Safe Speed Forums

Easy money.

_________________
Andrew.

Safetyman was actually quoting Homer. He went on to say


His [Homer's] point was that the presence of a hands-free kit overcomes the technicality of the law, but makes the existence of a telephone call no safer.

I actually go further, and say it makes it worse, simply because, being hands-free, one is tempted to press the envelope a bit and prolong the call over and above the duration one may have been tempted to field a call holding the telephone to one's ear.

Oops. Thanks.

Why the problems with "handsfree" phones as (unless I am mistaken) we all talk to the passenger/s in our cars when driving or do some people drive in total silence ?

There is nothing wrong with having a conversation on the phone while driving as it is the same as talking to a passenger the difference is with handheld phones as you then have to drive / steer / indicate / gearchange etc. with one hand which is blatantly dangerous in my opinion.

The ones who aggravate me are the ones who blatantly drive while holding a phone to their ear as I have seen drivers negotiating roundabouts one handed is that call so important to warrant a £60.00 fine + 3points on your licence and what about the lorry drivers who risk a £2,500.00 fine and a summary ban from the traffic commissioners on prosecution they are quite happy to risk their livelihood for the sake of a call to the wife or their mate .

_________________
"There But For The Grace of God Go I"

"He Who Ain,t Made Mistakes Ain,t Made Anything"

Spannernut

Talking on the phone is nothing like talking to a passenger/s in the car, for a start, when you talk to someone on the phone they cant see what is going on around you and vice versa.

Now,unlike a passenger if you are talking to them whilst they are sat next to you then they can see what is going on around you so, if you suddenly stop talking and are looking at something then the passenger realises what is happening and the conversation pauses until the driver has got over or past the intended hazard.

So,although most people say they can talk on the phone and drive at the same time is all about concentration if it was left to me you would not be able to use hands free when driving as its the concentration level that is the issue not the holding, although only having one hand on the steering wheel whils holding the phone can culminate to not being in full control,although you would look for other signs as well,ie,changing gear,or leaving it in a higher gear as you see some people do and just labour the car up to the speed they want to go at.

Now, no doubt some or most will disagree with that but that is my opinion and I unlike most dont need to use my mobile when driving as I am not that important as most people.

Stephen

Sorry I have to disagree. the studies that have come to this conclusion made drivers have stressful verbal challenges whilst driving through a driving challenge. Drivers were under pressure to count backwards whilst driving. To put talking before driving.

I agree fiddling with phones is a bad habit. I don't agree with hand held phones whilst driving. I find an earpiece takes a more direct path to my brain when driving and I could not remember the previous few miles. But I found that a proper Sony hands free in-car kit was just like driving whilst talking to a friend.

I would not let my boss sit next to me and grill me on stats or ask me to count backwards whilst I negotiated the ring road. And I don't do that on the phone either. Having said that You can learn to have more and more complex conversations on the phone as you get experience. Occasionally I politely ask the person to wait whilst I pull out on a junction- just as I would with a passenger.

_________________
Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Stephen,

When you are using your police radio system in the car, is it hand held or handsfree and do you find it distracting from the task of driving?

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Stephen a very valid point about the person on the other end of the phone while you are driving as regards a passenger talking.

Never thought of it that way, as you say a passenger will stop talking as they (normally) are watching the road as well as the driver.

Obviously if you are asking someone to carry out a task such as give stats etc. to a boss then I agree that is when concentration takes a back seat and accidents happen and as a HGV driver I certainly don,t take instructions etc. when driving I only answer questions such as ETA at delivery points etc. anything else and the traffic dept. are told to wait till I find somewhere to stop to continue the conversation in safety.

I have no intentions of coming before the Traffic Commissioners and receiving a ban & or a £2,500.00 fine for using a phone while driving but some drivers sem to take the view that the commissioners will not take any action for breaking the law and the call is more important than their licence.

_________________
"There But For The Grace of God Go I"

"He Who Ain,t Made Mistakes Ain,t Made Anything"

Spannernut

1. Don't shout, I'm not deaf.

2. What "evidence" have I provided that confirms that using a mobile phone while driving is safe?

It was you that stated that two hands are needed on the wheel in order to stay safe, I simply pointed out that isn't the case at all.

Not if they're drunk they're not!
I've got fairly used to driving with drunk people yacking away, although the louder they get the slower I end up going...
I do think it's mostly down to practice though.
For example I can understand someone talking on an FM or even SSB radio quite well because I have practised it, whereas most people will only be able to work out a few words at first.

I do think it's more down to practise than "phone = dangerous" or "talking to passenger = dangerous". For example, I remember when I was learning that changing gear was something I really had to think about doing. Now I don't.

_________________
Andrew.