FINALLY - Mobile phone offence!!!!

[talizman]

Woo-hoo!!!!

At last, the government have passed a bill making it an offence for anyone to use a mobile phone while driving from the 1st Dec 2003.

What will the boy racers do?

And those poor Porche/Mercedes/BMW drivers, what are they going to do with their right (sorry, phone) hand now????

This is the best bit of news I have had in ages, roll on Dec 1st!!!!

Plus, they are trying to make it endorsable...excellent!!

The type of plonker who drives his/her car while talking on the phone is a danger, one which I always avoid.

They are usually less than competent with BOTH hands on the wheel, not to mention their pea sized brain engaged in the act of concentration!

Its a GOOD day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[captain_clio]

talizman, im i raght in thinking that u dislike people who use phones whilst driving? LOL

 

[Dust]

Most german convertable owners seem to have a mobile phones glued to their cheeks round here. And i agree, its a good thing. You can see a phone driver a mile off, even more than a DD i think. Large, wide turing circles where they cant steer, sharp breaking, etc. Does this include hands free kit? Inc bluetooth?

 

[Lee]

They need to do the same for people eating while driving also.

I followed a women in a beetle who was happily eating a sandwich. We stopped at a large island and everyone else was going while she brushed crumbs off her lap.

How does this effect hands free users?

 

[talizman]

Just a tad Captain Clio!!

Dust, how do you know the drivers are German?

Seriously though, Im unsure about handsfree, I assume the legislation will make it an offence to use a "hand-held" phone whilst driving.

Otherwise where do you draw the line? Handcuff both hands to wheel?

Youd have to make changing CDs, drinking, smoking etc etc offences too.

The idea is that talking on a hand held phone not only takes one of your hands out of the equaton, but it also distracts you, increasing chances of a crash.

Surely we have all been behind the @rsehole on the phone, who sees everything late, braking at the last minute, changing 3 lanes on M-way at 80mph, no mirror checks, no blind spot checks.... you get my drift!

As for the sandwich, it shouldnt really distract your mind, unless it tastes REALLY good!

I kid you not, I have seen a girl in the car, talking on the phone with one hand and smoking with the other, most of the time with no hands on the wheel, and unlike most guys, she probably couldnt even say she was using her knees to steer! Hazard much?????

 

[Dust]

Thinking about it, which makes it worse is the fact phone drivers are mostly business men who like to work on the move. Who own cars (mostly nice safe german built motors) which they couldnt give two turds what happends to it. Therefore creating an half concentrating, careless and commonly v.bad driver. Which to me is one to avoid if your cars your pride and joy like mine.

And i have also seen a someone on the phone whilst smoking. No-hands and tuggs the steering wheel round the corners! Sometimes i wish i was a copper, cause its sick to see what some people get away with on the roads.

If they have banned phones to create more concentration on the road i wouldnt be supprise if handfree kits were included. Even if the driver has two hands on the wheel hes still not 100% on the road. The police would never know if bluetooth was being used. No wires, just a stange person talking to themselves.

 

[Cord-172]

An offence for handheld phone use is fair enough, but more or less everyone does/has done it at some point. If I am on the phone and am coming up to a round about or something I tell the person to hang on a min and negotiate it safely.

Is it different therefore to be smoking whilst driving, or drinking? Or changing the CD? Effectively if you have an accident as a result of any of these you will get done for driving without due care and attention anyway. With that in mind simply talking to someone beside you takes some attention off the road

I agree that for most activities you may only have one hand off the wheel for a short period of time, but for motorway/straight road/long bend driving who needs two hands ojn the wheel? I always have one hand rested on the gear stick anyway (cue crap jokes hehehe).

After saying all that though I know what the correct answer should be so I am not going to try to argue against the law

 

[VX-Tony]

The ban WILL NOT include hands-free kits as these are too hard to police but it is agreed that they are just as dangerous.

 

[Scudetto]

using a phone is not the same as eating a sandwich etc etc.

A sandwich isnt going to tell you that youve lost a $5million contract and your job just as youre about to turn right onto a busy A-road...

It isnt the act of holding the phone thats a danger - its the fact that the conversation taking place is a distraction that requires you to focus less on the road/immediate surroundings

It is not the same as having a passenger in the car, either, as passengers can see the hazards you are negotiating and quieten down accordingly before piping up again.

g

 

[RobFenn]

Apart from women where they tend to stare at their passenger whilst talking to them!

-Rob

 

[Simon172]

If theyre going to ban hands free kits they should ban passengers.Or at least give them gags to wear...

 

[talizman]

Cord-172,

Advanced driver training make you aware that everything on the road is a potential hazard which requires your full attention, be it a narrow street with parked cars, a pedestrian crossing, a blind bend, a roundabout etc etc.

Say for example you are driving along a street with the phone in your right hand, and you quickly change gear with your left, keeping the steering aligned with your highly trained knees.... someone walks out from between parked cars....what do you do?

Both hands are tied up. You only have a tenth of a second to react before you put them over your bonnet. Brake? Maybe, but with no hands there is a good chance your car will swerve if you do hit the brakes in time.

Not really worth it anywhere is it?

Using phones while driving is for idiots. period.

 

[Scudetto]

Quote: Originally posted by Dust on 26 June 2003


Thinking about it, which makes it worse is the fact phone drivers are mostly business men who like to work on the move. Who own cars (mostly nice safe german built motors) which they couldnt give two turds what happends to it. Therefore creating an half concentrating, careless and commonly v.bad driver. Which to me is one to avoid if your cars your pride and joy like mine.

I agree. Id like to stretch the point a bit - these are the people who honestly couldnt give a sheet anout anyone or anything other than themselves. I personally think that in fives years time, you could do a fascinating study into mobile devices and how they affect the way that society interacts. Theres a theory called the Privilege of distance that effectively outlines how mobile phone users care more for the rights of the person thats at the other end of the phone, rather than whoever it is that is having to endure their conversation sat right next to them. It goes on but i dont have time to write it all now, but...I honestly believe that mobile are making people ruder and colder toward strangers as the phone (plus 24/7 services) gives them 24/7 access to my world, at my time; if youre not in that world, then they couldnt give a stuff how they inconvenience you, whether its by driving while on the phone, or yacking into it loudly while on the train.

g

 

[iPap]

Quote: Originally posted by RobFenn on 26 June 2003


Apart from women where they tend to stare at their passenger whilst talking to them!

-Rob

But they are just plain dangerous anywhere*



* I have the right to freedom of speech, you do not have to agree!

 

[VX-Tony]

I agree to a certain degree about eating and drinking not being the same as on the phone. But imagine you have a big mmacdonalds milkshake and you accidentally drop it on your lovely brand new leather/alcantara seats?

Imagine dropping a cigarette?

I think that causes huge amounts of distraction

 

[Viv172]

Quote: Originally posted by Scudetto on 26 June 2003


Theres a theory called the Privilege of distance

That sounds very interesting, is the study on the net??? if so do you have the url?? wouldnt mind reading that

Viv

 

[Scudetto]

possibly Viv - I read about it in New Scientist magazine about a year ago, so you might want to check their website to see if you can find out anything else about it. I know that it got me thinking at the time!

good luck!

g

 

[Elliot]

I must have driven past hundreds of middle-lane BMWs, where the driver is on the phone. Even on an empty strip of motorway, if the phone goes they just head into the middle lane - even if there is someone in the way.

I think Smoking while driving should also be banned. Does driving scare you that much that you need a fag? Or are you that desperate and cant wait for a layby or service station or your destination?

 

[BRUN]

Im glad this has come about even though ive done it myself, i think smoking should be banned while driving

Someone pulled out on me yesterday when i was on a roundabout, the one were i had my accident actually, an he was glued to his mobile, how the hell can you negotiate a roundabout safely, from stationary to exiting, whilst on your mobile at the same time !

 

[adiclio16v]

yeh yeh non-smokers always say smokin should be banned while drivin well i smoke so fuk off ill do wot i please

i once managed to eat a chips sausage an peas from the chippy whilst drivin cos i was in a rush, plus i can talk on the fone and smoke a cig and hav a drink out of my bottle of coke all whilst driving down the motorway

how cool am i

 

[Soneji]

Do you have any idea how many police in Edinburgh drive about using mobiles, it rages me!

 

[MrBean]

Quote: Originally posted by adiclio16v on 26 June 2003


yeh yeh non-smokers always say smokin should be banned while drivin well i smoke so fuk off ill do wot i please

i once managed to eat a chips sausage an peas from the chippy whilst drivin cos i was in a rush, plus i can talk on the fone and smoke a cig and hav a drink out of my bottle of coke all whilst driving down the motorway

how cool am i

Driving to the office this morning on the motorway, I looked over to my right and there was a woman in a brand new BMW doing 90 miles per hour with her face up close to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner!
I looked away for a couple of seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane still working on that makeup!!
It scared me ( Im a man ) so much that I dropped my electric shaver,
which, knocked the bacon roll out of my other hand.
In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees
against the steering wheel, it knocked my mobile from my ear, which fell into the coffee between my legs, causing it to splash and burn BIG JIM AND THE ROUND TWINS, causing me to scream, which made
me drop the cigarette out of my mouth, ruined my shirt and
DISCONNECTED AN IMPORTANT CALL

F****NG WOMEN DRIVERS !!!!!!