View Full Version : Drivers' Mobile Use Banned
The Diplomat
24-06-2003, 10:33
According to the BBC report HERE (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3015610.stm) people using mobiles whilst driving will be prosecuted from 1st December this year.
Various thoughts spring to mind, esp. smoking, changing the tape/cd/tuning the radio etc.
What about taking your hand off the wheel to flick the v's at the fool that has just cut you up.
What about the people who insist on wearing sunglasses whilst driving even though it is cloudy/raining/snowing/nighttime? :rolleyes:
I think the worst mobile phone users are the ones who text while driving. At least if you're talking on it you can can still keep an eye on the road.
Originally posted by The Diplomat
According to the BBC report HERE (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3015610.stm) people using mobiles whilst driving will be prosecuted from 1st December this year...
This is very welcome news, how many times have I seen drivers using mobile phones whilst engaged in driving a vehicle. My belief is nothing will happen, the police already ignore lawbreakers: vehicle owners who don't pay their road fund license and insurance this will end up likewise being ignored. Using mobile phones and driving do not mix and it's time the authorities hit hard on this abuse.
:wavey:
zoombini
24-06-2003, 10:42
Thing is, they have all always been prohibited.
AFAIKR something to do with driving with due care and attention etc.
We have heard of people getting fined for eating sandwiches while waiting at traffic lights.
I think this is just a way of enabling the police to clamp down on mobile drivers better than before. make it a more specific offence.
And AFAIKR this is for handset users only, not those with handsfree kits.
The Diplomat
24-06-2003, 11:20
And AFAIKR this is for handset users only, not those with handsfree kits.
That is how I have read it too. :)
I drive 50000 to 60000 miles a year and I am sick of having to avoid drivers who are using a hand held mobile whilst driving. :mad:
This will be welcome news if it is enforced. ;)
Originally posted by Gogogo
This is very welcome news, how many times have I seen drivers using mobile phones whilst engaged in driving a vehicle. My belief is nothing will happen, the police already ignore lawbreakers: vehicle owners who don't pay their road fund license and insurance this will end up likewise being ignored. Using mobile phones and driving do not mix and it's time the authorities hit hard on this abuse.
:wavey:
oh they will, it's an easy target
There's a big difference between momentarily glancing at your CD player (although granted this is still quite hazardous) and driving for 10 minutes with only one free hand to steer the car and change gear if necessary.
Before I worked for my current employer and got a handsfree kit with my company car I did the phone/driving thing and was surprised how dangerous it is. I felt out of control and, having now used a car kit, if I ever have to buy my own car again I will be buying myself a car kit as a priority accessory before any fancy trims, sound system etc. It's just not safe otherwise.
Besides, I have noticed on my frequent trips up the M1 that you can almost always tell when you're coming up behind someone who's on the phone. They weave all over the place. :disturbd:
Originally posted by Gogogo
..........vehicle owners who don't pay their road fund license and insurance this will end up likewise being ignored.....
Stingray will be out there catching these people... we know all about it in South Wales where it is already catching loads (and crims for other offences too). No MOT vehicles also being targetted.....
Originally posted by Taf
Stingray will be out there catching these people... we know all about it in South Wales where it is already catching loads (and crims for other offences too). No-MOT vehicles also being targetted.....
Delta Whiskey
24-06-2003, 11:41
It's about time something was done about these idiots. Many times I've seen drivers using mobile phones trying to go round a sharp bend near my house, they're trying to turn the wheel, change gear and talk at the same time. Invariably they take the corner wide causing on-coming traffic to take avoiding action.
I'm not blamless, back in the days of AM CB's I had a rig in my car, I was distracted talking to someone and drove through a set of red traffic lights. I was lucky, nothing was coming the other way, it taught me a lesson, I took the rig out of the car the same day.
Originally posted by Delta Whiskey
I'm not blamless, back in the days of AM CB's I had a rig in my car, I was distracted talking to someone and drove through a set of red traffic lights. I was lucky, nothing was coming the other way, it taught me a lesson, I took the rig out of the car the same day.
I did that very same thing, at the traffic lights outside the new Tesco in Fforestfach (before Tesco was there of course :)) - so easy to do :(
Originally posted by The Diplomat
According to the BBC report HERE (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3015610.stm) people using mobiles whilst driving will be prosecuted from 1st December this year.
...and about time too.
Originally posted by Taf
Stingray will be out there catching these people... we know all about it in South Wales where it is already catching loads (and crims for other offences too). No MOT vehicles also being targetted.....
So the secret's out ... Marineville is on the South Wales coast! :D
Too right as well. I don't see why my tax disc should subsidise people who think not having one is a 'victimless crime'.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA BY NEW STINGRAY SYSTEM
NO EXCEPTIONS - Road tax cheats throughout Wales will be caught in the frame by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agencyââ‚Ã⠀šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s (DVLA) new Stingray Cameras. Using cutting edge technology, these new cameras will automatically read the number plates of passing vehicles and check instantaneously if the road tax has been paid.
NO EXCUSES - Squads of Wheelclamping units will also be in operation throughout Wales and vehicles detected without a valid tax disc will be wheelclamped. The release fees are high †“ owners will have to pay £200 within 24 hours to have their vehicles declamped at the roadside. If not reclaimed within 24 hours, vehicles will be impounded and the release fee rises to £280 plus £15 per day storage. Under new powers DVLA will crush unclaimed, unlicensed vehicles within 14 days.
NO ESCAPE - Police will be holding roadside checks to target road tax cheats and motorists committing road safety offences.
No Exceptions. No Excuses. No Escape. These are the three messages given by DVLA as a fleet of Stingray Cameras, the latest weapon in DVLAâ₠¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s enforcement armoury, start rolling throughout Wales. Starting 7 October, these new advanced digital cameras will detect road tax cheats on the move. Unlike speed safety cameras they do not run out of film, they are portable and will be deployed all over the principality. They can read number plates of vehicles travelling at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Road tax cheats will now be caught day or night.
In addition, DVLA in conjunction with the four Welsh police forces †“ Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales will be holding a Vehicle Excise Duty/Wheelclamping Campaign against the 81,000 road tax cheats who are costing in Wales alone £8.8 million in lost revenue (see notes to editors for split).
Terry Barnard, Head of Enforcement for DVLA, added a cautionary warning:
"We are taking a hard line and stepping up our enforcement activity by introducing the Stingray cameras in a determined effort to clamp down on this irresponsible group who evade paying their road tax. Honest motorists are infuriated at having to subsidise road tax cheats and it is a constant source of resentment. As well as the new Stingray Cameras, extra DVLA wheelclamping units and police roadside checks will also be in operation throughout Wales".
In addition to being wheelclamped, caught on camera, reported by police and traffic wardens, road tax cheats will also face fines of up to a £1,000 for a car or motorcycle and up to £23,000 for a Heavy Goods Vehicle, as well as all the backduty owing from when the vehicle was last licensed.
To date throughout Wales over 4,500 unlicensed vehicles belonging to road tax cheats have been wheelclamped. Over 2,200 of these vehicles have been removed to car graveyards and disposed of by crushing. This action had a direct impact on road safety.
MORE DETAILS
It is estimated there are around 81,000 unlicensed vehicles in Wales with a revenue loss of £8.8 million.
2. Stingray automatic number plate readers collect images of unlicensed moving vehicles from digital cameras. The whole process of detection and data capture takes a fraction of a second.
3. Motorists whose vehicles are wheelclamped for not having a valid tax disc will have to pay £200 to release the clamp. If not claimed within 24 hours the vehicle will be towed away and the release fee rises to £280 plus £15 per day storage. These release fees include a surety payment of £120, which will be refunded on the production of a valid tax disc.
4. New Regulations have come into force which reduce the time unlicensed clamped vehicles have to be kept in storage from 35 to a maximum of 14 days.
5. In Great Britain 99,000 unlicensed vehicles have been wheelclamped, of these, over 51,000 vehicles have been disposed of by crushing. As a direct result of wheelclamping and police action throughout GB over 607,000 motorists have voluntarily relicensed their vehicles bringing in £80 million in additional revenue.
6. A roadside survey carried out in June 1999 revealed that Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) Evasion has dropped from 4.1% to 3.9% representing a saving of £17mill ion per annum. A further survey is being conducted this year.
http://www.celticaradio.com/DVLA_NEWS_ARTICLE.htm
MILTON Keynes police are to clamp down on road tax dodgers.
The new campaign by Thames Valley Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) starts next Monday.
New †˜Stingray' mobile camera units will be used to check number plates against DVLA records to see if the vehicles are unlicensed.
Images of unlicensed vehicles are stored.
Road policing officers will be checking vehicles have current licence disks, MoT certificates and insurance.
Roads Policing Inspector Ed Allington said: "Our aim is to make roads in Thames Valley safer. We have found a link between persistent road tax evasion and other criminal activities.
"In targeting those who do not pay road tax, we are also targeting those who commit other activities on the roads."
http://www.seriousaboutnews.co.uk/upload/12-02-03-22.jpg
Delta Whiskey
24-06-2003, 15:40
Originally posted by Russ D
I did that very same thing, at the traffic lights outside the new Tesco in Fforestfach (before Tesco was there of course :)) - so easy to do :(
I did it on Oystermouth Road at the traffic lights by County Hall, still sends shivers down my spine even after all this time.
Very pleased to read action is being taken against those who are dodging their road fund license & very likely insurance. If Stingray was used here it would net some customers and cause panic amongst these anti-social elements.
As someone pointed out there is such a thing as driving without due care and attention and those who use mobile phones whilst driving are surely guilty. This problem is very common here and hopefully more attention will be given to stamp this out.
:wavey:
Lord Nikon
24-06-2003, 17:03
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) welcomed the announcement and warned that thousands of accidents had been caused by people talking on the phone, including 20 deaths.
Hands-free phones were being used in at least two of those tragedies. It warned motorists not to swap to hands-free and called for these to be banned as well.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA's head of road safety, said: "We are delighted to see a new law, but it will not have the impact we have been hoping for if people switch to hands-free devices instead.
"It is the telephone conversation that is the main problem. People are drawn into the conversation and ignore what is happening on the road around them."
What utter garbage. Talking using a built in handsfree is no more distracting than talking to the person next to you in the car, with the exception that people on mobile calls are more likely to arrange to call back later when they are not driving, whereas the person next to you is there for the duration.
You also don't feel inclined to look at the person you are talking to while on a mobile call, turning your head and looking at the passenger while driving is more instinctive and has to be more dangerous.
and then we could go onto the matter of children or animals in cars. Infinitely more distracting than a mobile call on a handsfree.
Please note, I am referring to FULL handsfree kits built into the vehicle, not simply headsets which can be distracting themselves if they start to fall out of your ear.
btw - speaking personally, I use a nokia 6210 in a FULL handsfree kit in the car...
If a call comes in while I am driving, the stereo mutes or pauses, and the call auto answers, meaning I don't need to remove my attention from the road. If I need to make a call a single button enables the voice dialing mode on the phone so I don't become distracted that way either. My outbound calls.... Well, the phone is on PAYG, and the last time I put credit on it was over 2 months ago, and was only £20 at the time. And there is over a tenner left.
My other phone is on contract but any calls received by it while I drive, are left for wildfire to handle.
Lord Nikon
24-06-2003, 17:11
while we are talking about RoSPA, they advocate the use of airbags in a vehicle...
I ackowlege that lives have been saved due to them, but lives have also been lost.
how many injuries or deaths have been caused by drivers not sitting in X position?
How many children hurt from using child seats in the front of cars which don't have a passenger airbag bypass switch? And before people mention fitting them in the rear, ask how many mothers find fitting the seat in the front of the car leads to a much more peaceful journey....
<rant>
That stingray thing is a load of garbage too, or it would be down here anyway where some waster can drive with no insurance or road tax, get caught and given 3 points, ignore any fines, get ordered by court to pay £1 a week, ignore that, get some more points, get banned, keep driving, get fined for driving while banned, keep driving, get told to pay 50p a week this time, keep driving, ignore fine.... etc etc all the time probly ranting on there mobile at 35p a minute, giving them more fines to ignore, such hard work for them...
</rant>
i think banning mobiles is a great idea if your driving you can always use your hands free kit though they can penalize you its a loophole but they do still have the right to penalize you
Originally posted by Lord Nikon
What utter garbage. Talking using a built in handsfree is no more distracting than talking to the person next to you in the car, with the exception that people on mobile calls are more likely to arrange to call back later when they are not driving, whereas the peson next to you is there for the duration...
.
The bottom line in any case is driving without due care and attention. The driver of any vehicle has a duty to concentrate on the road be aware of other road users and drive according to the conditions of the road.
Primary concern is safety of other road users and in the end yourself. I believe ROSPA is correct, drivers who use mobile phone whether hands free or not cannot by definition be concentrating on their driving. There is a certain arrogance amongst drivers who use mobile phones, I don't care if its's hands free or not whilst driving and somehow the message of what they are doing is wrong never seems to get into their thick, stupid heads. Common sense is in short supply these days and drivers who use mobile phones have none at all.
When I'm driving and I do a lot every day in urban conditions the priority for me is concentrate on driving and nothing else. Leave your problems and your mobile phones switched off and out of reach.
:wavey:
What about insurance dodgers aswell. That story about a Lord or something with only a jersey driving license had a prang it was found he not only didn't have a driving license but wasn't insured either. He'd been driving for something like 17 years on British roads and was fined £1000. Jeez it costs me that nearly every year in insurance, I'd be aswell risking it and saving a fortune when I'm eventually caught. Its good folk like us though that end up paying for ******s.
My dads friends car was smashed outside his house by one of his neighbours who's car had run down the hill of its own accord. It was a Pakistani family who owned the car, it wasn't insured and I don't think anyone had a license. They denied they owned it to the police and like nothing was done. Dads friend had to just go out and pay for it himself. I'm not bringing up the fact that they were pakistani because I want to make a huge generalisation, but its a simple fact that many pakistani families round here all use the same driving licence and hide behind not being able to speak english, confusing their names etc to get away with paying what I pay for.
Anyway, onto the point I was going to make :) I think there should be a similiar disc on your windscreen which also shows that you have upto date insurance and MOT. How hard can it be ? Theres always one for tax, just get insurance companies and mot centres to issue discs aswell. 3 discs on your windscreen, easy for the police to tell who is taxed, insured and has a current MOT.
Lord Nikon
24-06-2003, 17:30
Do you not agree though that passengers / children / animals in the car can be equally as distracting?
Then what about Taxi drivers using the radio / Police officers doing the same etc.
Originally posted by Gogogo
When I'm driving and I do a lot every day in urban conditions the priority for me is concentrate on driving and nothing else. Leave your problems and your mobile phones switched off and out of reach.
:wavey:
Remember to leave yr kids/pets/relatives/friends/radio behind as well cos they're just as distracting if not more so, when was the last time you're mobile poked you in the ribs or started wailing in the backseat?
I used to install hands-free in Police cars... utter confusion until we got the vox settings just right... all day long we'd hear messages over the airwaves like "Cor! Look at the $%$%£ on that!" and "The Super is a total £$$à ƒâ€šÃ‚£%à ‚£ and needs to get £$%à ƒâ€šÃ‚£$%ÃƆ™ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£ ".
Until then the rules were that a passenger had to operate the radio on the move. No passenger: pull over.
DVLA wanted to stop the road fund licence altogether and put a couple of pence on fuel... this way the dodgers were forced to pay, and the more you drove the more you paid, the bigger and thirstier the car the more you paid. The disk was to be replaced with a joint insurance/MOT disk to keep DVLA in work.
HM Government turned the ideas down flat......
Originally posted by Lord Nikon
Do you not agree though that passengers / children / animals in the car can be equally as distracting?
Then what about Taxi drivers using the radio / Police officers doing the same etc.
As the driver of a vehicle you are in charge, you are the boss, you determine the conditions in a vehicle always remembering the golden rules drive with due care regard to other road users and road conditions. If you have a problem stop and sort it out. When I'm driving in difficult conditions I let my passengers know I need to concentrate, no problem. Children should be strapped in at the back of a vehicle preferably with an adult to help control them.
Taxi drivers in London are pigs, with some exceptions, they drive with little care to other road users. Police officers on duty or off duty are bound to drive with regard to other road users. If they are engaged on an emergency call no problem as long as they are warning other road users and drive with care. Police drivers are trained to do so.
:wavey:
I think it will be hard for them to police, unless they are going to use CCTV. But perhaps the threat of 3 penalty points is enough incentive to ditch the mobile.
Can they also ban people who do their hair in the car? We were driving down York's ringroad at 60mph and there was this woman with the mirror turned so she could see, and BOTH hands of the steering wheel as she did her hair.
What's better driving safely or making sure your hair's in place? :rolleyes:
Hmm.. depends if you wear a toupee or not......
I take it you do, then? :p
Not YET... not YET...... my tresses still flow in the wind....
zoombini
27-06-2003, 08:50
Lets have singing along to the radio banned too while were at it.
That can take your concentration off of the road.
Good looking women wearing short skirts and tight blouses while walking near roads should be banned too. :D
Kids in the back of the car... HA! I dream of having a car with a FAB1 type screen that can block them out..lol :D
Originally posted by zoombini
Good looking women wearing short skirts and tight blouses while walking near roads should be banned too. :D
Especially those:D (they get me into trouble:D )
I have not had time to read all the details but so long as some effective hands-free system is allowed then I will strongly support a ban on drivers using mobiles. OK, current earphone hands free arrangements are poor but I changed the earpiece on mine so that it is a behind the ear clip not a plu-in - MUCH better. I can dial by voice which is OK (but I very rarely use it). Bluetooth systems look good but the price is silly as yet
In my area the police use local bridges and road chicanes to video monitor traffic (licence dodgers I suppose) and the same set up can be used for phone users.
Let me write first that I as much as anyone else enjoys a joke or a laugh at anytime. But I have to say I am concerned how this thread is being treated as a joke. Unlike some of you I do not find dangerous or reckless driving a joke. I also find the various excursions into finding reasons and all sorts of alternative scenarios why mobile phone use is acceptable whilst driving disturbing.
Drivers and I am one by the way and an everyday driver have a responsibilty to drive with care to other road users. If drivers fail to drive with care they put themselves and others at risk. You as a driver have a duty to concentrate on the road and your driving. Frankly, as I wrote before there is sufficient law to deal with this offence but at least a new law will make that offence clearer.
I have no sympathy at all with people who use mobile phones whilst driving handsfree or not. What on earth is so important to your life that have to leave your phone on and why on earth can you not stop at a convenient stopping place to make and receive calls.
Please let's remember people have died as a result of selfish arrogant users of mobile phones who chose the freedom to use them whilst driving and terminate other peoples lives.
:(
The Diplomat
27-06-2003, 13:06
Gogogo I agree with your post in respect of the use of a mobile phone whilst driving being a hazard, and it is going to be rightfully outlawed.
However, there are many other equally and greater causes of road accidents/deaths which remain unaddressed. The problem with this legislation is that it will almost certainly have loads of exclusions and exemptions.:mad:
The other thing is the penalty if you are caught - pathetic.
BTW Is it going to be illegal to use a mobile phone whilst riding a bike or walking on the pavement? Probably not, but I'm sick of people walking/riding into me whilst preoccupied with shouting into a piece of plastic.
Monkeyhanger
27-06-2003, 13:28
I welcome the creation of a specific offense to cover mobile phone use whilst driving.
Its a great excuse to ignore the office when they call me, even if i'm not driving at the time :D
zoombini
27-06-2003, 13:50
I think that your getting the wrong end of the stick, we do not find the use of mobile phones while driving, nor the dangers it presents a "joke".
What is a joke is that there are a great deal of other actions that are just as bad and they do not get the same attention.
However, in the way of NTHW we like to look at the lighter side of things occasionally when posting in these threads.
You can tell (well most of the time) when we are being serious or not.
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