when the ignition is on

 

[ringmerseagulltoo]

As shown on a documentary the other day, a hands free kit is no safer, so you'd better stop that too. And I hope they make it illegal soon.

Here it is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04c01vs/panorama-drivers-who-kill

and it is largely the conversation that is the issue, i.e. concentrating on hearing and understanding someone who is not there. Not so much the pressing of buttons, etc.

I am now retired but used to use hands free a great deal for business calls. It did become apparent that my concentration was split, I was aware of traffic I believe, but would occasionally miss a Motorway exit I needed to use. The instinctive things seemed to be ok, but conscious thought was focused on the call.

But I'm a bloke and can't multitask.

Whilst recently in America, holding a phone seemed almost to be the norm. All cars are automatic so driving only needs one hand. New York taxi drivers use theirs as satnavs, holding them on the laps and tapping in info whilst driving.

 

[dadams2k11]

It would be interesting to know how many people were killed because of people using their mobiles whilst driving before it became illegal?

What is the problem? Is it not having two hands on the wheel? Is is concentrations? Both?

If it s concentration then why the f*ck is there hands free? If it two hands on the wheel then how are you allowed to change gear, eat, tune the radio, change cd, smoking, pick ones nose whilst driving?

For me, the stuff i have mentioned above is just as bad as using a phone whilst driving.

I think it is just another money making scheme they have latched on too.

 

[BN9 BHA]

It would be interesting to know how many people were killed because of people using their mobiles whilst driving before it became illegal?

What is the problem? Is it not having two hands on the wheel? Is is concentrations? Both?

If it s concentration then why the f*ck is there hands free? If it two hands on the wheel then how are you allowed to change gear, eat, tune the radio, change cd, smoking, pick ones nose whilst driving?

For me, the stuff i have mentioned above is just as bad as using a phone whilst driving.

I think it is just another money making scheme they have latched on too.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure eating and driving is not allowed.

 

[Bulldog]

I actually spotted a someone on a motor bike texting a couple of days ago. 7 PM, busy contraflow part of the seafront, full face crash helmet with tinted visor, holding his phone a couple of inches from the visor so he could text while riding. That was a first for me.

 

[portlock seagull]

I think part of the problem is people get bored whilst driving and want to 'chat'. I hear people doing the equivalent on trains, boring monotone conversations that aren't exactly business or social critical; but do 'pass the time'. It's just the modern way. People must engage' with others at all times, an entire generation has adopted a way of life that involves constant communication using smart technology. And habits are hard to break - ask any smoker, who incidentally if doing so in a company car are breaking the law given it's classified as a place of work. We had to 'display' no smoking signs as taxis do at my last company or face disciplinary action. Bizarrely, mine kept falling off...

 

[Clive Walker]

I think part of the problem is people get bored whilst driving and want to 'chat'. I hear people doing the equivalent on trains, boring monotone conversations that aren't exactly business or social critical; but do 'pass the time'. It's just the modern way. People must engage' with others at all times, an entire generation has adopted a way of life that involves constant communication using smart technology. And habits are hard to break - ask any smoker, who incidentally if doing so in a company car are breaking the law given it's classified as a place of work. We had to 'display' no smoking signs as taxis do at my last company or face disciplinary action. Bizarrely, mine kept falling off...

Although using a mobile phone while 'in control' of a moving vehicle runs the risk of killing someone whereas your examples don't.

 

[dingodan]

Close your eyes.

 

[Rogero]

I think that I read that in any accident police will be looking at every mobile phone to see if they were in use.

 

[dadams2k11]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure eating and driving is not allowed.

This is what i found:

"It is not a criminal offence in itself to drink, smoke or eat whilst driving a vehicle however there is a potential punishment of failing to drive with due care and attention. It is therefore a matter of how the individual activity affects your ability to drive reasonably and safely on the roads."

What's the difference to using a mobile? You can be in conversation with a passenger whilst eating, drinking, smoking which is the same as using a mobile..

 

[Notters]

What's the difference to using a mobile? You can be in conversation with a passenger whilst eating, drinking, smoking which is the same as using a mobile..

It's not at all, for a number of reasons:

* If you're talking to someone in the car, they will be able to see if there's a hazardous situation, e.g. a roundabout or someone pulls out in front of you, and pause the conversation.
* It's always difficult to hear people consistently on a mobile, particularly when your moving. The signal will fade in and out and you'll have to concentrate more on hearing them.
* Though it may not always feel like it, a passenger is there to help the driver, e.g. point out an exit on a motorway, whereas the person on the phone is only a distraction.

Hands-free cell phones are just as distracting as handheld models because the conversation is the biggest distraction.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

This is what i found:

"It is not a criminal offence in itself to drink, smoke or eat whilst driving a vehicle however there is a potential punishment of failing to drive with due care and attention. It is therefore a matter of how the individual activity affects your ability to drive reasonably and safely on the roads."

What's the difference to using a mobile? You can be in conversation with a passenger whilst eating, drinking, smoking which is the same as using a mobile..

I saw a guy driving the other day holding a large Sub style sandwich in one hand, hand on the wheel with the other and probably thought he was still driving safely.

The reality was that he had slowed down to 30mph on the inside lane of the A27 between Lewes and Brighton and was weaving from side to side within the lane as he wasn't concentrating on his driving or the road and could easily have weaved into the outside lane at any time and caused a serious accident.

I spot several people eating each day whilst driving, loads on their mobiles, some looking at paperwork or playing with their sat navs whilst travelling at speed, tailgating on the inside lane of a dual carriageway when the outside overtaking lane is free, tailgating the vehilce in front when that vehicle is overtaking another vehicle on a dual carriageway and unable to pull over and get out of the way.

(I was going to start a more general thread on driving standards in Sussex before i spotted this one)

The trouble is that driving is too easy, you lose the sense of how fast you are going and the risk of injury should you crash or have someone crash into you that people take their attention away from driving and safe driving inparticular and ignore the risks and dangers

 

[W.C.]

Wow. A thread on bad driving and it's made it to page 3 without someone trying to steer (geddit?) the conversation on to bad cyclists.

 

[dadams2k11]

I saw a guy driving the other day holding a large Sub style sandwich in one hand, hand on the wheel with the other and probably thought he was still driving safely.

The reality was that he had slowed down to 30mph on the inside lane of the A27 between Lewes and Brighton and was weaving from side to side within the lane as he wasn't concentrating on his driving or the road and could easily have weaved into the outside lane at any time and caused a serious accident.

I spot several people eating each day whilst driving, loads on their mobiles, some looking at paperwork or playing with their sat navs whilst travelling at speed, tailgating on the inside lane of a dual carriageway when the outside overtaking lane is free, tailgating the vehilce in front when that vehicle is overtaking another vehicle on a dual carriageway and unable to pull over and get out of the way.

(I was going to start a more general thread on driving standards in Sussex before i spotted this one)

The trouble is that driving is too easy, you lose the sense of how fast you are going and the risk of injury should you crash or have someone crash into you that people take their attention away from driving and safe driving inparticular and ignore the risks and dangers

My point is why is it illegal to use your phone and drive but not to Eat, Drink (non alcohol) and drive?

What was/is the stats for people killed by drivers using phones before it was illegal?

I think its got more to do with making money, millions drive, millions use phones lets make a law the combines the two and make loads of dosh.

Look what's happening to diesel drivers. They got to pay more tax and pay double to go into the centre of London (2020). Is it fair that because you use a different fuel u get punished?

It is all a cash cow when it comes to driving.

 

[Clive Walker]

Statistics

Research to examine the effects on young drivers using smartphones to access Facebook found that:
When sending and receiving Facebook messages -
reaction times slowed by around 38% and participants often missed key events;
participants were unable to maintain a central lane position resulting in an increased number of unintentional lane departures;
participants were unable to respond as quickly to the car in front gradually changing speed.

When comparing these new results to previous studies the level of impairment on driving is greater than the effects of drinking, cannabis and texting:-
Using a smartphone for social networking slows reaction times by 37.6 per cent.
Texting slows reaction times by 37.4 per cent.
Hands-free mobile phone conversation slows reaction times by 26.5 per cent.
Cannabis slows reaction times by 21 per cent.
Alcohol (above UK driving limit but below 100mg per 100ml of blood) slows reaction time by between six and 15 per cent.
Alcohol at the legal limit slows reaction times by 12.5 per cent.

Source: IAM – March 2012

 

[dadams2k11]

Statistics

Research to examine the effects on young drivers using smartphones to access Facebook found that:
When sending and receiving Facebook messages -
reaction times slowed by around 38% and participants often missed key events;
participants were unable to maintain a central lane position resulting in an increased number of unintentional lane departures;
participants were unable to respond as quickly to the car in front gradually changing speed.

When comparing these new results to previous studies the level of impairment on driving is greater than the effects of drinking, cannabis and texting:-
Using a smartphone for social networking slows reaction times by 37.6 per cent.
Texting slows reaction times by 37.4 per cent.
Hands-free mobile phone conversation slows reaction times by 26.5 per cent.
Cannabis slows reaction times by 21 per cent.
Alcohol (above UK driving limit but below 100mg per 100ml of blood) slows reaction time by between six and 15 per cent.
Alcohol at the legal limit slows reaction times by 12.5 per cent.

Source: IAM – March 2012

So according to those statistics its better to a Smoke a Joint and drive than it is to use you phone and drive?

 

[Clive Walker]

So according to those statistics its better to a Smoke a Joint and drive than it is to use you phone and drive?

marginally but still completley irresponsible.

 

[ilduc944]

I was in a taxi when the driver decided he needed to make a call on the mobile. Not hands free. I'd only gone a short way and I told him to stop the car. When he did so I got out and told him I wasn't going any further with him, why and that I wouldn't pay either. He didn't argue the point.