Safe Speed Forums

Does anyone know which study he is getting this 'fact' from?

Um... That's a load of rubbish!

_________________
Andrew.

Kenny - hard luck.

Roger - don't talk so silly.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Seems to be some figure plucked out of the air - i asked this question some time ago - no replies yet.Perhaps it's the mobile answer to "one third"

I don't. But even if it were true, a factor of 4 would be pretty unremarkable. For a start, average crash risk drops by a factor of about 20 between learning and becoming experienced.

I'd also make a bet that instantaneous 'crash risk' modulates by at least 1000:1 over the course of a typical 50 mile journey as various hazards are encountered.

But of course since mobile phones are under-represented in the crash stats we have every reason to believe that an average driver on the mobile has a lower crash risk than an average driver NOT on a mobile. This would seem to indicate that drivers choose to make their phone calls in safer-than-average circumstances.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I find that its not the phone call whilst driving that's a problem - it's the having to take notes


Seriously, I have a problem with this whole definition of "driving".

I have seen it said that the vehicle must be stationary, with the handbrake on and the engine off - but I can find absolutely no legal requirement in the RSA2006 for this; neither can I find a legal definition of "driving" (as opposed to "in charge")

The first of these is, of course, not a problem.

I drive an automatic - the handbrake is only ever used during the MoT test
Why should I have to turn off the heater/aircon/climate control just to make a phone call?

I totally agree with what you say as I take the view (maybe wrongly) that if you are stationary eng. running or not with the h/brake on then you are not moving and I would think that any sensible police officer would exercise a modum of common sense and if so agrrieved or whatever would issue a caution and an explanation of the law .

Ad Infinitum!

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

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

Spannernut

It's the same argument they use over a drunk driver .. even one sleeping it off whilst parked up in the pub car park - in the back seat with the key in his pocket (Came up on PH ... ages ago. )

The idea is the "obvious intent to drive a car". If the defendant can prove to the court's or magistrates' satisfaction that there was none.. he may get aways with it.. but really in practialc real world - you need the Freeman types to pull it off successfully

Of course - I think - with the phone call and the comfort zone of air con and warmth - a BiB should use some common sense and not the letter of the law as this is not the same thing the likelihood of someone intoxified and inebriated actually driving home whilst still hung over.

Still no fan of the mobile phone and like my dear wife wildy .... I still do not understand why someone feels that compulsion to either phone someone or answer the call whilst driving. Business went on before these horrid little phones .. the world does not cave in over a missed telephone call. My job is a little different. As junior doc on long hours stints - I could leave the hospital premises for a break - but could be called back and was supposed to remain within reasonable distance. I had a "bleep" doo-dah and when it sounded and if not on hospital premises - had to find phone and advise ETA back at "base". Sure .. the mobiles are quite "handy" in that respect these days .. but .. there are hands free devices for the one syllable replies .. so I still do not see why we have this issue over hands held phones.

Perhaps we are back to the old argument of courtesy and common sense on this subject I only use my mobile phone for emergency.. if separated in a crowd from my wife if on a joint trip. or to round up the family on a shopping or holiday trip .. and we did "own things". I do not really need it or use it for much else. If in the car.. it's hands free use only .. and conversations tend to be short.

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

Ironically this law will make me a worse driver...

Generally when the phone rings if I can see somewhere to pull in, I'll grab it to say hello, while I pull over. If driving in conditions a little more tricky I let the answerphone take it and call back later. But I run my own biz and it is good to answer the phone when it rings.

I've never liked driving/talking on phone as like said the conversation is distracting, plus my calls often involve checking my diary and taking notes anyway, but now I've got to "take" the call on a handsfree (assuming the law is enforced with the same nazi intolerence shown to marginal "speeders", "parking offences" etc). So now I've got the handsfree gimmick I'll probably just carry on driving.

_________________
Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Your optimism does you credit.

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

Yep maybe I am an optimist but to be fair to the BiB they have a job to do and being antaganistic to them isn,t going to do your case any good if they pull you for a check but I still think that they have to enforce the law whether right or wrong and it still hangs on how they interpret it on the day in question.

We all have days when for one reason or another as they say when we get out the wrong side of bed and then everything goes downhill at a fast rate of knots for the rest of the day and the BiB are no exception taking in to account they have to deal with the dregs of society every day of their working life and they no doubt hear all the spurious excuses known to man and beast every day.

To err is human!

Ad Infinitum

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

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

Spannernut

Unfortunately the words "safe place " as in pull over into seem to have been missed by a lot of drivers. What next - a law to presecute drivers pulled over in an unsafe place - something to replace obstruction --so that we do not need anyone to make a qualified judgement , just tick a box.

if you ever watch the programme "Traffic Police" on ITV you will see all too frequently mr bib driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand on a microphone, and bear in mind that panda car drivers are just like you and me, ie no special driver training!

so how come it's ok for them and not us as I thought no one was above the Law?

Something that struck me as being a missed oppurtunity is dealing with companies. Given the Cause or permit offence under the RTA, has anyone from the police spoken to the companies of drivers caught, the reason I ask is that on the first day of points being issued under this law two drivers made most of the press stories:

An engineer for Virgin Mobile caught driving and using a mobile phone, surley they should now better.

And a driver for Occado deliveries, poor sod had his company phone on the dash and was ignoring it, but calls kept coming in, he found it distracting and turned it off whilst driving, he was caught and three points, so why if these drivers are issued phones and expected to take calls hadn't Occado fitted hands free kits?

_________________
Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

and how come its ok for the plod?

Would argue that it isn't, given that they potentially on blues and twos have a far higher workload than an average driver.

In the RAF and other places I've used radios I've had throat mikes that were vox (voice activated) they only picked up our voice so were ideal for noisy areas, how difficult would it be to have those on a police radio?

_________________
Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

Because even Tetra isn't a mobile phone system, it is a "two-way radio". You just have to ignore the fact that a Tetra handset has a numeric keypad and can access the PSTN...

Not a mobile phone - legal to use while driving.
Not a mobile phone - legal to use while driving.

_________________
Andrew.

Anyone ever noticed on tv when the reporter is driving they always look left (passenger side) into a Bl**dy camera, and these are the people who push for legislation. Surely its a crime to stare at a camera while driving ?

_________________
nigel_bytes

Assuming they really are driving a vehicle on the road, I agree with you. An occasional brief glance towards the camera is OK, but sometimes they spend far too long looking at the camera, and it doesn't go down too well when they're beefing about some safety issue.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Or maybe he knows that it isn't?

_________________
Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus