Ban Even Hands Free?

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473
what do we think?

[tamborine]

I dread son in law driving as when talking he looks at me. I have to shout ‘keep your eyes on the road.’

[Togo]

//Sorry Togo, that's how long it takes me to type on my mobile …//

Haha. Were you driving at 95mph down the M5? (^_*)

[nailit]

//Ah, okay, I see. Makes perfect sense when you put it like that//
Hint of sarcasm there by any chance? ;-)
Maybe the local radio travel news was more accurate as well....
More accurate than the sh'''t that comes out of sat naves anyway ;-)

[Togo]

Does anyone else think that the ones that think this is necessary are the types who cant walk and fart at the same time?

[chrissa1]

On my iPhone calls, texts etc are not allowed through. You have to physically tell the phone you’re not driving.

[Hopkirk]

It's not the same as talking to a passenger.

The passenger can see what you are seeing and will stop talking, and understand you stopping talking, when there is a situation to cope with.

Someone on the end of a phone line has no reason to adapt to your circumstances, and will continue to talk when you are under duress.

[Hopkirk]

You use the same part of your brain to make driving decisions, as you do to think about the conversation.

Tests have proved that a driver on a hands free call does not react as quickly to hazards as a non distracted driver.

[douglas9401]

You mean like in a high speed pursuit or on the way to an emergency, Hopkirk.
Not all blue-lighters are the square-jawed infallibles of TV show legend, just ordinary folk with a hat.

[Hopkirk]

No, I wasn't talking about emergency services, just Joe Public on a hands free call.

[Togo]

Douglas @ 20.51....Class. Tut.....those pilots of aircraft have some explaining to do as well, and tour guides on coaches, and surgeons explaining procedure, and nuclear submarine captains.

[andy-hughes]

This is a tricky one because levels of distraction are as individual as drivers themselves.

One person can converse and drive at the same time in perfect safety, another could be weaving all over the road.


I think a ban would be draconian, and difficult to enforce.

[jno]

]i]No roadside ads?[i]

I blieve they do that on turnpikes in the USA, Ellipsis.

[ladybirder]

Hopkirk has it. Heard that on the radio today. Seeing a passenger but not seeing the person on the end of the phone is the main factor apparently.

[Zak51arc]

I’m all for safety when driving, but, there’s no difference in speaking to someone on a hands free phone than a passenger in the car.

[retrocop]

//Drivers could be banned from using hands-free mobile phones, a group of MPs has suggested.//

Would these be the same MPs who are driven around London and elsewhere in their Government provided Chauffeur driven Ministerial cars?

Are these the same Group of MP's who collectively first hit Traffic Divisions hard and had highly trained officers in their field returned to foot duty to shake hands with door knockers on Night Duty?

There are not enough Traffic Officers to police Drink/Driving, Driving under the influence of Drugs , hand held phone use and general deteriorating driving good practise. Futile and Pointless exercise.

[Old_Geezer]

Someone on the end of a phone line has every reason to understand when you say, "hang on" and will stop talking while you are under duress. And if they shouldn't then you ignore them and concentrate on what's important anyway.

[youngmafbog]

It's interesting to see the stats 43 killed thorugh mobile phone use do not distinguish beween illegal hand held use and hands free. The only one I have found on hands free goes back to 2014.

Me thinks it is the nanny state and someone with an agenda driving this. Personally I dont care, even though our Merc and BMW both have hands free built in on the steering wheel I dont use it, but I am sceptical about why this is attracting attention ans smokers are not. Surely that is even worse.

And while we are at it lets ban manual cars, after all you have to take your hands of the wheel to change gear!

[Blubster]

I'd like to see smokers who drive with one hand on the wheel while the other is stuck out of the drivers window with a cig in it. Who do you think is more in control?

[Blubster]

That post should have been that I'd like to see smokers banned who hang a cig out of the drivers window but I couldn't edit the post. :(

[vulcan42]

I don't understand this lack of control. When I took my test cars weren't even fitted with indicators and so I spent the entire time giving hand signals with the right arm and changing gear with the other. I passed the test so obviously wasn't considered to be a danger to myself or anybody else.