40inches
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 11:33 AM |
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Using Mobile Phone when driving
From today it's a £200 fine and 6 points.
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907
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 12:29 PM |
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But you are so unlikely to get caught that the penalty has no effect.
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Daf
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 12:40 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by 40inches
From today it's a £200 fine and 6 points.
Good! The number of cars I see weaving down the motorway and when you go past them the driver is texting is quite unbelieveable!
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gary gsx
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 12:54 PM |
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Ban them for six months and £1000 fine that will stop um, But its unreal the amount of people you see driving using the phone.
Gary
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theconrodkid
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 01:15 PM |
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As 907 says,everyone and their goat do it as the chance of plod being around at the time is minimal.
who cares who wins
pass the pork pies
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BenB
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 01:25 PM |
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And if you're caught within the first two years of passing your test you have to retake it. Because it's only new drivers who would
struggle to drive whilst using a mobile........
One thing I didn't realise (but in retrospect it's kind of obvious) is if you're supervising a learner driver and you're using
your phone you're also liable to get points etc....
[Edited on 1/3/17 by BenB]
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tegwin
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 01:34 PM |
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Nice idea but can't be policed..... I thought it was now ilegal to smoke in cars whilst driving and I see it all the time.... 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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pekwah1
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 03:55 PM |
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i have a couple of comments:
1. I will admit that i have in the past personally phoned and texted on a mobile while driving. Phoning people didn't pose much of a problem,
but texting is just bloody dangerous! Luckily i never had an accident, but i did quickly realise it was a stupid idea so fully support the ban even
though it's difficult to police.
2. I have a problem with the government/police's ideas of how to control things nowadays. Generally speaking, it is just on a fine/tax basis.
"we have a problem with pollution" - tax it. "we have a problem with speeding" - more fines. "There are people on
phones while driving" - increase the fine. It seems to be the only idea they have is to put monetary penalties in place to try and deal with
the issue. Although i'm sure this does discourage people, there must be another way of looking at these kind of problems, education, technology
etc. just annoys me.....
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steve m
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 04:14 PM |
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"Nice idea but can't be policed..... I thought it was now ilegal to smoke in cars whilst driving and I see it all the time.... "
I was under the impression, that the rule only implied if there were children in the car,
but as I have never smoked, it doesn't apply to me, imho its a disgusting habbit
Thats was probably spelt wrong, or had some grammer, that the "grammer police have to have a moan at
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mcerd1
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 04:36 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by steve m
"Nice idea but can't be policed..... I thought it was now ilegal to smoke in cars whilst driving and I see it all the time.... "
I was under the impression, that the rule only implied if there were children in the car,
but as I have never smoked, it doesn't apply to me, imho its a disgusting habbit
works vans and company cars - they count as your place of work, so as far as I'm aware same rules as if you were smoking in the office /
workshop / pub etc.....
the one with kids in teh car is different as its all vehicles....
-
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loggyboy
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 04:36 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by BenB
And if you're caught within the first two years of passing your test you have to retake it. Because it's only new drivers who would
struggle to drive whilst using a mobile........
.
[Edited on 1/3/17 by BenB]
Thats been the case for many years, nothing to do with mobiles.
Mistral Motorsport
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SJ
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 05:16 PM |
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I don't quite get the focus on mobiles. There are so many distractions in cars these days such as satnavs, touchscreens etc., let alone cars
that have multiple electronic performance modes, why single out phones?
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Mash
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 06:46 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by SJ
I don't quite get the focus on mobiles. There are so many distractions in cars these days such as satnavs, touchscreens etc., let alone cars
that have multiple electronic performance modes, why single out phones?
Yes, interesting one....
"It's illegal to use a handheld mobile when driving. This includes using your phone to follow a map, read a text or check social
media. This applies even if you’re stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic"...
So surely they should be banning the use of satnavs too, unless it's OK to use the phone for nav providing it's not in your hand?
Pretty typical c0ck up by HMG
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SJ
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 07:32 PM |
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quote:
quote:
Originally posted by SJ
I don't quite get the focus on mobiles. There are so many distractions in cars these days such as satnavs, touchscreens etc., let alone cars
that have multiple electronic performance modes, why single out phones?
Yes, interesting one....
"It's illegal to use a handheld mobile when driving. This includes using your phone to follow a map, read a text or check social media.
This applies even if you’re stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic"...
So surely they should be banning the use of satnavs too, unless it's OK to use the phone for nav providing it's not in your hand?
Pretty typical c0ck up by HMG
I wonder legally when your phone is connected to the touch screen in your car, but say in the boot, were the phone ends and the car starts.
Technically I would still be using the phone, just via a different interface.
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Slimy38
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 07:37 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by SJ
I don't quite get the focus on mobiles. There are so many distractions in cars these days such as satnavs, touchscreens etc., let alone cars
that have multiple electronic performance modes, why single out phones?
I agree 100%. At least older cars you could reasonably feel where the volume button was, where the up/down buttons were. The modern cars with their
touchscreen equivalents are far harder to use, you do have to properly look away from the road in order to do basic stuff. So shouldn't they be
fining people who want to retune their radio?
I use my phone every journey I make. The difference is that it's mounted on the dash, and I use it for music and satnav via bluetooth. Yes, I
have to operate it every so often to change album, so technically I'm breaking the law. Or am I?
To be honest, I thought the original rule was being 'distracted' whilst behind the wheels. That includes women putting on makeup,
eating/drinking, even having something dangling from the rear view mirror. Unless that's still a rule and they've done a similar one
specifically for mobiles?
[Edited on 1/3/17 by Slimy38]
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snapper
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 07:57 PM |
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I have just been informed that the new White fleet contractor is fitting Telematics to all the vehicles and that there are 3 levels of reporting, the
g sensors repot limits are not described but the speed limits are starting at 5 to 10% then 11 to 19% & 20% or above.
If I drive that slowly I'll have plenty of time to get nicked for looking st my phone
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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chillis
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 09:03 PM |
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texting and surfing the internet seem to be the big thing these days, got run into the back of back in Jan in a traffic queue, driver behind was
texting while 'waiting' in the queue. As for the fine increasing it the usual, fewer people getting caught so the revenue from the fines
has gone down thus increase the fine.
As for the rules themselves, still vauge and ambiguous just to ensure the greatest number of people 'could' fall foul.
Using a mobile as a sat nav, stuck on the screen with a suction mount IS no different to using the garmin yet the former is illegal the later
isn't. Likewise using my mobile as a handsfree - it syncs with the car and has controls on the steering wheel, is legal but using the mobile any
other way isn't. In most cases is the conversation thats distracting far more than the holding of the phone. How many people have you seen
driving one handed even when not using a mobile?
In car entertainment has been a distraction all the way back to the time people had record players in cars! how come these arn't illegal? but
then I guess you'd have to ban people in cars holding conversation too.
Whilst much is made of mobile phone related accidents there are still plenty that arn't caused by the mobile phone and plenty of bad driving
caused by people paying far too much attention to the FU%$(&NG petrometer instead of driving properly 
Never under estimate the ingenuity of an idiot!
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 09:11 PM |
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One of the worst distractions in my old car (Yaris) were the heating controls, which were placed just behind the gear lever. You had to look at the
climate control display to work out what you were doing. My current car (Hyundai) has 2 knobs near the top of the dash that I can adjust by feel,
plus a few buttons that can also be found by feel.
I have a hands-free phone in the new car, with steering wheel controls. I prefer not to use it as it is a distraction - the act of thinking about the
conversation does reduce my driving concentration. I wouldn't even think about using a hand-held mobile phone...
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Banana
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 10:01 PM |
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Going to be a lot of cabbies getting fines if this is enforced..
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loggyboy
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 10:18 PM |
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Comparing bad egonmics on car controls to using a mobile i like chalk n cheese. The main difference is time, adjusting radio or heater, even badly
laid out ones, takes a split second. Texting can take minutes or longer, people dont just send a 4 word reply, they have full on conversations lasting
a whole journey.
Mistral Motorsport
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 11:30 PM |
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quote:
This includes using your phone to follow a map
I think they mean by contact with the phone (panning around it by finger). Having been fined for a CU80 (mobile phone use) the police kindly pointed
out that the moment you touch a mobile communication device, regardless of reason, you're committing an offence. My fine was on a deserted road
(literally no-one about) at midnight, stopped at some traffic lights while trying to find a lost and alone girlfriend in a "foreign" city
I hit the speakerphone button with it on the dash - police came out of hiding down a side road/commercial carpark entrance with all lights blazing,
got two more cars for backup and breathalising. Bit of a joke over-reaction but by the word of the law I was in the wrong so I didn't argue.
edit to add:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/driving-laws-changing-heres-you-12669480
[Edited on 1/3/17 by coyoteboy]
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tims31
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| posted on 1/3/17 at 11:43 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Nice idea but can't be policed..... I thought it was now ilegal to smoke in cars whilst driving and I see it all the time....
I think thats only if you have kids in the car...
Build: http://www.martinsfurybuild.co.uk/
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 2/3/17 at 06:56 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Comparing bad egonmics on car controls to using a mobile i like chalk n cheese. The main difference is time, adjusting radio or heater, even badly
laid out ones, takes a split second. Texting can take minutes or longer, people dont just send a 4 word reply, they have full on conversations lasting
a whole journey.
Accepted - but I was just pointing out that a phone isn't the only thing that can distract you. Bad car design that forces you to look at from
the road as you're driving is almost as dangerous. That BMW "system control knob" must also be a major distraction.
That article in the link above is very good - I've used my phone while stopped but with the engine running, and I didn't know that was
illegal....
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Dick
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| posted on 2/3/17 at 07:29 AM |
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So when we see the police following a car or in hot pursuit on these tv shows while using the phone radio on the chest tunic thats ok is it.
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WallerZero
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| posted on 2/3/17 at 01:09 PM |
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http://think.direct.gov.uk/mobile-phones.html
"Even careful drivers can be distracted by a call or text – and a split-second lapse in concentration could result in a crash"
How many of you can check your speed without taking your eyes off the road? I'm sure there was an advert circling about how much a 2 second
glance can lead to disaster. If I ever get pulled over and asked what speed I was travelling, it was always the speed limit, primarily because if you
say "I don't know" you can be held liable for driving without due care and attention....yet checking the speedo for 2 seconds to
drive with due care and attention is inadvertently taking your focus away from the road and therefore driving without due care and attention?
I very much doubt a court would tell you not to worry about hitting that pedestrian who stepped in the road just as you checked your speed.
Can't win! 
Edit to add: How many of you can maintain focus when you get an itch or need to sneeze?
"Man banned from driving for sneezing fit!"
[Edited on 2/3/17 by WallerZero]
http://zachsgbszero.blogspot.co.uk/
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