New mobile phone laws - your views

I think it will help for sure by making people think twice before then taking the risk. Also to take the next step and buy a bl**dy handsfree kit.

When I am driving I am usually thinking of all those things that need to be done so it seems pretty natural to want to make a phone call to get things happening. No time like the present etc... Often if I am racing about at home or work and trying to be on time. Jump in the car and its like ok underway - now what have I forgotten or whats next.... ah need to call such and such. Such is life these days.

think bikers should be allowed to police it!

while on the move...when we see a driver on a phone....we should get ours out and take a picture to prove it in court!























yeah yeah i know!

lol

No problem with this as such ... except that I tend to use the 'headphones' type hands free ... which I believe are now not considered hands free?? I really don't see there is much difference (safety wise) between this and a blue-tooth hands free ... my headphones even have a little button near the mic to allow me to answer/hang up ...

I'd hate to be taken to the full extent as a headphone hands-free user ... Hopefully very few cops would do you for it as you are at least being responsible about it!?!?

[Bluepete]

We have been sent all the enforcement blurb about this today, including a report in which it is shown that a driver on a mobile has slower reaction times that one who is at the drink drive limit. Worse still, even when using a hands free kit, the tested sample still had slower reactions than the driver with booze in the system.
I think it is all about education. The drink drive laws have been in for yonks, but mobiles are still a relatively new phenomenon, more so the specific offense of using one whilst driving. Most people see drink drive as wrong "because it kills people" and is now socially unacceptable (in most areas of society). There needs to be a concerted effort by the Govt. to make the perception of mobile phone use just as wrong. After all, if the tests and reports are to be believed, why not have a similar penalty to drink driving on conviction, ie, minimum 12 months ban? Drink drivers get this even if they don't crash or are just "unlucky" enough to get stopped for whatever reason.
I am a traffic cop in Manchester, specifically, Salford and Trafford and I go out of my way to enforce mobile phone tickets, eleven people dosed today, just for this offense. But I can see the courts being overwhelmed when next months changes come into play. Even now, nearly everyone either denies it (so we check the call log) or demands to see the "video evidence" One bloke in a 5 series BMW even claimed not to own a mobile phone......then went bright red when his anus started ringing!

Ho hum, life as a gov't revenue collector!

You all mention about it being hard to police and also that people see police coming along and put their phones down, you also liken it to speeding and such like...

The thing is, an officer seeing someone on the phone is easy to prove than someone speeding, for a start they dont need special equipment..

You would be amazed at how people drive past police without even seeing them, so they may get away with it sometimes, its like most traffic offences...if you get away with it, well done...

but if you get caught.. Don't complain

and

"i was just turning it off"

"i was telling the person i would call them back"

"i was just seeing what time it was"

"i do have have hands free"

"this is the first time i have ever done it"

to mention a few...

Have heard them all, on more than one occasion.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by BluePete

Ho hum, life as a gov't revenue collector!

Must feel like that sometimes I'm sure, but enforcing the mobile phone rules and general road laws makes it a safer place IMHO. Good on yer (just don't speed without your blues on )

Saw a super thing on one of your forces Range Rovers a few years ago. I was stuck behind a middle lane hog, when the Rangey passed in stream of traffic in outside lane, pulled in and lit up the matrix in the back window "Use Correct Lane Discipline <------------" Middle lane hog moved over and traffic could flow. Excellent.

As has been mentioned already, a hands free bluetooth kit, wired into the car properly is about £120, not much on the price of the average car. I receive calls when driving, but generally pull up to make them. If I'm on the phone while in the car (usually it's a customer) I deal with it quickly if possible, or arrange to call back when I'm not driving.

I can't see how talking on a hands free phone can be any more dangerous than having a conversation with somebody in the car - in fact, many people turn to look at the passenger while talking !!

But I still think the problem is enforcing it, we all know that many traffic cops have been replaced by cameras (they have a better RoI, apparently ) There just isn't enough traffic police to do it justice.

.

Psychological research is showing that when drivers use cell phones, whether hand-held or hands-off, their attention to the road drops and driving skills become even worse than if they had too much to drink.

http://www.psychologymatters.org/driverdistract.html

Shrug.

From the same article:

Second, drivers should also be aware that whether a cell phone is hands-on or hands-free makes no difference in terms of mental distraction. According to the research, the mental activity of conversation, whether in person or over the phone, is what takes one's mind off the road. What happens in the head happens regardless of what happens with the hands.

So its not actually the phone but the act of having a conversation. This is true for me - I always switch off conversation mentally when coming into a busy intersection/reverse parking for example. Usually yell/ask nicely kids/wife to pipe down at this point - trying to concentrate etc. But where do we draw the line and can we be trusted to do the same thing if on hands free?

ill be honest im in two minds...

Holding the headset to ur face engaged in conversation... YES £60 and 3 points is fair

If your pushing a button whilst its in a cradle to use ur hands free im not so sure, after all i pres buttons on my stereo? Other program sat navs, whilst of course that can come under driving without due care and attention i dont see that the same fine is justified just for pressing buttons?

As for the engagement in conversation, personally i am aware it detracts from my concentration, but so does singing a good tune, chatting with a passenger and riding in the freezing cold.

Any way, iv got a cradle and a hands free kit and only take the call if i really need to!