Using your mobile while driving
On the phone in after 9 - What's the most dangerous distraction while you're driving?
New research suggests more motorists are using hand-held mobile phones than before tougher penalties were introduced two years ago.
The Transport Research Laboratory says despite risking a sixty pound fine and three points on a licence, more drivers have been caught this year -- that's more than before the change in the law.
But is this the biggest distraction for motorists? Is the worst thing you've seen someone using a mobile phone behind the wheel?
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I have seen a woman completely hands free driving a car. One hand on handhelp, one hand adjusting makeup in rear view mirror - driving by knee. That was pretty distracting...
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I remember driving in the States a few years back. I had some CD's on the passenger seat, I kept the wheel steady and took one CD out and put a new one in- I still veered to the hard shoulder slightly whilst I changed the music and I took my eye off the road for all of 2 seconds
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Here's how it goes:
Don't use mobile phones, use hands-free
Wait...!! Music is also a distraction, don't listen to music or radio shows
Come to think of it, don't have ANY passengers, they may talk to you which could cause an accident...
ACTUALLY...try not to think when you drive, thinking is illegal, you might become distracted...
so, there's only one thing for it....
DRIVING IS NOW ILLEGAL!!!
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Oh dear, we outlawed the use of Mobile Phones in cars etc, in the grate Socialistic Guardianista Experiment and lo and behold, the number of captured offenders goes through the roof. Wonderful, it will do wondered for the local Gendarmeries Commander's Social Fund (of which my local Scout troop are grateful for the perusal over the squad car, goodies and a brown envelope stuffed with cash (donation really)).
Still does not remove from the road those offenders who think they are capable of driving a high performance car on narrow country lanes at 11:30 pm ish.
(Subura, Cherrington near Tetbury Gloucestershire 2009-12-08) In our sanitised media society, it would be more appropriate to be fruitful with the facts, rather than treat with kid gloves that they may have been an outside influence with the majority of incidents of this sort. For this reason, Google it, and see for yourself. Our local rag would enquire of your opinion on this matter as long as you are grief stricken and need counselling. Please do not note anything that will cause half of the LMF material to breakdown.
Now if you do not mind, take a leaf out of the Earl's. When one encroaches on a person whom is using a mobile whilst driving, one should sound their horn with the vigour it deserves.
Then the person on t'other end of the blower, should enquire whether their friend is driving, and hang up.
Simple really.
As for driving cars into walls, the earl has tried but to roll his motor on numerous occasions but has failed to let the car leave the road.
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Quite a number of callers this morning stated that the had contacted the Police but no action had been taken. I was too late in sending the following:-
Like some of your callers, I called the police after following a car for about 7 miles on the A686 between Penrith and Alston in Cumbria. Though the vehicle was being driven at no more than 30mph it was impossible to overtake because of 'erratic behaviour'. At times the vehicle was on the wrong side of the road and, twice, it mounted the grass verge and bounced back into the road from the hedgerow. Unlike your some of your callers I did receive a call from the police two days later, thanking me for my action, and informing me that the vehicle had been stopped at Alston, some 10 miles after my call. The driver had been 'well over' the drink-drive limit and spent the night in the cells. Positive reaction by the Police and a good result, but people driving in the opposite direction will never know how lucky they are to be alive!
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Given the fine and points appear to be ineffective - I would suggest a driving ban of say 3 months for the first offence - 6 months for the second and so on. Having seen so many offenders get away with it - more severe penalties seem to be required.
Yes, I know, this would give the police more work in tracking temporarily banned drivers but the net effect of losing your licence for 3 months or so would appear to be much more of a deterrent!!
Regards
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Using a phone is not like switching over the radio or changing the CD which are still criminal offences if you have an accident. You can also have a quick sip of water, talk to the wife and shout at the kids. A phone takes your hand off the steering wheel for long periods of time.
That is why hands-free is legal and using the mobile is not.
Looks like many do not care if they kill a pedestrian whilst driving. I can only hope if someone has to die, it is a close relative of theirs.
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I wonder if this "flouting" of this particular law may not be a result of over-legislation? We've had so many new laws, many over perceived pernickety things, that maybe this is a collective middle finger to all this micro-management and control-freak nannying of our lives? That said, I DO recognise the distraction of the hand-held and have one of those Lt. Uhura things in my ear - and even though you'd think it wold just be like talking to a passenger your mind does switch off the driving as you focus on what the little voice in your ear is saying. I think the only answer is built-in hands-free where the incoming voice comes through the cars radio speakers, clear and loud. Even then it's not perfect but is more like having the radio on, which many drivers are conditioned and used to.
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I felt very sincerely for the poor woman who had lost her child to a mobile phone user, however, I disagreed with one of your commentator's solutions i.e. for members of the public to `shop' mobile phone users. In my previous job, a colleague who had a private issue with me kept reporting me to the police for drink-driving so I was pulled over 3 times and breathalysed with a negative result. This vindictive behaviour only stopped because the police were able to tag my name and car registration. If she were able to report me for using my mobile, which I don't ever do, I'm sure I would get pulled over yet again for something of which I was not culpable. It would also be a terrible use of police time and resources!!
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Did the vindictive one get done for wasting police time...?
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This will do and may I say - looking at the thread title - I am not alleging anything about anyone. I alway frown when I see drivers using mobiles - whilst driving or even stopped in traffic. DO NOT DO IT!
No - my point is only to do with transport generally. It was hearing Stuart Hall is still going strong. I rarely listen to FiveLive football now but it surprises me not. Always good value Stuart is and a joy to hear every time. And there are allegedly never "games of two halves" with Mr Hall (said on the Breakfast Show this AM).
But it was the BBC News item just now and double decker bus involved with a "too low to go under safely" railway bridge. Whilst some hospital treatment required and of course shock - I was told no major injuries to the youngsters and teacher on board - or driver - so hopefully I am not being insensitive - or this is "too soon" to remark on. A train went pass whilst I was watching - so hopefully bridge is safe too.
But it was the recovery lorry parked behind the BBC reporter and in front of the stricken bus. And lorry's livery. I thought of Stuart Hall and what he might make of lorrys livery - because I found it oddly droll on two levels - words intended.
Think of that very VERY tall footballer who occasionally plays for England - first name Peter. Put his surname in front of the word "Recovery" and you have the tableaux. I feel - if a photo had been taken it would need no caption.
And in all seriousness - may I wish ALL those involved in the incident a very speedy recovery.
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Listening on a vehicle radio to news and current affairs programmes or what the news and current affairs manufacturers believe are issues that are important for listeners to hear can be a very distracting experience. OK one can turn the thing off but then one misses what others are hearing!
At least this topic is a refreshing change after a week of posturing New Labour and Tory career pro-capitalist politicians pretending they both have alternative strategies on how to rescue UK's bankrupt capitalist economy.
However as soon as I heard that the news manufacturers were wielding this survey about mobile phone use whilst driving as the leading news item I knew it would be your phone-in topic and only a matter of time before some xenophobic British trucker is wheeled out on air complaining about foreign truckers using phones or other devices whilst driving whilst of course nobody in Britain does!
Lo and behold within 5 minutes of the start of the phone-in on he comes, an old trucker whose been driving in the UK since 1969 ranting over a French trucker from the Frans Maas haulage group he saw around Birmingham allegedly fiddling with a laptop on his dashboard. Of course the inference was that 'Louis' was sending an email or watching a DVD. Had it occurred to the xenophobe that the laptop was being used as a SatNav especially by continental drivers like myself. Some of the SatNav programmes on laptops are more detailed and accurate and provided the laptop is not obstructing the view of the driver are just as safe as the normal Tom Tom or Garmin Satnav devices on the market.
The only way to stop mobile phone use whilst driving is to ban any phone or communication device being on in a moving vehicle. That of course won't happen because it would cause to much havoc to enforce plus it would cause problems for industry. However it's slightly presumptive to believe the current 3 points and £70? fine has not been an effective deterrent for the majority of drivers. OK the survey shows it hasn't but that hasn't taken into account that there are more cars and therefore more drivers on the road.
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I like my Tom Tom and have given her an Irish voice (as she is mostly delusional and drunk) The Parrot which talks to my iPhone was an expensive waste of money as i never answer phone calls in th car but does allow me to fuly utilise the iTunes tunes on my iPod gizmo on the iPhone.
Sometimes iJustDontKnowWhattoDo with Myself :-)
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My splat-nav has a Yoda voice. "At the roundabout, left you must go. Hmmmmm!"
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The mobile phones in cars are less distracting than children in cars. But the results of researches shown that regardless of whether you use a hand held or a hands free mobile phone, you are around four times more likely to be involved in an accident if you dual task when driving.
Regards,
Yuriy Mizyuk
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If using mobile in car is illegal because you take one hand off the car, then is it illegal to drive with one hand under all circumstances? I ask because I mostly steer with my right hand and have the left on the gear stick! It's just a habit. In the summer I may have the window open with my right hand out and my left steering for miles.
Am I committing an offence?
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The worst would be drivers who are looking for directions and are being guided by someone over the phone. Stay far away if you see the driver looking left and right with one hand holding the mobile and the other on the steering wheel. They are obviously not familiar with the road and can make sudden turn when told to over the phone. Don't ever do that! Stop by the side and understand the instruction first before driving on.
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I had a phone that could stream TV - i got rid of it as that was far too much of a distraction... it is too difficult to alter your focus distance between something that is close(phone) and soemthing that is far away(traffic).
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Drinking coffee or eating something with one hand and the other driving is as dangerous as using the mobile while driving. I was in a friend's car once and he had a cup of hot coffee in his hand while driving. There was an emergency stop and you can imagine what happened to us.
Aidan
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Using your mobile while driving is just as bad as driving drunk. Actually research has shown that people who talk on their phone while driving drive as if they were drunk.
-- Drachenkrieg
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Talking on the phone while driving is very dangerous but people still do it. I have tried it and almost kill my self, even with hands free!
Teychin
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