Safe Speed Forums

But have you noticed that people using mobiles slow down and hence very rarely exceed the speed limit - so how can they be other than safe drivers -

Awesome. So if I install something similar to Skype on my Nokia 9300 that then send the voice to my Car PC over Wireless which in turn relays it to my works mobile in the glovebox via bluetooth then it will be legal to hold the 9300 to my ear. A mode of operation I find far safer than buggering about with handsfree kits.

Since the offence is to hold the mobile phone while driving and I have adapted my 9300 to relay voice on a frequency which is not on the banned list, it is no longer a mobile phone.

You know I might actually do this just to annoy them.

I did start my reply with "Er, No! - if it's capable of operating on a banned frequency, then it's a mobile phone." However, I've taken another look:

So, if your device is designed to transmit and receive spoken messages and designed to operate on any frequency other than those listed it is (for the purpose of these regs) a two-way radio and so exempt from the ban. Note that this does not say that if it also operates on a forbidden frequency it is not a two-way radio - all that is required is that it operates on at least one frequency that is not banned.

Now I have a Nokia 6210i. This is designed for the purpose of transmitting and receiving spoken messages and designed to operate (although not exclusively) on the Bluetooth band (2,400 - 2500 MHz -ish), which is not within a forbidden frequency range. Therefore it is a two-way radio and I am permitted to use it hand-held. I suspect that the same applies to any Bluetooth phone. Even better would be hybrid VoIP/GSM phones like the Samsung SGH-P200 because that they are explicitly designed to use WiFi hotspots where available.

However, Sussex Police disagree with the above. They say in answer to the question, "I've heard that two-way radios can be used, is that true?"So be warned. I suspect that the it will eventually be up to the courts to decide whether to interpret the regs strictly or pragmatically.

That said, I've never felt safe using my "two way radio" hand-held and since the advent of Bluetooth have had all my vehicles fitted with a hands-free kit that has a small microphone stuck on the A-pillar near the sun-visor, a two button switch stuck to the dash, and uses the car stero's speakers. When I change phones, I just need to pair the new phone with the car kit (rather than rip out the old and fit a new one).

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Will

That sounds more like they are talking about due care and attention/etc. possibly assuming all mobile phone use to be dangerous.

I wouldn't expect a police web site to be correct.

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Andrew.

What a load of codswallop. There are roads in this country that require continual gear selection and, even if rally trained like me, the left hand is seldom on the wheel.
If you must place a 'gizmo' in the car to stop drivers using mobiles on the move, why not disable the phone instead of the car? An override for voice only/bluetooth is not beyond the realms of current technology, but disabling the car is the consideration of someone who should hang up their keys and restrict themselves to public transport, as the responsibility of being a driver is obviously far beyond them, let alone (heaven forbid) actually trying to enjoy themselves behind the wheel.
To me, driving my car should always carry a sense of pleasure and acheivement as it becomes an extension of myself in its correct use.
You seem to see a car as, primarily, a lethal weapon and your fear and lack of self-reliance should preclude you from ever entering one as anything other than a passenger...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

[quote willcove]
You seem to see a car as, primarily, a lethal weapon and your fear and lack of self-reliance should preclude you from ever entering one as anything other than a passenger...[/quote]
Well a car is often used as a weapon.There is nothing like a car to advertise to the world your character or personality,one can often judge the intelligence and character of the driver by the way he or she drives.
The car is an extension of oneself.

I chose my cars carefully, but I don't chose them as a weapon?

I don't plan to kill anyone using it as a tool to aid my destructive power

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That may be, but referring back to the original point, such a “hands-on” system will not prevent, or even reduce the occurrence of cars from being used as a weapon, deliberately or inadvertently.


edited cos Zak hasn't yet got to grips with the quote tags

Oi I didn't write that

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Will

Having just caught up with this thread - I missed it before, and I am appalled that anybody would even consider such a stupid idea.

The premise about the problem is complete garbage - the number of hands on the wheel is completely immaterial to the ability to control it. Yes when the original advanced driving books came out, they said it was important (especially for the weak armed), because without power assisted steering you did need two hands for control, but as Richard Burns demonstrated in a broadcast rally stage you can easily drive a power assisted car with complete control with just one hand on the wheel, and when the commentator asked about him only using his left hand on the wheel during the complete sequence RB said that his right hand was better utilised for the gear shift and he didn't need it on the wheel as power steering makes it "so easy these days" (the Rally car is Left Hand Drive).

The premise about cutting power as a "solution" however is absolutely crazy, and could only have ever been suggested by somebody who hasn't got a clue about driving and crash causes. The biggest problem for me is lift-off over-steer.

I suspect that lift-off over-steer contributes to a large number of loss of control accidents and is simply caused by "lifting-off" the throttle during a corner. When this happens there is a weight shift forward in the car and the front wheels grip harder and the back ones loose grip; if the car is borderline "going too fast for the conditions", then it is tipped over the edge, the back-end swings out violently and the car spins completely out of control (unless you can control it and most people cannot). Too fast for the conditions could be 20mph with a diesel spill, wet leaves or ice, but if the spin is into an oncoming vehicle, bus queue, or group of cyclists, then the consequences are horrendous.

The proposed system is going to cut power - the exact cause of lift-off over-steer, and it is going to be unexpected when it happens. I am absolutely certain that such a system will be the direct cause of a large number of deaths. Never mind the motorway carnage when a driver triggers it while reaching for a sweet, and is clipped by the tailgater behind causing the first car to swing into an adjacent lane...

From the technical side however the implementation is dead easy, and exactly the same as the rev-limiter in all modern cars. The ECU just has to cut the fuel.

If such a concept was even necessary (which it isn't), then the sensible action would be the sounding of a beep at a moderate volume (such as many cars have if you exceed 10 mph without the seat belt done up). Cutting power to the engine is criminally insane, and the creators deserve the million dollar lawsuit that will inevitably result.

You are the one who cannot or will not answer one simple question.

Do you drive?

Yes, come on Zak. Do you drive?

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Smokebelching,CO2 making,child murdering planet raping,granny mugging,politically incorrect globally warming (or is it climate changing now it's getting colder?)thug.
That's what the government want you to believe of me. If they get back in I'm emigrating.

Yes,been driving for 40 years,the device in this discussion is not my idea as many of you seem to suggest.
I would not want it fitted to my car.
The idea behind this is to prevent "one hand driving" providing a warning to keep both hands on the wheel,this would stop all the illegal use of mobile phones,and would ensure that you drive properly.
The driver would be aware of the device so would not try and drive around bends or other hazards without full control of the steering.
It has already been endorsed a success.

Wow, that was a long time to think up a reply!

I hover a helicopter with one hand, would two hands be safer do you think?

It depends what you are doing with the other hand?

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Hey, I'll do anything to get a good flying report