Thetownend.com

3 points and £60 fine if caught.

I'm in two minds. We've all done it, and yes it is a bad thing to do. It can be dangerous and can cause accidents. I for one am guilty of doing it but does that make me a bad driver? I don't think. I was in control of the car.

Is this a case of the driver being punished again? Why do the police not be just as tough as the muggers, rapists and murderers instead? Is this another gererating money idea and that the police could be used better elsewhere instead of trying to catch people on there phone?

I try to use my phone as little as possible whilst driving and pull over as soon as I can. I don't condone it but I feel it could be policed better.

I think the penalty should be harsher if anything. Just don't use the phone whilst driving. It's not difficult I promise you.

I am not sure ultimately it will make the roads safer.  Iguess there will be a massive crackdown, then over time the police will lose interest in rigerously enforcing the law and people will start doing it.

But it's a tough one. If statistically you really are 3 times more likely to crash when using your phone then I guess it is the right way to go. That's not to say I haven't done it mind.

Of course just because you use your phone while at the wheel in the car doen't mean you are dangerous. In a Traffic Jam for example. I guess the way they have written the law means there is no argument on interpretation.

Let me expand somewhat.

There was a BBC traffic cop type programme on a few weeks ago where some total cunt driving a 7.5 tonne truck was pissing about with a mobile and no doubt he thought he was in control until he plouhed into the back of a queue of traffic at 50mph. The young girl in the car at the back of the queue did not stand a chance. She was 23, on her way to her first day in a new job. I bet he thought he was in control and that he was a good driver. Tell that to her family.

The cop who had to tell the dead girl's family I think would disagree with you. I have been guilty of using the phone whilst driving by the way. It is something I have only done once or twice and I don't intend to do it again. It is a very dumb thing to do though and if caught, I would hold my hands up and take the punishment with no complaints.

If this new law stops 1 person gettin killed, then its a good idea!

3 points and a £60 fine for murder then :shock:


The only reason they've made the penalty harsher is because absolutely no fucker stopped doing it when it became illegal.

Thats the only thing that makes me think it's just as much about money as safety unfortunately.

I completely agree with harsher punishment for those that continue to ignore the law as it is undoubtably unsafe to use the phone and drive without some form of handsfree, regardless of how in control you may be or feel you are.

It does beg the question though when it comes to the fine details of interpretation that it is daft to suggest that if you pulled over safely and made a call you can still be done for this if your keys are still in the ignition and the car is still on! (very much like drink driving - you can still be busted for simply sitting in your car with the keys on for the heater to work even if you haven't actually driven anywhere!)

It would not be hard to have interpretation built in to the new law so that there are times and places that there are exceptions however they have ignored this for only two reasons 1) more money can be made if there are no exceptions and 2) it wont have the same hard hitting impact on the public if they introduce a system that sometimes punishes but sometimes doesn't....they have to be being seen as harsh for the sake of safety in the community.

At the end of the day it's not much to buy a bluetooth or handsfree headset really is it...and if someone can't afford it then turn your phone off.....if thats too hard for someone then they shouldn't be entrusted with the privelige of driving in the first place!

But will it be just a phase and then its not policed it as much? If its going to be policed it needs to be done in the right way- ie more patrol cars at rush hour perhaps?

It is a bad thing to do, don't get me wrong, and if you do get caught you should pay the consequences.

I don't see why people are getting upperty about it really. I don't think the fine or the punishment is overly harsh. I think if a phone call is important enough to take/make, you could easily park up and do it there. People often just use the phone when they're driving as a matter of convenience.

The punishment should include instant confiscation of the phone as well (with the right to appeal).

FFS, IT'S THE LAW AND IT'S THERE FOR A REASON.

Why do a minority think that they are above it?

And before anybody says it...yes, speeding is illegal as well and I don't condone that either.

I never really used my phone when driving even before the law was passed 3 years ago. Now I've got a bluetooth headset thing to answer calls, but I never make a call or read a text when driving and it really annoys me when people do.

I drive on the M4 quite a lot and almost always see dangerous driving as a result of using the phone. People goig at 50mph is unsafe, as are the lane-swervers while trying to write a text.

For the last year or so I've taken to flashing my lights at them. That'll learn 'em.

ANd I don't think the Police will stop people from doing it as there are so few police on the roads, I think the publicity will get more people to stop. That and my flashing lights when I see them.

Agreed!  I am fed up of these idiots driving oblivious to other road users because they are on their mobiles.

Some arsehole on R4 this morning saying that because he has 42 yrs driving experience he can drive at 100mph on the motorway and use his phone "safely".  TWAT.

Hands free kit?

You can even buy them in petrol stations.

No excuse for using your phone when driving unless it's hands free.

Now, if they can clamp down on women using their rear view mirrors for touching up their make up and doing their hair...............................................................

I think it should be a harsher penalty. Yes I've done it in the past, and no I don't do it now. I have bluetooth and if I need to take a call I use that. I never make a call whilst driving, nothing is that important, and if it is it surely requires you to pull over and concentrate on the call!



I stick my fist on the horn so they can't hear  :D

Some people/organisations want a ban on hands-free aswell...

I'm fully behind the new penalties, mobiles shouldn't be used whilst drivng.

what i hate as a consequnce of this law is people pulling over in the most inappropriate places to have a chat, this in many cases is more dangerous, so please, if the phone rings pull off the road rather than block the carriageway for everybody else.

Not so sure about that. What then? Will they ban passengers from talking to the driver?

For me personally i drive an automatic. I only ever drive with one hand on the steering wheel anyway and i never have gears to change. So holding a mobile phone makes no difference to me. People say it still distracts your attention, but so does a hands free kit and so does listening to music or the radio.

People fiddling with their radios or hands free kits are just as dangerous in my opinion. I think if someone is swerving over the place or is driving dangerously then they should be dealt with but i dont think this law will make roads safer. Just more money for the government.

They say that, and in a way I agree, that there mind isn't fully committed to the road, but as you say are they going to ban passengers talking to each other, changing a cd etc..

Will they also clamp down on the dozy women who drive along putting there make up on, or drivers lighting up?

This law should have been inforced three years ago.There is absolutely no need to have a phone conversation when you are driving, What the fuck did we do before the world and his dog got a mobile? I hope that the cunts that do this get caught and eventually banned.

I think if you cast your mind back to when you were taught to drive, it was with two hands on the wheel.

That's for a reason as well.

 :nod: Absolutely.

Mobiles in general get up my nose. Not the phones themselves but the users and the way they seem totally dependent on them. Just walk down any city street now and you will see dozens of people with a phone 'glued' to their ear. It's like if you took their phone away they would fall over or something!

the laws should be even tougher with heftier punishments.and should include smoking whilst driving,reading papers,maps ect.
surely all should come under driving without due care and attention anyway?

If you saw someone who was using their phone would you grass them up?

On radio 2 at the moment they talking about it. I man was pulled over beacuse he had his hand's free on but the phone was on his lap.  :| The office said he was pulled over because he was touching his phone!!

radio 2???? give me strengh!

And i suppose you drive the same way you did as when you learnt to drive? Hands at 2 and 10 etc blah blah ....

I have never even come close to an accident in my years of driving, i know i am a very safe driver. Laws like this wont change anything!!

On another note has anyone ever had a 5 knuckle shuffle whilst driving?

What can I say?! Radio 2 is ace!

Generally, yes. Why do you think you were taught like that? Because it's a stupid idea and should be ignored once you've passed your test?


You sound like part of the problem to me with an attitude like that.

 :roll:

I think  holding a phone to your ear might block you view as well. Just a thought

Give_us_an_S, if it wasn't a problem using your phone in the car when driving then why isn't it included in the actual test.

same with using two hands to drive. if we didn't need two hands to drive they would say so.

If you think that makes you a safer driver fair enough. We all have our own ways of doing things though and I have never come close to any sort of accident. I feel more comfortable the way i hold the steering wheel and i feel in control too. I see many bad drivers on the roads these days who cut people up, overtake when cars are coming the other way, swerve all over the place etc.... These are the people more likely to cause accidents.

I would just like to say i have only once or twice used a phone whilst driving. I was just making a point. As for using 2 hands the with power steering and a small steering wheel, using a 2nd hand makes no difference. People who drive manual cars use 1 hand most of the time anyway.

Lets just agree to disagree. I know im far safer than most of the road and i have never even come close to any crash.

Nothing personal, but its that sort of attitude to the whole situation that stinks.

And yes, I am not holier than thou. I have, and when needed, still do, use my cellphone when driving. I make every attempt to pull off the road and park in a safe place to talk though, even to the point of blatantly cutting off the call if the situation becomes, IMHO, too dangerous. I have an automatic too (like most people in this damn country), and there is no doubt in my mind it is distracting from the primary purpose when you are behind the wheel - which is DRIVING!

It is not illegal in the USA to do this, and I would say on an average day during my 25 minute commute to work >75% of drivers are on their cellphones. Just who the fuck are they talking to at 0730 in the morning? Oh, and most of those are women, and a fair percentage are doing their hair/makeup at the same time. Maybe they are all talking to each other about hair/makeup tips.... :?

And one final point. How would you feel if someone in YOUR family was killed or severly injured in an accident where it was proven that the driver was not in complete control of the vehicle when using a cellphone?

I'm not having a go at you personally, I just have a hard time agreeing with your POV.

Like i said, i have only ever done it once or twice and only for 30secs to a minute. I dont regularly sit on the phone for hours whilst driving.

I agree with what you are saying though. I was just stating a point. Please tell me the difference between mobile users and:

people who tune the radio/change CDs whilst driving
people who sing along to loud music
drivers who talk to their passengers
taxi drivers who have those systems built in to their cars they always press buttons on
people with kids in the back seat making a lot of noise and fuss

These are all distractions that can cause accidents. That was my original point in the matter i was trying to get across.

http://www.weeklygripe.co.uk/a56.asp

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2077

http://www.directline.com/about_us/news_290906.htm

And also http://www6.marksandspencer.com/pressreleases/Press37.pdf if you want to estimate how good a driver you are.

That didnt answer my question at all but never mind.

I often smoke whilst driving, holding a phone conversation, changing CD,  toss myself off and eat cheese

The fact that I havnt crashed in 5 years its testament to my exellent driving.

Taxi drivers/lorry drivers comms are essential to their job so I think it's reasonable to allow them leeway.

Singing/talking/noisy kids don't force you to drive one handed. I change CD's whilst driving because I can do it without taking my eyes off the road. Of course it's possible to drive one handed, I do it most of the time because my steering wheel is so off-centre that the 10 o' clock/2 o' clock thing is more like 9 o' clock/1 o' clock to drive in a straight line.

I can't even drive properly whilst on the phone so I don't do it. If the law says you'll get fined and given three points for doing it, then don't fucking do it. Simple innit?

P.S. driving whilst smoking is totally different, you only need one hand to light a cigarette and that's it.

Personally I thinks its more to do with being distracted and not being able to give the road 100% mental attention.

I have a built in car kit for my mobile and even with two hands on the wheel I sometimes find it difficult to have a conversation and keep 100% awareness of what is going on around me.

i know someone who has apparently masturbated whilst driving just to keep himself awake.

why the fuck you'd do such a thing i don't know

Now you can get points for it I won't be doing it anymore.

Assuming you have a manual gearbox, hold your phone to your ear with one hand and try changing gear whilst driving around a roundabout/corner/bend.

There are too many people out there who are shite drivers even when they're not using a hand held mobile.

I think that you should have to pass a driving test which is harsher than it is now, whilst drunk (3x over the limit should do) and using a mobile. That way everybody could drive all the time. People who already have a license would have to re-take the test before they could drink and phone drive. All the money from these re-taken tests should go to me.