Time To Up The Ante On These Public Menaces?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35410646
Up the fines? Nah, instant ban, then jail in my opinion, phoning and texting whilst driving is at least as dangerous as DD.

[mikey4444]

Yes, I agree TTT !

I drive about 16k-20k per annum and I see drivers texting all the time. And lorry drivers.

[viv41]

Totally 100% agree.

[webbo3]

Completely agree,

£1k fine and 6 points on the license, but the vehicle does need to be in motion or about to be in motion, i.e stopped at traffic light and not at the side of the road or in a big traffic jam.


Dave.

[ToraToraTora]

I have trained myself to ignore the phone whilst driving but many seem to let it override everything and that is incredibly dangerous when driving.

[viv41]

You see it all the time, they just keep trying it on !

[webbo3]

I always put mine in my pocket, no chance to use it, and when I was a delivery driver I had a ear piece for taking the VERY rare call from the missus.


Dave.

[New Judge]

I wouldn't go for points, I would go for a mandatory minimum 12 month ban as with excess alcohol. It would concentrate the minds.

However, as with any such offence, no penalty is any use unless rigorous enforcement is available.

[wiltsman]

Last week I saw a driver get in his car at the local supermarket, safely put on his seat belt - and as he drove out on to the highway, decided to make a call on his hand held mobile!

Why didn't he stay in the car park and make his call? Oh yes, of course, he needed to save two minutes of his valuable time!

[Old_Geezer]

Continually upping the punishment will only to please those who wish to hit out. If it can not be detected at a high level it'll continue convinced it won't be they who are caught.

The only real solution is to make text sending a voice only activity. If folk keep their eyes on the road then the distraction in minimal and no worse that changing the heating or the radio station.

[New Judge]

Can't agree, OG.

Tests have shown that simply taking part in a phone call can be as dangerous as drink-driving. It uses up a chunk of the brain's "processing power" leaving less available for the complicated task of driving safely. And it's not the same as a conversation in the car with someone sitting next to you. These can be adjusted to suit traffic conditions with the driver and the passenger easing the prrsuure of the conversation when road conditions require it. Phones should not be used in vehicles by drivers.

This is a lengthy report but the "Executive Summary" will probably suffice.

http://www.trl.co.uk/umbraco/custom/report_files/TRL547.pdf

Here's a couple of extracts:

"From the subjective mental effort ratings participants
made immediately after driving each route, it was clear that
they found driving while using a Hand-held phone to be the
most difficult. The easiest task was the normal driving without any phone conversations."

"Driving while intoxicated is clearly dangerous and this
study further confirmed that alcohol impairs driving
performance. However, this study also found that certain
aspects of driving performance are impaired more by using
a phone than by having a blood alcohol level at the legal
limit (80mg/ 100ml). It is concluded that driving behaviour
while talking on a phone is not only worse than normal
driving, it can also be described as dangerous."

[TWR]

There is only one way to deal with this Issue, 1 year ban, £1000 fine. what more of value, a life or a fine & point?

[TWR]

And that should include HGV Drivers.

[Old_Geezer]

Never trusted that conclusion, I suspect incompetent folk were tested. Hands-free the conversation is little different than speaking to someone next to you because you can say to hang on a minute. Or even just ignore and ask for a repeat when traffic conditions improve.

[AliceTickband]

complete ban for life would be my suggestion. Personally I don't understand this obsession with having a phone at your ear or in front of your face all the time. No-one, and I repeat NO-ONE is that important that they need to be in contact with the outside world 24/7.....just had a thought-maybe people on a transplant list need to have their phone switched on....

Apart from the devastation being on the phone while driving could and does cause I am appalled at the disdain drivers using their phones show to other people.

Just another point.....why do people pushing their babies in buggies or walking with their toddlers need to be constantly on the phone? TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN for chuff sake!

[rockyracoon]

It's as dangerous as DD so should be treated the same in terms of punishment. 12 month ban and fine.

[bhg481]

It always irritates me when people on TV do a "piece to the camera" whilst driving. It has come to light that Chris Evans is finding it difficult to talk and drive at the same time, so filming for the new Top Gear is in danger of getting behind schedule. If the likes of him, used to giving a scripted piece to camera, find it difficult then so must all the other personalities who do it. By having "personalities" do this the programme makers are implying that driving and talking at the same time are easy and well within the abilities of the average driver.

[sp1814]

If you receive a call whilst driving, you can pull over at the next available opportunity and check your message.

If it's important ("Your house is on fire", "She's just given birth - it's not twins, it's triples...one was hiding behind her spleen" or "All six numbers came up...we're rich"), then a message will be left for you.

Very few people are so important that they absolutely need to be available there and then.

Public information films should be shown on television showing the danger of making and receiving calls on mobile phones whilst driving.

It should be as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

In the article:

[i]The fine for using a phone whilst driving would also be raised, from £100 to £150.[i]

I would support a fine of £1,000.

Make it really sting.

[1ozzy]

Maybe a system similar to the Swiss system for speeding fines.

//In Switzerland – perhaps surprising for a country that is normally rich-friendly – speeding fines take into account the motorist’s income as well as the speed.//

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/driver-faces--1-000-000-speeding-fine/23091098

[1ozzy]

Can't agree OG.
//Hands-free the conversation is little different than speaking to someone next to you because you can say to hang on a minute.//

The person sitting next to you can say "look out", "brake", "you need to turn here" etc.
The person on the phone cant as they don't know what is happening.

Passengers take note of the traffic conditions, etc. The people on the other end of the phone call have no idea what is happening and are only concerned about the conversation.

[waterboatman]

One day when I was in town, waiting at a zebra crossing. The lights changed to stop traffic, i, and a young mum with a baby in a pram stepped off the curb. A police car with a uniformed driver went through the lights just missing us. The driver was using a hand held mobile phone and was oblivious to all about him. I got his ID number and went straight to the police station and reported him, giving them the name and address of the young mum too.