It should mean removal of licence for a period of time. Over the years I don't think I have not seen the phone in use in any type of vehicle. I remember one dinner time about twenty years ago see a double decker bus driver using his phone while in service with passengers on board and moving. It is still too prevalent particularly among van drivers, a guy on the radio this dinner was excusing it by saying as a delivery driver his van is his office, well most offices don't move.

I fully agree that looking at a mobile screen/texting/watching a video or playing a video game is dangerous and should be dealt with. But holding a phone to your ear…is that so unsafe?

you can have a phone call on hands free legally

you can have a conversation with a passenger legally

you can drive a car with one arm legally with no other modifications.

you can get a cigarette/cigar out and light it with fire…legally?

though someone was prosecuted for eating a kit Kat sometime ago 

you can adjust anything built into the car whilst driving legally…..though going through menus on a modern dash display fills me with dread .

so is holding the phone to your ear so bad?

Edited By Ian Parkin on 19/11/2021 17:13:09

Edited By Ian Parkin on 19/11/2021 17:14:07

I use the common sense system. Don't cycle on the road

I find it amusing that people worry about covid19 and vaxxes and the like… then they get onto a pushbike and cycle on a main road because the government guys tell them it's an ok thing to do

It's a very high risk thing to do, especially if you're an old duffer

My bruv has just come from somewhere like Amsterdam where its all done on the pavement, bikes, escooters etc and apparently its a foot pedestrians nightmare

Mythbuster's put their team round a track with various simple driving tasks and a few surprises. They all did the course whilst legally drunk and again whilst sober, but using a Mobile Phone. (California level is same as the UK.) Conclusively shown that using a mobile phone on the move is more dangerous than drink driving – misjudgements galore, many of which the drivers were unaware! The camera showed them clipping cones, and missing turns and signs.

Mobile phones are much more distracting than listening to broadcast radio or music. It's because phones happen to use the same bit of brain as driving and we can't multi-task.

My employer forbade staff from using any form of mobile whilst driving car pool vehicles, including hands-free. Be nice to think they cared about their people! Actually, their records showed hands-free incidents were costing them enough to be worth banning mobiles entirely.

Dave

Some of this can be exquisitely hypocritical. Here in Ontario, the politicians and police went on a campaign some time ago against distracted driving (from any cause **). This was hotly followed by the introduction of (commercial) giant video screens hanging from overpasses.

These screens are aimed specifically at drivers and blast commercials etc at them. They have prevailed despite complaints that they distract drivers and are even used by various levels of government to push "public service" messages.

** Of course, hands-free phone use is allowed even though there are many studies showing it is hardly less distracting than hands-on.

An email the other day from one of the comparison insurers informed me that 40% of collisions occur at night – followed by a string of suggestions as to keeping screens, lights etc clean.
Of course that means 60% collisions happen during the day, so night driving must be safer…

Yeah, we can all cherry-pick partial statistics…

Perhaps we should change the law – capital punishment for trivial offences, litter, speeding, drink-driving, fly-tipping and the like. At least with murder, there's usually some justification like infidelity or lack of money…

pgk

With time on my hands I have recently been watching some of the police interceptor type tv programs.

They always show police drivers, some involved in high speed pursuits, taking one hand off the steering wheel to use their radio. This with another officer in the car as well.

Will this also now become illegal?

regards

David

Just think about it, that kid got life, or rather, lost it.

So why not hit the culprits bloody hard, like doleing out prison terms and permanent cancellation of license.

Perhaps if any of you are parents you may think how would you feel about the guilty getting off with a light punishment?

Since Amsterdam has been mentioned, I was on one occasion on the verge of being done for not being proper control of my vehicle because I was wearing Clogs ! The national No1 cycle route is sent down a single track road in rural Norfolk, not withstanding the fact that this road is used by HUGE agricultural machine and during the harvest and beet season many large artics, is this a good idea ? Whilst the main road is busy, there is also room to avoid a cyclist ! I feel that far to many decisions are made in offices rather than in the field ! Noel

Momentary distraction vs impaired everything? Doesn't equate IMO. I'm not advocating using a mobile whilst driving I'm just pointing out that a person not drunk is capable of risk assessment and normal judgement whereas a drunk person loses inhibitions, judgement, co-ordination and the ability to rationalise correctly.

Both are potentially deadly. How many drunk drivers crash into another drunk driver? If every dummy was using attention-diverting kit it would not be long before they would be crashing with others doing the same (as well as more innocent parties). One, not paying attention, is one too many.

We were hit in the rear, 21 years ago, by someone who was almost certainly using a mobile phone. 40mph speed limit on a straight road and they claimed they had not seen our vehicle, waiting to turn right, until about 20 yards away.

I am still suffering the consequences – a shoulder that ‘aches’ and my neck, that aches after less than a couple hours driving.

Too many killed by lorries hitting vehicles queuing in traffic jams where drivers are doing ‘other activities’. Any sensible person capable of risk assessment would quickly come to the conclusion that it is not safe. Clearly there are a lot, out there, that are incapable of even making that risk assessment.

Edited By not done it yet on 20/11/2021 09:19:29