Car drivers who use their mobile phones, an easy solution.

Mobile phones are a tool of convenience, or should be, but the way so many are totally driven by the damn things is a worry, today a bloke (not a teenager) wandered across the road phone glued to his ear, totally oblivious that traffic was heading his way.

I’m sorry. I not sure what you’re talking about now. Are you suggesting that the risks are the same regardless of the time at risk? That is wrong .

Please tell me you don’t stop to change radio stations!

My radio stays pretty much on the same station -radio 5 for what it’s worth BUT if i do feel the need to change i wait until i am at a stand in a traffic jam,traffic lights–lets be honest it’s not many minutes between each in this country.
Mobile phone–IF i have left my phone on by mistake in the car i have been known to throw it in the car where i can’t reach it–temptation gone.

Derek,try cycling for a few weeks through your town,city area and just see how many people have no idea you are there because they have a phone to the ear,looking down texting -car drivers ,van drivers,lorry drivers,pedestrians [ who are as much as a danger to themselves as others ] .Yes i know before we start there are some bloody awful cyclists ,most of them are but they are the ones that get themselves hurt.
I have a full motorcycle licence ,car licence and now cycle mostly when i can so i am not prejudiced against any of them,just bad ones.
Mobile phones have made a dangerous environment even more dangerous ,no need for it ,no phone conversation is worth the risk—.

As this thread evolves the arguments for are pretty flimsy to those against.
The point about legislation denying the occasional and responsible use is true. But these days that typifies so many of our laws. The responsible majority have to suffer because of the irresponsible minority. This would simply be another example and we’d learn to live with it – just as we did before mobile phones existed.

You know WL, I’m the same, I have the moby switched on, but in my pocket, first break I check out who’s called & messaged me & not until.

Lot of clever talk going on here, but until you’ve actually seen the consequences….best keep your trap shut.

thought all radios had presets,makes it easier.Personaly I switch mine of when driving .Nothing is tha important it cant wait until I have a pit stop.

BANG it takes a split second.Never mind other peoples are are worth it

Indeed trumper,a split second is all it takes, as I alluded to earlier, there is no possible excuse, those who argue the toss, just don’t know the far reaching effects, seriously.

Been there, hope no one has to follow me, but no doubt they will. Seeing some one extinguished in front of you is pretty final, no ifs, no butts, no smart forum type arguments or clever word play, game over, then being left to deal with it. I was with the guy when he drew his last breath, is that call really worth it? Damn, if it was, I hope it was properly important.

I’m sorry. I not sure what you’re talking about now. Are you suggesting that the risks are the same regardless of the time at risk? That is wrong .

the radio once on can stay on or change stations at a safe location

Please tell me you don’t stop to change radio stations!

An accident regarding the use of a phone doesn’t differentiate between a call from a number you recognise a short call or a long one,BANG it takes a split second.Never mind other peoples are are worth it 🙂

How many more innocent lives are going to be lost before someone says enough is enough– but hey your need to use the phone on the move is much more important.

Maybe you could let me know how many innocent lives have been lost by legal mobile phone use as opposed to driving too fast, too close etc. RoSPA doesn’t distinguish between hand-held and hands free as they think both are equally as bad.
Nobody is suggesting that using a phone doesn’t distract, what I’m saying is that there are plenty of other equally if not more distracting activities while driving – all equally legal. Are those to be banned too? Interestingly RoSPA doesn’t seem to mention any of those with a view to outlawing them. Would this include the use of smart-phone as a sat-nav or as a media player?

I use a hands-free to pass on brief messages to let my family know I’ve been delayed, I’m held up in yet another traffic jam or asking to find out information about the weather; in total maybe a couple of times a week. Something that a mobile phone is ideally suited for. I don’t use my phone for idle chatting while driving and unless it is a number I recognize, I generally don’t answer calls. Waiting on the next service station is impossible (there aren’t any on my commute) as is pulling over (of my 43 mile commute, only 3 miles at each end are not on a motorway). As usual any ban would end up hurting those that use a phone sensibly – those that don’t will carry on using them anyway.

We are heading slowly that way and by allowing these things to work in a car is just hurrying it all along.You can only prosecute if caught and the odds of that happening now is rare.It has to come from the manufacturers to make it impossible to use .

Not at all in unusual in Thailand to see a motorbike rider engrossed in watching a video as he drives, and his pillion passenger leaning over his shoulder to watch too. Small wonder the accident rate is so high then-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

I thought there was a jamming device on the market for mob phones?That would be great!Come to Thailand and see practically everyone using mobiles ,even motor cyclists !!!!

I wonder what the fatality rate is like though 🙁

It should be law that you cannot use the phone in a car–signals are Jammed BUT in the event of an emergency you can push a red transmit button which will take you through to the emergency services only.It would flag up who and where you are so if you were abusing the system you could/should be punished.

I thought there was a jamming device on the market for mob phones?That would be great!Come to Thailand and see practically everyone using mobiles ,even motor cyclists !!!!

I have a foot in both camps but favour the argument that the use of the phone is potentially more dangerous than not and in past years had extensive experience of all singing and dancing plumbed in hands free.
On a motorway you are rarely more than 30mins from services and anywhere else just minutes from stopping to listen to a message or make a call.

So you’ve never changed radio stations, put on sunglasses or any of a myriad other “non”-driving tasks that you can do in a car.

OK, A cd can be put on at a safe location and will last an hour,the radio once on can stay on or change stations at a safe location, however an incoming phone call and the contents of the phonecall which MAY add stress onto your driving is less likely to be able to be controlled.How many more innocent lives are going to be lost before someone says enough is enough– but hey your need to use the phone on the move is much more important.

Why is it arrogant? Is it any more arrogant than you wanting to ban something that most others don’t have a problem with?

I think you may find that there is considerable opposition to the use of phones while driving, amongst drivers.

It is very rare indeed for the vast majority of us to be in a position where that call must be answered right here, right now, in fact beyond emergency/essential services I can’t think of any one else. Of course the mobile is a handy tool, but it’s for my convenience not to have me locked in to constant communication as in 1984, or twitching like a Pavlovian dog whenever it rings.

When I was working one manager got a little stroppy when I didn’t answer his call instantly, my reaction was simple I enquired as to would he take care of my wife and kids when I ram another vehicle on the motorway, the answer not surprisingly was no, in that case I will drive to the best of my ability to avoid an accident and your phone call will be answered when it is safe and convenient to do so, fortunately the boss backed me up and to add insult to injury shortly afterwards I took a promotion within the company and moved on and on until I was actually the aforementioned manager’s boss, he left shortly after and no I didn’t hassle him.

I have a hands free kit on my amateur radio transceiver, and only need to flick a switch to talk.
It’s no more distracting than talking to a passenger. I don’t use my phone when driving though.

Sadly I was on the receiving end of that very scenario, only recently, a driver who was (allegedly as the legal dust has yet to settle) using a hand held mobile telephone, caused a motorcyclist to collide with the vehicle I was driving, head on, poor fellow almost came right through my windscreen & was killed instantly.

Only takes a split second & your whole game changes.

What?

I commute 43 miles every day each way on some of the busiest roads in England. Dealing with speeding cars, traffic jams, tail-gating, idiot van drivers, crap weather, road works etc. commands much more attention. There are many, many more likely accident scenarios every single day than a distraction caused by a rare phone call.
A real contribution to road safety would be better road networks and driver education, not a petty unenforceable banning of hands-free mobile phone use.

So would you ban all the other distractions in cars? Sat-navs, in-car entertainment, talking to passengers, misbehaving children or is it just a mobile phone thing?