Cellphones on the move

[Mike246]

Does anybody know what the forthcoming legislation changes in use of cellphones in cars has in store?

The man in my local T-Mobile shop told me today that driver's use, even with a hands-free kit, will be banned.

[andyhart21]

I read the same thing. I heard that it will be an offence to do anything while driving that takes your attention away from the road. At the moment they do you for driving without due care an attention, but there will be a specific offence for it. This includes:

Talking on a mobile (normal or hands-free)

Eating

Drinking

Changing Tapes, CD's or the radio station!

Reading a map or directions

How are they going to stop you changing a radio station while driving???? Will it include steering wheel controls?

[Rodders_UK]

Pretty tough to enforce I should think.

Next they'll be banning manual gearboxes or nicking you for changing gear:bounce:

[Mike246]

They can't be serious about banning eating and drinking.

It would be a brave copper who tries to separate an HGV driver from his Yorkie!

[Matthew_McNally]

OK - before I post anything- I do not agree with using a phone whilst driving.

Handsfree - maybe - depends on your kit - voice activated commands etc. Holding the phone is a definte no-no.

Am I the only one who thinks this is just one more law that probably will be unenforceable, is done in the name of safety, but does nothing to address the true cause of accidents.

Bad Driving

How many people do you see being stopped for any of the below?

- tailgating. Sometimes I feel like I'm towing people on the motorway. If you go past a copper with someone's front wheels in your boot - does anything happen?

- foglights / full beams. Sometimes of a night you are practically blinded by people with their lights on full beam and / or their foglights on. This is not just the Max Power 'crew' - beemer drivers like their fogs on too. Do the police stop them? No - in fact I see police cars driving around with fogs on.

- lane discipline. Something which is practically unheard of in this country. Weaving in and out of lanes in bad enough, but what bugs me are the people who drift in and out as though they are the only cars on the roads. And don't even get me started on the fools who pull out into the third lane at 57 mile an hour to overtake a HGV.

- Unroadworthy cars. There are some real heaps on the roads - and even scarier the motorways.

- School run drivers. Is the rule once you have picked up / dropped off you own, and there is no danger you will run your own children over - you can then drive as stupidly / badly as you like - because it will be other peoples kids you kill? Fed up of seeing huge 4x4 type vehicles reversing all over schoolyards full of kids who aren't even bigger than the tyres on the 4x4.

Could go on and on - but you get my drift.

It seems to me that nowadays the only reason you see a copper on the road is because he's holding a speed camera, or is just on the road going anywhere.

I would love to see a policeman pull some one over, say

"Excuse me sir, but do you realise that you have just changed lanes in front of someone, without so much as a glance to see if the lane was empty, never mind a signal.

Now here's a fine, turn your fog lights off or you'll get another fine, and stop driving like a cretin or I'm going to recommend that your license is suspended"

This would contribute more to safer roads than sitting my motorway exits trying to catch people who haven't slowed down to 30 in time.

[GCHQAgent]

No handsfree?? I don't believe that using a hands-free could distract you anymore than talking to someone in the passenger seat... do we now ban passengers too... make everyone travel alone?

If so, let's wait until the environmentalists get wind of it ;)

[Mike246]

Does anyone agree with this?

In my experience, using a mobile while driving does not really reduce attention. Having said that, using a hand-held in a manual car while taking a roundabout would be downright dangerous.

What is a major distraction is keying out a number, regardless of whether the mobile is hand-held or in a cradle.

[Steven]

GCHQAgent has a good point.... it cannot be any different with a hands free kit and have a passenger.. specially when its a lady! :D

[Div]

This is an interesting debate, especially coming from a Psychology background. There is no doubt from a research view that any form of activity whilst driving decreases attention span - be it drinking, eating, talking to a passenger, using the radio, or - in this case - using a phone. all of them ultimately increase your chance of being in an accident. Fact.

However the case is how much does each activity affect attention - and the answer to this will be dependant on each individual. And any desicion will always be controversial.

As drivers we natuarally think we are less vaunerable than we are and less prone to this. Fact states that all of us would be safer if we did indeed travel alone without a radio! but no-one wants this - most of all me - how dull would that be!

It's all about creating a balance between what is accepted by the UK driving population as a whole - we could agree that all of us are fine using a handsfree kit BUT how many of us would agree that every single person in the UK with a license are OK using a HF kit? THIS is the tough decision - one rule has to apply to all. And as Matt says policing it is just a joke.

OK, rant over.

Div.

P.S anyone interested in this may want to read a slightly humourous (but serious) study of this: http://www.personal.rdg.ac.uk/~sxrhorsl/ho...etranscript.htm

[andyhart21]

There was a case a couple of years ago when a driver was done for DWDCAA for eating a Kit-Kat while driving:o:o:o

Originally posted by Mike246

They can't be serious about banning eating and drinking.

It would be a brave copper who tries to separate an HGV driver from his Yorkie!

[Monster-Mat]

the conviction was over turned

[Mike246]

That's right. The lady got her costs awarded but they declined to return the Kit-Kat.

Two fingers to Hampshire Police and not before time.

[GCHQAgent]

Originally posted by Divhow many of us would agree that every single person in the UK with a license are OK using a HF kit?

Well personally, I see a lot of drivers on the road (presumably with a license) who I think shouldn't be on the road at all - never mind whether they have a hands free kit or not.

[Matthew_McNally]

Originally posted by GCHQAgent

Well personally, I see a lot of drivers on the road (presumably with a license) who I think shouldn't be on the road at all - never mind whether they have a hands free kit or not.

Thats was I was trying to get at with my (probably too long) post.

When are we going to see a clampdown on simply bad driving?

There is an article in the Sunday Mirror today (and I believe a tv program) about bad drivers.

Women who admits she can't drive, passing her test was a fluke, can't reverse, driving straddling two lanes etc. Scared the ***** out of the examiner and reporter in the car with her.

This is in a national newspaper, and not a mention about maybe getting her off the road!:flaming:

[Claire G]

People driving around with front fogs, hogging the middle lane, Sunday drivers with tartan rugs on their parcel shelf.....aaargh. :o

[andyhart21]

This may be a tad controversial, but why are you guys so against driving with front fogs on? They shine down on the road so they dont dazzle other road users don't they? In my opinion, anything that makes you more visible on the road has to be a good thing (within reason)

I personally think that HID lights are a lot brighter and dazzle you far more.

Or is it just a dig at the max power crew in general?

[Matthew_McNally]

Originally posted by andyhart21This may be a tad controversial, but why are you guys so against driving with front fogs on?

As detailed in the Highway Code

201 - You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 211).

211 - You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 201) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.

Sums it up pretty well for me!

Also the number of people driving around with front fogs and undipped / badly adjusted and even full beam headlights just increase the overall volume of light in the oncoming stream of traffic.

Sometimes I am so blinded by the oncoming traffic's lights, you can't see pedestrians etc.

[andyhart21]

I guess i'm just a bad boy then:rolleyes:

My rear fogs are also converted to brake lights so they come on every time I brake:saint::saint::saint:

I still maintain that HID lights dazzle you far more than front fogs. I personnaly do not find front fogs dazzling at all.

I guess i will have to live with you guys hating me then:lol:

[Matthew_McNally]

I think the point is that no lights should be dazzling.

The driver has the ability (not to mention the moral obligation) to set his lights in such a way that he does not dazzle on-coming traffic.

Being in charge of over a ton of metal, travelling at potentially fatal speed, and not beeing able to see are not a good mix at all!

But - don't hate you for it mate - life's too short for that stuff.

I'll settle for making you think.;)

[Dobbin]

Just to add my two-penneth worth....

The road system wouldn't face gridlock so quickly if people didn't insist on sitting in the middle or outside lane, therefore making a dual carriageway a single carriageway and making a motorway a dual carriageway.

Indicators seem to have been offered as an optional extra by most manufacturers for some years now- shame so many people didn't opt to have have them. Those who have got them seem to think that using them allows them to make their move regardless of what's around them. Haven't these numbskulls ever heard of mirror, signal, manoeuvre.

Why do so many people think that roundabouts are a series of apexes that need to be driven in as straight a line as possible. For heavens sake they are round and involve driving around them not taking a line that squeezes the person alongside you onto the roundabout.

It all boils down to education and until we have regular re-certification of drivers then we will all have to suffer the appauling driving and insurance premiums that exist today.

Phew...time to chill methinks;)

[Wallace]

I also think that front fog lights dazzle! My pet hate and i dont know if it is just Salopians who do it; but why do people indicate right when going straight thru a roundabout?

[Claire G]

Originally posted by andyhart21

This may be a tad controversial, but why are you guys so against driving with front fogs on? They shine down on the road so they dont dazzle other road users don't they? In my opinion, anything that makes you more visible on the road has to be a good thing (within reason)

I personally think that HID lights are a lot brighter and dazzle you far more.

Or is it just a dig at the max power crew in general?

Just that they dazzle me! Especially of someone is following me and has their front fogs on.

What bugs me about the Max Power brigade is that a lot of them drive with their sidelights and front fogs on.

Brake lights connected to rear fogs is fine...I like to be sure when the car in front is stopping :eyes::

[ricky_is200]

I agree Claire, I find a lot of front fog lights dazzling, although some worse than others. And why, why, why have front fog lights on, and yet only the side lights on?

[andyhart21]

I hope I have not upset anyone here, but I still cannot see how front fogs can dazzle you when they are shine down at the road.

I agree that driving with sidelights on and fogs is stupid and driving with poorly adjusted lights is annoying, but I'm afraid I will take a bit more convincing before I turn my front foggies off:kiss::kiss:

Maybe it will take a good strong woman to show me the error of my ways!

ps, dont tell the missus I said that:lol::lol:

[ricky_is200]

Fog lights don't really shine down on the road. They shine a few meters in front to penetrate the fog but the lenses are not designed to direct that light directly down.

As for HID lights, isn't that why is law that they must also be fitted with automatic adjusters.