View Full Version : How do YOU handle phone wielding drivers?
phatwheels
12-07-12, 05:34 PM
This isn't a question of me been confused on how to handle them, i quite happily roll up next to them and ask them what the flump they're doin', make my observation known.
been pee'in me off no end this week, but what's everyone else do?
Spank86
12-07-12, 05:40 PM
Ignore them, they're just one group of drivers paying no attention to the road, there are plenty of others who are less obvious.
Bluepete
12-07-12, 05:58 PM
I give 'em three points and a sixty quid fine.
Pete ;)
carelesschucca
12-07-12, 06:00 PM
If they're are at traffic lights I'll sit next to them and rev the bike its loud enough to stop their conversion :-)
Paul the 6th
12-07-12, 06:00 PM
Tell them their "exhaust has just fallen off back there" at the next set of red lights. "Yeah it's just back there mate, I managed to miss it..." confuses the phuck out of them and they tend to get off the phone sharpish because they question whether they would miss something like that whilst on the phone :)
give them a wide berth. their money if they get caught. strange thing is almost every phone you can buy now has blutooth and headsets are cheep as chips and the biggest culprits are the ones driving flash cars.
maviczap
12-07-12, 06:03 PM
and the biggest culprits are the ones driving flash cars.
Yep, 4x4 drivers round here seem to be the worst culprits at the mo.
Paul the 6th
12-07-12, 06:09 PM
we should form a 4x4 posse...
http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/1/23083000/ngbbs4e2fb439ccf54.jpg
phatwheels
12-07-12, 06:16 PM
give them a wide berth. their money if they get caught. strange thing is almost every phone you can buy now has blutooth and headsets are cheep as chips and the biggest culprits are the ones driving flash cars.
and so with headsets been cheaper than a fine you'd have thought its a no brainer.
in fact im sure if its a flashy car the bluetooth can sync with the radio/speakers in the car, so not even any need to buy headset!?
i think Spank86 is on the right note tho really, if ya let it get to ya you'd be forever gettin riled.
going into zen mode now.
Elliott
12-07-12, 06:17 PM
Make my view known at lights otherwise just ignore the bone-idle ****s...
phatwheels
12-07-12, 06:17 PM
liking the 4x4 posse idea!
anybody on here ever used a mobile phone while in the car?
Nobbylad
12-07-12, 06:46 PM
I carry a sack full of half bricks and lob them into the windscreen as I ride past....honest.
SoulKiss
12-07-12, 06:55 PM
I give 'em three points and a sixty quid fine.
Pete ;)
The winner :)
Me, I just match his speed, sit next to his door and hold my thumb on the horn.
Its ok on the SV with the Stebel Nautilus.
Its best on the Zed with the Stock Horn and a Nautilus AND a Magnum :)
They hang up when they cant hear whats being said :)
Spank86
12-07-12, 07:24 PM
anybody on here ever used a mobile phone while in the car?
Yes.
phatwheels
12-07-12, 07:33 PM
just dont take it this far, ha - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oiq9-2-5wNY&feature=player_embedded#!
dizzyblonde
12-07-12, 07:42 PM
I'm a 4x4 driver. I tried leaving a phone on loud speak once on my mums street, to see how distracting it was ....... How the hell people can drive and be on the phone is beyond me. I never use the phone whilst driving if it rings or texts, I just ignore it til later.
maviczap
12-07-12, 07:42 PM
and so with headsets been cheaper than a fine you'd have thought its a no brainer.
in fact im sure if its a flashy car the bluetooth can sync with the radio/speakers in the car, so not even any need to buy headset!?
.
You've sort of hit the nail on the head
Pairing your phone with a bluetooth device requires a brain, and using a phone at the wheel whilst driving means you are a 'No brainer' :laughat:
anybody on here ever used a mobile phone while in the car?
Easy - you should try it when trying to do a roundabout while smoking a fag and with a can of coke in your hands too... now that takes some wild skills.
SoulKiss
12-07-12, 07:59 PM
Easy - you should try it when trying to do a roundabout while smoking a fag and with a can of coke in your hands too... now that takes some wild skills.
I think you were meaning Mad Skillz
Stop trying to be down with da yoof grandpa :P
sv_rory
12-07-12, 08:10 PM
I had a guy earlier pull right out of the junction in front of me and drive at like 2mph, i nearly ploughed into him, luckily there was just enough space to undertake him, well guess what he was on his phone,
How on earth I didn't hit him I will never know but the tosser had the cheek to give me a hand signal, I mean wtf,
people just don't give a s**t!
xXBADGERXx
12-07-12, 08:23 PM
I give 'em three points and a sixty quid fine.
Pete ;)
:smt038
Paul the 6th
12-07-12, 08:35 PM
I had a guy earlier pull right out of the junction in front of me and drive at like 2mph, i nearly ploughed into him, luckily there was just enough space to undertake him, well guess what he was on his phone,
How on earth I didn't hit him I will never know but the tosser had the cheek to give me a hand signal, I mean wtf,
people just don't give a s**t!
driver on phone "I'm so turned on by your legendary avoidance skills that I plan on ************ later"
sv_rory
12-07-12, 08:39 PM
driver on phone "I'm so turned on by your legendary avoidance skills that I plan on ************ later"
im trying to work out words that fit the amount of stars lol
I used to had a go at people but there is always that one time your phone makes a noise and you quickly check what it was... it's then that you're as bad as all the rest.
I even do it, however I drive hundreds of miles per week and I also have a Bluetooth headset which I wear.
Spank86
12-07-12, 08:42 PM
Fornicating?
With a * for luck.
Paul the 6th
12-07-12, 08:45 PM
it was like maths-debating but it turns out that the oxford english dictionary term for it is more offensive than 'wanking'.
Paul the 6th
12-07-12, 08:46 PM
unless I spell it wrong 'masterbating' in which case it rewards me... this place is starting to represent everything which is wrong with society.
Are you a tosser? Here's a record deal.
Here's my metaphor for phone usage whilst driving:
Having a poo with the bathroom door open is only a problem if it smells. Otherwise, it's just something a lot of people don't think is right.
So there.
Captain Nemo
13-07-12, 06:15 AM
if in a motorway i have on occasion driven along side them and held my hand on the horn until its impossible for them to speak anyway cos of the noisy dirty diesel next to them .
then i smile like it would be polite of them to put down the phone
Nobbylad
13-07-12, 08:03 AM
I eyeball them then shake my head at them, which normally results in them lifting their other hand off the steering wheel to flick me the v's.
So really, I'm making them an even worse driver/bigger risk than they were already.
macristo
13-07-12, 08:04 AM
i rev the engine when at lights but if the windows open I have to stop myself nicking their keys.
Fallout
13-07-12, 08:18 AM
If the window is open, I will throw in a hand grenade. If it's closed, I will leap from my bike naked, and rub myself all over their windscreen.
I jest of course. In all seriousness, I just lob in the hand grenade.
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 08:35 AM
Nothing, but I would love a button on my bike that jams all mobile phone signals within a 20 metre radius, and plays a piercing squeal in their ear instead. ;)
Fallout
13-07-12, 08:36 AM
jams all mobile phone signals within a 20 metre radius, and plays a piercing squeal in their ear instead. ;)
You've basically described a hand grenade. :D
pinpoint_uk
13-07-12, 08:48 AM
What about SAS spec flashbangs..... Now that would be good however it may result in more accidents than just being on the phone.....
Rich
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
punyXpress
13-07-12, 09:59 AM
. . this is where the punybackfire comes in handy!
There was someone on here who 'borrowed' the phone & lobbed it on a service station canopy - it rang for days :thumbsup:
Sir Trev
13-07-12, 10:32 AM
I eyeball them then shake my head at them, which normally results in them lifting their other hand off the steering wheel to flick me the v's.
Baiting imbeciles who don't think the law applies to them and/or think they're such gifted drivers they don't have to worry about observation is just a recipe for road rage. Ignore them and hope Bluepete spots them.
And it's not just flash cars that can be paired to a phone - my new Focus has a very efficient in-built system giving crystal clear calls. Never use it while driving myself but it's there if I need it.
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 10:55 AM
Ignore them and hope Bluepete spots them
Trouble with that is BluePete can't be everywhere, and when he does spot them he's probably already busy on another more critical job, and our wonderful government has cut the funding and taken half his colleagues away, and buried the other half under paperwork at a desk in the station.
Policing of UK roads is almost non-existent, the roads have become a free-for-all. On the M1 yesterday the middle lane was flowing at 90mph, and lane 3 was occupied by a queue of BMW's and Audi's travelling at 100mph with a 1/2 to 1 second gap, with many of them on the phone. The biggest argument for scrapping the 70mph limit is that it isn't enforced, so what's the point of having it at all? What's the point of any law if it's not enforced, may as well just let people get on with it, which is what we are doing and why we have such epidemic phone use.
Fallout
13-07-12, 11:06 AM
Ok, bit of a mini rant ...
To be honest, they don't annoy me at all. As motorcycle riders who are occasionally frivolous with the throttle ;) , we break the rules too. Who are we to decide that being on a mobile phone is more dangerous than that? It only upsets you lot because you see it as potentially dangerous for you, but you're happy to speed, overtake on white lines, have extremely noisey illegal exhausts, pop wheelies, undertake on motorways, etc.
Obviously not all of those apply to everyone. Some riders are nutters and some are much more restrained, but unless you're squeaky clean, it's the pot calling the kettle black. It's a selfish look at someone else's bad road habits. How dare they marginally increase the risk of them hitting someone?! HOW VERY DARE THEY! Because in your selfish world, that tiny increase in risk is far more important than any conversation they're having, no matter what is it. But that overtake you did a few rides ago which was a bit close and made someone brake or swerve a bit ... that's fine. We'll just forget about that. We won't stop overtaking to avoid those scenarios.
Just accept that you hardly care about the person in the car, and they don't even think about you. They're not going to extend you the courtesy of not using their phone on the very slim chance it results in an accident which injures you. I mean, why should they? Every time they use the phone, the chance is really small that they'll take out a biker, so why should they inconvenience themselves? What are you going to do for them? Save them from drowning? Enrich there life with a Christmas card? No, you're irrelevant in their life, just as they are irrelevant to you.
Am I justifying using a mobile phone? No. All I'm saying is, getting uptight about it doesn't make sense. Their crime is no worse than yours, imo. Indeed, the law gives them 3 points and £60 fine right? Same as if you got caught doing 80mph in that 60mph zone. The law obviously deems them as similar severity crimes. You're just as bad.
Just accept it happens and keep your eyes peeled. You won't change them, and why should they change for you? You aren't changing your riding, are you?
carelesschucca
13-07-12, 11:44 AM
Maybe I see the difference as;
a) They aren't giving a flying F*ck about other road users and couldn't give a damn.
b) Whilst I'm out there riding my bike (sometimes slightly over the speed limit) I'm giving the road and the other road users 100% of my attention because I care about their safety and my own...
DaveRushton
13-07-12, 11:50 AM
Ok, bit of a mini rant ...
To be honest, they don't annoy me at all. As motorcycle riders who are occasionally frivolous with the throttle ;) , we break the rules too. Who are we to decide that being on a mobile phone is more dangerous than that? It only upsets you lot because you see it as potentially dangerous for you, but you're happy to speed, overtake on white lines, have extremely noisey illegal exhausts, pop wheelies, undertake on motorways, etc.
Obviously not all of those apply to everyone. Some riders are nutters and some are much more restrained, but unless you're squeaky clean, it's the pot calling the kettle black. It's a selfish look at someone else's bad road habits. How dare they marginally increase the risk of them hitting someone?! HOW VERY DARE THEY! Because in your selfish world, that tiny increase in risk is far more important than any conversation they're having, no matter what is it. But that overtake you did a few rides ago which was a bit close and made someone brake or swerve a bit ... that's fine. We'll just forget about that. We won't stop overtaking to avoid those scenarios.
Just accept that you hardly care about the person in the car, and they don't even think about you. They're not going to extend you the courtesy of not using their phone on the very slim chance it results in an accident which injures you. I mean, why should they? Every time they use the phone, the chance is really small that they'll take out a biker, so why should they inconvenience themselves? What are you going to do for them? Save them from drowning? Enrich there life with a Christmas card? No, you're irrelevant in their life, just as they are irrelevant to you.
Am I justifying using a mobile phone? No. All I'm saying is, getting uptight about it doesn't make sense. Their crime is no worse than yours, imo. Indeed, the law gives them 3 points and £60 fine right? Same as if you got caught doing 80mph in that 60mph zone. The law obviously deems them as similar severity crimes. You're just as bad.
Just accept it happens and keep your eyes peeled. You won't change them, and why should they change for you? You aren't changing your riding, are you?
100% agree :)
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 12:52 PM
Not all car drivers use the phone, just as not all motorcyclists ride dangerously, though it's probably fair to say that 99% of both break the law from time to time.
Not fair therefore to assume that a motorcyclist who complains about a driver using a hand held phone is a hypocrite who is just as bad himself.
There's a difference between breaking the law and being dangerous to other road users. That's why we have different severities of offences and punishments, from minor speeding which attracts a speed awareness course, right the way up to death by dangerous or drunk which can attract a jail term.
I view mobile phone use as dangerous, and I wouldn't agree that it marginally increases the risk of knocking off a biker, I'm a high mileage driver who spends a lot of time on the roads for my job, and the correlation between dangerous occurrences due to inattention, and the driver being on a hand held phone is very clear to see. It significantly increases risk of knocking off a biker. We are not seen at the best of times, never mind when a driver is distracted by something else, and can't turn his/her head properly to see out the side windows.
I do sometimes break the law, but I never put another road user in danger as a result. I think that gives me the right to complain about mobile phone use, without becoming a hypocrite.
I also think the law is insufficient on this and 3 points and 60 quid for hand held phone use is not enough. It is definitely more dangerous than a typical speeding offence and should be punished as such.
Hands free phone use is not quite as dangerous, at least the driver has both hands for controls (not holding wheel with knees whilst changing gear, etc) and has full use of neck movement (hold a mobile phone to your ear then try to turn your head a full 90 degrees towards that side, then put your arms on an imaginary steeling wheel and try it again), but it is dangerous none the less, particularly if the conversation requires a lot of thought.
I do use the hands free bluetooth via the car stereo myself, but only once settled into a cruise on a motorway where there are no junctions and all the traffic is flowing in the same direction at the same speed, or for very short conversations off the motorway such as 'home at 7, what's for dinner, do you need anything from the supermarket?' I won't touch the phone at all in town, or if the traffic conditions are changeable, or I don't have the person I need on voice dial. Unfortunately though many people don't apply any common sense to hands free phone use, so unfortunately I think that hands free car kits should be banned also.
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 01:03 PM
Sure people have seen this before, but it's worth a reminder
a4-4w5xTiEo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4-4w5xTiEo
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 01:10 PM
Another good one
HbjSWDwJILs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjSWDwJILs
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 01:11 PM
BTW, texting is no different to dialling a number, or finding one in your phone book, without hands free voice dialling.
yorkie_chris
13-07-12, 01:27 PM
I'd be lying if I said I hadn't used a phone. If it's in my hand it's generally "f*** off I'll ring you back".
If it's in the cradle on handsfree and I'm driving some horribly boring road like 60mph down the motorway for 5 hours... quite happy to chat it's only the same as talking to a passenger, yeah I occasionally zone out when more attention is required on the roads... but I zone out of normal conversations when something more interesting is going on so people are used to it :)
I've also eaten sandwiches, rolled cigs, touched myself inappropriately and drank coffee while sat on the motorway... Still safer than falling asleep!
Fallout
13-07-12, 01:43 PM
Texting while driving is amazing (in the dangerous sense). That literally is Russian Roulette. Mind you, when I was a youngin' of 17 and just passed my test, I almost ran someone over on a zebra crossing, and I almost rear ended stationary traffic in the fast lane of a motorway. Both times the stereo was to blame. Looking down twiddling bass levels and volume, and skipping through tracks, swapping CDs etc.
There's plenty to distract you in the cabin. Stereo, sat nav, phones, climate control, people in the back seat etc. I think it's more down to the individual than the distraction itself. Disciplined hazard concious people could probably never take their eyes off the road and keep alert while using a phone. Less alert drivers (read kids, grannies, thickos, clueless girly girls (like in that vid)), make it much more dangerous.
That's why I don't think it's worth getting upset about. You could be all concerned with a guy on his phone, who's actually still very alert and knows you're there, while the guy behind him is drunk, the granny in front can't see any more, and the girl to your right is distracted by her mates. Everyone's a hazard. The mobile phone user is just an obvious one. Treat them all with equal contempt! :D
BTW, texting is no different to dialling a number, or finding one in your phone book, without hands free voice dialling.
...or applying lipstick, or messing with the radio, or reading a map.
But how does this relate to somebody driving along with a phone in their hand actually looking where they are going? Why is it safe for a police officer to talk into a radio set but not for somebody to talk into a phone?
Tigerrrr.......
13-07-12, 04:29 PM
All good stuff, and interesting comments.
There's one thing I just don't understand about driving, and that's smoking.
Think about it. You're allowed to drive (at up to 70mph) with something that's burning and giving off smoke four inches from your eyes!
Explain that one to me!
-Ralph-
13-07-12, 04:59 PM
Radio - it does depend what you are doing with it. One button to seek for the next radio station, or change the volume, is very different to 100 buttons to send a 15 word text message. Scrolling through your entire mp3 collection to find a particular album however...
Shawthing
13-07-12, 09:10 PM
I had a guy earlier pull right out of the junction in front of me and drive at like 2mph, i nearly ploughed into him, luckily there was just enough space to undertake him, well guess what he was on his phone,
How on earth I didn't hit him I will never know but the tosser had the cheek to give me a hand signal, I mean wtf,
people just don't give a s**t!
The things you see when you havn't got your gun!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D0Map6-5H-w/TrGLHBIiaGI/AAAAAAAAC18/5jiKuJk9NNU/s1600/zzzzzzse9lcl.jpg
Dave-the-rave
14-07-12, 11:33 AM
As a bike courier in London I was always expecting to be pulled by the Bill for using the radio while mobile but it never happened. Strange really.
I don't really see what is so bad about driving when talking on the phone. Would you give a driver with one arm a £60 fine for chatting to a passenger when driving?
There is already a law called driving without due care and attention, that already covers this, specifically targeting the use of phones means people think other things that take their attention from the road are okay to do which in actual fact they are much worse.
Spank86
14-07-12, 02:30 PM
One armed drivers have specially adapted cars.
Well, okay, so it's just a knob on the steering wheel but it's still adapted.
appollo1
14-07-12, 04:26 PM
what amazes me is when you watch these Road Wars type tv programmes you regularly see the police drivers using their radios that are attached to their shirts/jackets when they are on route to an emergency with lights and sirens going..
now surely that is the same as using a phone as it is a hand held device?
widepants
14-07-12, 05:14 PM
what amazes me is when you watch these Road Wars type tv programmes you regularly see the police drivers using their radios that are attached to their shirts/jackets when they are on route to an emergency with lights and sirens going..
now surely that is the same as using a phone as it is a hand held device?
dont forget the topgear boys .
what amazes me is when you watch these Road Wars type tv programmes you regularly see the police drivers using their radios that are attached to their shirts/jackets when they are on route to an emergency with lights and sirens going..
now surely that is the same as using a phone as it is a hand held device?
exactly, it's only now that using a phone is deemed less 'socially acceptable' that we are seeing this reaction towards it. I have no problem with people using a phone, provided they are looking where they are going and remain in control.
MisterTommyH
14-07-12, 06:19 PM
To answer the original question you should do nothing, but be aware of them and adjust your riding / position etc to suit.
IF you do anything such as sit with the horn on, or knock on the window you too are probably doing something illegal - unnecessary use of the horn, or not being in full control of the vehicle (by removing one hand). Alright in our opinions these are not as 'bad' as what the driver is doing, but as Fallout has said, who are we to decide that it's ok for us to break a rule but not for them (2 wrongs etc....).
I do use my phone in the car all the time - via built in hands free. As it happens I choose only to answer calls that come in, or make calls via voice dialing, but it has the capability for me to swap phones, lookup numbers, dial numbers and select numbered option all via the steering wheel. All of these are probably considered legal because I'm not touching the phone, but I would be looking down at the dash and I'd argue that they are more distracting than taking an actual call via the phone in my hand.
What I'm trying to say that these rules are a bit subjective - they annoy some people because they perceive that it puts them in danger, but there are numerous other things that are not considered wrong. It simply isn't as cut and dry as the drink driving rules.
I've seen arguments that it's because you don't have both hands on the wheel - well I'm sorry I barely ever have both hands on the wheel. I sometimes don't have both hands on the bars - and I've followed a lot of people off here who don't either - and sometimes have none.
I've seen a copper say it's because you'd have to put the phone down / hang up in order grab the wheel if necessary, but having a fag, or eating is ok! Which is balls, because IF I were ever in that situation I'm sure I'd drop the phone in order to grab the wheel rather than crash, just as he was insinuating people would do with food.
Like I said, not saying it's right. Just saying why sometimes the reactions on places like here can be a bit biased.
-Ralph-
14-07-12, 07:30 PM
you regularly see the police drivers using their radios that are attached to their shirts/jackets when they are on route to an emergency with lights and sirens going
How long are these conversations?
-Ralph-
14-07-12, 07:33 PM
but as Fallout has said, who are we to decide that it's ok for us to break a rule but not for them (2 wrongs etc....)
I drive 40,000 odd miles a year and have done for the last 20 years. I think I'm qualified enough to assess which laws are dangerous to break, which aren't, and to what extent.
MisterTommyH
14-07-12, 07:54 PM
You're entitled to your opinion, and I dare say with that amount of driving under your belt it will be a quite well reasoned and well informed one.
At the end of the day though a Law is a law. If a copper only hears someone sitting there with the horn on and not the phone. Or sees someone wobble as they knock on the car window or rant / make a signal to the driver, but again not the phone. Not saying they're dangerous, but there is a risk (however small) that the rider could get pulled up for their reaction. Why bother?
Personally if a rider is SO concerned that a driver hasn't seen then because they're on the phone the last thing I'd want to do is take a hand off the bars in close proximity to the car or create another distraction. I'd be nowhere near them as fast as the situation allowed making sure I could cope with whatever came at me.
-Ralph-
14-07-12, 08:09 PM
Why bother?
<I would do> Nothing, but I would love a button on my bike that jams all mobile phone signals within a 20 metre radius, and plays a piercing squeal in their ear instead. ;)
Sorry, I didn't make my intentions clear enough. I wasn't debating whether a reaction to a driver on the phone, was more or less dangerous than the phone use itself. I was actually more debating Fallouts post, and your apparent agreement with it, that breaking one law, was equivalent to and as bad as breaking another.
Not all offences are equal.
You sympathise with fallouts post, yet agree with the above to an extent also
What I'm trying to say that these rules are a bit subjective - they annoy some people because they perceive that it puts them in danger, but there are numerous other things that are not considered wrong. It simply isn't as cut and dry as the drink driving rules
andrewsmith
14-07-12, 08:42 PM
Wait for Bluepete and his motley crew to add another 3 points to the bill.
TBH the way I have done it (in the past) when they've nearly caused a pile up is to drop the clutch and rev it.
I have agree with Ralph on the lack of motorway policing. Good example was the M6 last Sunday there was more than one person averaging 90+ and a XKR and a 911 racing around Lancaster
Spank86
14-07-12, 09:39 PM
How long are these conversations?
Probably slightly longer than my average, I hate phones.
Also it's not about how long, it's what happens while you're doing it. ;)
I drive 40,000 odd miles a year and have done for the last 20 years. I think I'm qualified enough to assess which laws are dangerous to break, which aren't, and to what extent.
The government would suggest otherwise.
As would people who have done the same and still think its okay to use their mobiles while driving.
phatwheels
14-07-12, 10:19 PM
crikey, look what i've started!
andrewsmith
14-07-12, 10:26 PM
bah this is nowt!
-Ralph-
15-07-12, 08:17 AM
The government has to suggest otherwise, as they have to make rules for the whole population and can't account for common sense. This is why I posted above how and to what extent I use the phone, and that I think phone use in cars should be banned full stop. Some people are on the phone non stop from the second they get into the car until the second they leave it. They roll totally oblivious through heavy pedestrian areas, residential areas, and past schools, while the mouth goes 19 to the dozen, but because they are 'hands free' they think thats fine (though they still picked up the phone to dial it).
It doesnt change the fact that I view myself as being qualified to decide that using a hand held phone is a more serious offence, than for instance doing 80 mph on an empty motorway in good weather (and if anyone wants to try argue thats dangerous, they had better not go to France where the limit is 82, they might not survive the journey LOL). Yet both offences carry the same penalty.
All offences are not equal, whatever the government may need to stipulate in order to account for the masses.
timwilky
15-07-12, 08:20 AM
Interesting to this debate is corporate responsibility. In the past my employers equipped all company cars with hands free. Now we don't, instead they have issued an instruction. Turn off your phone before you get behind the wheel.
-Ralph-
15-07-12, 08:23 AM
Pressing one button and replying '10/4 I'm on route' down a radio clipped to a jacket (or whatever is policemen say when they're not in the movies LOL) is very different to a 30 minute continual telephone conversation.
Trying to argue police use CB radios as a justification for hand held phone use is just clutching at straws.
"How do I handle phone wielding...?"
I don't, that's someone else's job. I don't get all steamed or wound up - there's no point. That said, if I see one I give them plenty of room, that's all. If I focus on them I'll not be focussing on the rest of the road.
Spank86
15-07-12, 11:25 AM
It doesnt change the fact that I view myself as being qualified to decide that using a hand held phone is a more serious offence, than for instance doing 80 mph on an empty motorway in good weather (and if anyone wants to try argue thats dangerous, they had better not go to France where the limit is 82, they might not survive the journey LOL). Yet both offences carry the same penalty.
.
Of course you believe that, everyone always does.
Non of the people who are using phones believe that they are about to kill someone because of it, they all believe that the law is for those silly people who can't talk and drive at the same time.
We all think we're qualified to break whatever laws we decide to break, that's why we break them. I can't speak for you personally but it would seem from accident statistics that a lot of people turn out to be wrong and several of them probably had unblemished records up to the point when they didn't.
Non of the people who are using phones believe that they are about to kill someone because of it, they all believe that the law is for those silly people who can't talk and drive at the same time.
We all think we're qualified to break whatever laws we decide to break, that's why we break them. I can't speak for you personally but it would seem from accident statistics that a lot of people turn out to be wrong and several of them probably had unblemished records up to the point when they didn't.
Totally, 100%, spot on.
Spank86
15-07-12, 11:51 AM
I'd also like to point out that I also believe I'm fully qualified to break the laws that I choose too.
But I'm objective enough to know that the chances are, at some point I'll be wrong (and may have been already but saved by luck).
Unfortunately I'm human enough to ignore my obcetivity.
-Ralph-
15-07-12, 01:46 PM
I'm no longer prepared to debate on a forum whether a hand held phone is more or less dangerous than any other law. Its so obvious as to be a daft thing to be debating about. The debate is going round in circles, has become debate for debates sake, and is no longer about peoples opinions on the subject, its just about having the last word on it.
......its just about having the last word on it.
Oh no it isn't
I thought science had proven that it was more dangerous - if you believe some of the papers on the subject, mobile phones should be in the same offence category as drink/drug driving (example: http://www.unews.utah.edu/old/p/062206-1.html).
Spank86
15-07-12, 06:08 PM
They also proved it was almost as dangerous to talk to passengers or use hands free, I await the introduction of cars with a separate cabin specifically for the driver.
Of course the passenger will probably just ring the driver for a chat anyway.
punyXpress
15-07-12, 07:11 PM
I thought science had proven that it was more dangerous - if you believe some of the papers on the subject, mobile phones should be in the same offence category as drink/drug driving (example: http://www.unews.utah.edu/old/p/062206-1.html (http://www.unews.utah.edu/old/p/062206-1.html)).
Ah Utah, where they believe in polygamy, which is illegal here!
They also proved it was almost as dangerous to talk to passengers or use hands free, I await the introduction of cars with a separate cabin specifically for the driver.
Make mine a McLaren F1, please.
Of course the passenger will probably just ring the driver for a chat anyway.
Any law which is enacted, and then has several months delay before being enforced is BAD LAW - but that doesn't make using a phone ( hand held or otherwise ) whilst driving acceptable behaviour.
Spank86
15-07-12, 07:36 PM
I don't think they do believe in polygamy anymore.
I'm sure there was something on it on Qi the other day and apparently the Mormons religious leader had a suspiciously timed revalation that god had changed his Ming on that score.
Don't most laws that are Enacted have a delay on them?
DJFridge
15-07-12, 09:28 PM
Can I just poke the hornet's nest a little by asking:
Which is more dangerous; talking on a mobile phone or talking on a radio?
appollo1
15-07-12, 11:24 PM
How long are these conversations?
Length of time is irrelevant as the distraction is in removing the drivers hands from the steering wheel to use a hand held "radio" device. Whether they are saying one word or having a long conversation it is illegal to use a hand held device when driving.
Also it's not about how long, it's what happens while you're doing it. ;)
exactly
crikey, look what i've started!
trouble maker ;)
Pressing one button and replying '10/4 I'm on route' down a radio clipped to a jacket (or whatever is policemen say when they're not in the movies LOL) is very different to a 30 minute continual telephone conversation.
Trying to argue police use CB radios as a justification for hand held phone use is just clutching at straws.
not at all -Ralph- as taxi drivers are told that it is illegal and against the law to use their radios when driving, even being caught with their hands on the mic is classed as against the law when driving so surely an officer of the law with a tv camera in his face is breaking that law by using his radio when driving.
MisterTommyH
15-07-12, 11:30 PM
I've also not seen a police officer on TV give a two word response.
When single crewed they often have conversations or give a full running commentary on a situation. :-dd
-Ralph-
16-07-12, 12:10 AM
not at all -Ralph- as taxi drivers are told that it is illegal and against the law to use their radios when driving, even being caught with their hands on the mic is classed as against the law when driving so surely an officer of the law with a tv camera in his face is breaking that law by using his radio when driving.
Where are you getting your facts from?
https://www.askthe.police.uk/Content/Q659.htm
-Ralph-
16-07-12, 12:36 AM
Length of time is irrelevant
Driving for 30 minutes whilst distracted is more dangerous than driving for 10 seconds whilst distracted! How can length of time possibly be irrelevant! (note exclamation marks, not question mark, it doesn't need an answer).
Sorry guys, I'm unsubscribing from the thread, you are all trying to debate things with me that are pretty much unequivocal, then using incorrect facts to try back up the arguments. The thread is clutching at straws, and has descended into drivel.
metalangel
16-07-12, 06:00 AM
anybody on here ever used a mobile phone while in the car?
Once, in Canada, four years ago (before the law prohibiting it in Ontario came into force). I was driving on the 401 (motorway) and my phone rang with a UK number. Thinking it might be important, I answered and it was fooking O2 asking me if I wanted an upgrade! I told them to p*** off I'm driving, they said they'd upgrade the handsfree kit I was using too, I told them I wasn't using a handsfree kit, they were :shock: and I told them not to call me again.
yorkie_chris
16-07-12, 09:02 AM
Well, okay, so it's just a knob on the steering wheel
Not much different to the rest of the cars on the road then :-P
Driving for 30 minutes whilst distracted is more dangerous than driving for 10 seconds whilst distracted! How can length of time possibly be irrelevant! (note exclamation marks, not question mark, it doesn't need an answer).
Sorry guys, I'm unsubscribing from the thread, you are all trying to debate things with me that are pretty much unequivocal, then using incorrect facts to try back up the arguments. The thread is clutching at straws, and has descended into drivel.
Its the 'distracted' part that is the issue, not the length of time. You had implied that because using a radio only briefly it is therefore safer than using a phone. This of course is only true if the radio user is somehow more attentive to his/her driving than the phone user.
appollo1
16-07-12, 09:14 AM
Where are you getting your facts from?
https://www.askthe.police.uk/Content/Q659.htm
i am getting my facts from the spoken word of the traffic police sergeant from FiFe Constabulary who informed me and about 50 other drivers attending a training day for Taxi badge applicants at Fife Police Headquarters in Glenrothes in April 2010.
Driving for 30 minutes whilst distracted is more dangerous than driving for 10 seconds whilst distracted! How can length of time possibly be irrelevant! (note exclamation marks, not question mark, it doesn't need an answer).
i agree with what you are saying with being on for a longer time is more distracting but anyone using a phone or radio mic regardless of the length of time using it is still breaking the law by using it in the first place.
yorkie_chris
16-07-12, 02:29 PM
i agree with what you are saying with being on for a longer time is more distracting but anyone using a phone or radio mic regardless of the length of time using it is still breaking the law by using it in the first place.
source
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/roadsafetyadvice/DG_188761
It’s not illegal to use hands-free phones, sat-navs (satellite navigation systems) and two-way radios while driving, but they can be a distraction. You'll face the same penalties as using a phone if the police believe you’re not in proper control of your vehicle.
Owenski
16-07-12, 03:56 PM
In order:
Put my hand through a taxi drivers side window - got a talking to from a police officer in another car who saw me do it.
I've stopped my bike in front of a phone user who caused me to go avaisive, gestured "wtf" she didnt care one bit just carried on chatting.
Stomped on the rear quarter of another who changed lanes across my filtering, left a nice size 9 dent in his bodywork. He was texting - dropped his phone and crapped himself which made me feel much better.
So in answer to the OP, what would I do? If they cross me then I generally react like a testosterone driven ****. If they don't then I do nothing other than tut and scowl. Not really in any position to do anything so why risk it.
If I'm in the car and someone pulls out their phone to use it I remove it. Tom and YC can testify to that. It REALLY winds me up when I see people with passengers using their phones, seriously can no-one else handle the business you're tending to. If they cant and it MUST be you then pull over! Again Tom and YC can testify that if Im the driver I'll chuck my phone to them and ask they read it/answer it etc.
I can honestly say if Im in the car on my own and the phone rings, I'll keep moving while I see who it is etc but if its a message I wont read it until at the lights/stationary for what ever reason. If its a call I will ALWAYS pull over unless its to shout "driving, call u back" or as is more common "there in 2 mins" phone never makes it to my face and I never wait for a response.
Spank86
16-07-12, 06:04 PM
You must enjoy walking a lot.
Owenski
16-07-12, 09:04 PM
Walking?
Spank86
16-07-12, 09:07 PM
Immediately after you take the drivers phone off them
:D :p
Tigerrrr.......
16-07-12, 10:21 PM
I can honestly say if Im in the car on my own and the phone rings, I'll keep moving while I see who it is etc but if its a message I wont read it until at the lights/stationary for what ever reason.
At the lights with engine running....that'll be three points and a sixty pound fine!
BanannaMan
17-07-12, 02:32 AM
I give 'em three points and a sixty quid fine.
Pete ;)
:winner: and Thank You!
I try to avoid them.
Got to assume they don't see you and have no idea you are there.
It's usually proves to be true.
Owenski
17-07-12, 08:19 AM
Immediately after you take the drivers phone off them
:D :p
Ahh lol I see, no they generally seem to know they're in the wrong. Its usually accompanied with "Im just trying to make you a better person" and a cocky smile... I wake up a short while later.
At the lights with engine running....that'll be three points and a sixty pound fine!
True, but I've put no one in danger and my view isn't about the legality of it, I honestly think using a phone whilst in a control of a vehicle is highly selfish and disrespectful to other road users.
Too many people fail to see how dangerous a car actually is, if more people saw it as a deadly weapon and treated control of it with the same kind of respect then our roads might actually be safer.
tactcom7
17-07-12, 09:38 AM
I have to use the phone whilst driving for work sometimes unfortunately.
Work did install nice parrot bluetooth sets in the cars however what they failed to do on mine was connect it to the bloody speakers so it's useless.
Personally speaking I don't like doing it but when the radio fails and you have no other means of comms then I will use the phone. I also feel i look about MORE and take an increased notice in my driving and surroundings due to the very fact i don't want 3 points and a fine.
As for the police and others using radios whilst driving, radios are intuitive. I use one for work and can easily pick it up, talk and put it down without ever looking at it. It's also small enough that I can still hold it and use the indicators etc.
As for not being able to turn my head or whatever when using it, it's kept below eye level so that's not a problem either.
On a side note i've seen plenty of single crewed coppers on their mobiles whilst driving and on what seemed like personnal calls. That or they were having a right old laugh withthe sarge down at the nick.
Nothing. Riding in London, if you stopped to have a go at every numptie in a car either on the phone, swiping thier tablet, playing with their radio, pulling out without indicating etc etc, youd never get to bloody where you are meant to be going.
Just shrug and carry on.
As i always say. im far form being an angel on a motorcycle, maybe fracturing the occasional law here and there, and 99% get away with it, so its not my right to have a go at other drivers doing the same and nor should it be yours.
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.