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We've had the law here for a few years now. But the cahances of getting caught are minimal, as there are very few police vehicles on the roads. The traffic officers are normally to be found lurking behind bushes, weilding a radar gun.
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Yes but now there is potential money involved they might be quite keen!
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I hope one of the newspapers will be offering a prize for the first photograph of a uniformed police office using a mobile phone driving a marked police car! I saw one turn two right angle corners whilst talking on his phone recently!
From what I have read some police forces don't seem to be fitting permanent AIRWAVE mobile radios in vehicles and just use handheld radios to save cost. These often look identical to mobile phones!
I do know that normal police radios are exempt from the legislation but as far as I have seen there is no exemption for the use of mobile phones.
MB
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I've recently installed a handsfree kit in the car and according to the legislation, as long as the phone is attached to the dashboard by a bracket or cradle of some kind (which mine is) I can legally dial phone numbers. Personally I find this more cumbersome and distracting than being able to hold the phone in my hand and dial the number - which will become illegal to do from the 1st of Dec. At least with the phone in my hand (only when I dialled numbers) it was within easy reach, firm to hold and I could dial any numbers without even looking at the phone, whereas now it's on the dash I have to stretch to reach it and have to look at the phone to dial numbers.
I am also unlikely to beat my high score on Snake now either!!
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I am also unlikely to beat my high score on Snake now either!!
Not while you're driving Dave obviously?!
PP
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I anticipate that, when the constabulary start enforcing the new law, the idiots will start investing in smoked glass and carry on as before, but with restricted vision as well.
Nothing is foolproof, because fools are so ingenious.
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This has parallels to convincing people in the 1970s/ 80s that driving after 6 pints or without a seat belt tends to kill.
In other words I reckon it will take a generation to get majority compliance; only once it is regarded as socially unacceptable.
Personally, I do not see much risk difference between handheld or not. Unlike talking to passengers, singing to a CD or doing quick radio channel changes, it's the conversation content that distracts. A caller can't see a difficult situation and if it's your boss or a major punter you can't just cut them off....
You only have to consider the number of businesses (mostly dodgy no doubt) based on white vans/ lorries which have sprung out of total reliance on 'mobiles whilst mobile' for their trade. Surely no one believes these enterprises will suddenly cease to exist as of 1st Dec. Legit employers who, behind their official policies, tolerate or even encourage it, may take months if not years to re-adjust what they have come to depend on in the name of "productivity".
One thing no doubt the police have up their sleeve - the officer in the passenger seat simply rings any number that may be displayed on the van, then watches the vehicle carefully!! But then in this daft society, that's probably a no-no 'cos that's incitement to commit a crime....
Sorry chaps, I haven't any answers.
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I have had a proper Nokia handsfree kit for 18 months, and I admit the few times I tried to use a handheld and drive, I could tell it affected my driving, and was real hard work, both the coversation and the driving were nowhere near up to my usual standard,
With the handsfree, there is none of that!
I have given a lot of thought as to why this makes such a difference, because holding any other object seems to make no difference, and talking to others makes no difference. I really do believe that its just concentrating to hear what the person on the phone is saying over the car noise, compared to sitting with it coming out of the car's speakers is the key. Look how in the 1980s when phones were analogue and rubbish how people couldn't walk properly and use their brick as they had to try and decipher the other person's speach!
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"This has parallels to convincing people in the 1970s/ 80s that driving after 6 pints or without a seat belt tends to kill."
I can recall in the seventies most people didn't get drunk and drive (what is "drinking and driving"?!). Some might have had a touch too much, and so took extra special care (as they would in adverse weather conditions, when they really could do with a new set of tyres, when their brake pads were getting low, when they were tired.......). Some drank and took it in turns to to be the "nominated driver" and risk getting caught (when there were cops on the roads). And some just didn't give a damm.
Has anything actually changed? Rumour has it that the actual numbers of *drunk* drivers has never actually changed over the years?
And what about the car-loads of unbelted kids, never mind adults?
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Of course MOST people don't get drunk and drive, HNS. My point is that back in the 70's a higher PERCENTAGE of drivers didn't give a damn and drove while OTL. I don't remember anyone mumbling about 'nominated driver' back then - if you did you were laughed out of the disco....
Even if your 'rumour' were fact, it would probably be only because the TOTAL number of drivers and vehicles is so much higher today.
OK - you'll never get 100% compliance in belting kids up. But I see much more of that now than 30 years ago. And today's grannies have given up making the traditional excuse about not wearing a belt.
I believe certain things HAVE changed, - that's why I said what I said.
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DD, out of curiosity, what kind of kit did you install? I have looked at the one Halfords are doing for £99 and it looks quite good. Speaking to the guy in Halfords today he said its only down point was that the cheap self adhesive phone holder was pretty useless and he recommended using another type eg. the ones that clip into the air vents.
Whilst I was in, a customer came in to complain that the holder had came off his dashboard, probably due to poor adhesiveness on plastic dash. However, he said the sound was great.
Has anyone else tried one of the Halfords kits? Also does anyone know where you can get the kit to install yourself as the £99 probably includes a sizeable figure for fitting, which, by all accounts, seems to be a straight forward plug in job to the rear of your radio?
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BobbyG,
It is one of the ones that clips to an air vent and holds *any* phone. The only modification I have made is to use a couple of small cable ties to secure the clips to the vent.
More details about the kit here:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=16565&...e
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The most hazardous part of using a mobile phone is dialling the number. This is a lot more distracting when the phone is on a cradle because you have to look down for a longer period of time. Much safer to have the phone up near your line of sight.
The difference between using a mobile and speaking to a passenger is to do with visual clues. For most people, in ordinary circumstances, using a mobile is not really hazardous at all except when a situation occurs. When a situation does occur, we become alerted to the situation and divert attention to the driving. We then naturally feel uncomfortable ignoring the person on the phone and the brain (in some people) starts to divide attention between the two. This doesn't happen with a passenger because we can sense that the passenger is aware of the situation and will allow for it.
Listening to the radio isn't a problem because we know it won't mind being ignored.
Texting is the real problem because you have have to look and concentrate on the screen for a long period. Most mobile related accidents have been to do with texting.
Enforcement won't happen because, thanks to the speed tax camera campaigners, there are fewer police cars on the road and will be fewer still as more cameras are installed.
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Try the Philippines, whose nationals it is said make up 30% of the world's text messaging volumes.
Making calls in yer car that's old hat. Texting at high speed is the thing. Mind you, GRowlette can drive with one hand and send a text message without looking at the keypad. Dunno how she does it, it's those long dexterous oriental fingers.
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The ordinary bog standard hands free, with a wire has worked well for me for some years now. Until recently it was a Motorola, but recently I switched to Nokia, both work fine.
May I suggest you buy, or use the kit supplied. Set it to answer automatically; outgoing calls, if you must, can be done by voice dialling.
Tesco have quite a good selection of own-brand kit, at very reasonable prices.
To repeat - the wire version has worked well for me for some time, you can try it out at very little cost.
Regards
Don drbe
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In the past couple of months of daily M3 slog (120-140 miles a day) I've seen two traffic cars, so who exactly is going to enforce the new law?
My estimate is that I see on average one MAJOR piece of illegal driving every day that is going unpunished (Friday's was a lethal, aggressive undertake into a gap about ten feet longer than the undertaking car at 80mph in driving rain), so what hope of there being any Police to enforce this? Mark my words; 90% of the enforcement of this law will be after accidents.
V
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Mark my words; 90% of the enforcement of this law will be after accidents. V
>>
Fascinating thread, and to return to an above comment, re Drunk Driving, it would be interesting to see how many convictions there are for D&D as 'moving violations' as opposed to 'caught following collisions'. I suspect the latter accounts for the vast majority.
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But as your phone can tell you where you are, and so presumably what speed you are doing, how long before it's telling "someone else"?
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But as your phone can tell you where you are, and so presumably what speed you are doing, how long before it's telling "someone else"?
But it's not illegal to make a call from a moving car - e.g. a passenger can use your phone in the passenger seat, so the information would be worthless to the enforcers. However, as argued above, there aren't any enforcers anyway.
V
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> But it's not illegal to make a call from a moving car
> - e.g. a passenger can use your phone in the passenger
> seat, so the information would be worthless to the enforcers.
Nearly as worthless as sending out a NIP to the registered owner of the numberplate on a car photographed allegedly speeding past a camera then?
Or would the powers that be never stoop so low as to send NIPs to anyone registered as owning a phone "caught speeding" on a road, and leave them to prove their innocence if they didn't want to automatically cough up the cash? Next they'll be introducing trial by jury, innocent until proven guilty, speeding fines for dangerous speeding.....
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Don't wish to hijack this thread, but I totally agree with Ian's comments and those of others, that the prosecutions will come about as the result of collisions.
Across the pond here in NI, if you are in a RTA regardless of its scale if the police are in attendance they will breathalise the drivers of all vehicles involved. They don't need to suspect alcohol as a contributing factor, it is just on the list of things to do at the scene.
How long will it be before insurers are asking is you vehicle fitted with a hands free kit? Answer yes - they interpret it that your concentration is reduced because you make and take calls while you drive hence uping the premium. Answer no - you still make and take calls but you do it with one hand on the wheel hence uping the premium.
Do we need additional legislation. Isn't issue this covered under Driving without due care and attention?
Leon
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Who's going to enforce it, the cameras? I expect a fortnight of high profile enforcement and then it will back to normal, ie nothing. They can't/won't enforce two working headlights, which is an obvious problem, how do they expect to police phone use?
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Since I live in an area where we only see police once a week - they are stuck in their office- I expect the law will continue to add to the long line of laws on the statute book which are unenforcedbecause of 2 many laws / not enough enforcement problems..
madf
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does anybody know exactly what is covered by 'cradle' would a piece of blutack do? if the phone already has the capability to be hands free?
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On my travels today to Andover and Midhurst in my big red van I played a little game of 'spot the idiots still using mobiles'.Admittedly usage was well down on pre-legislation days. But, I was heading along the M3 and a silver Vauxhall Omega was weaving across the lanes and slowing excesively. I overtook and low and behold he has a phone glued to his ear. I cannot believe that any driver is still unaware of the new law - or they are exremely arrogant!
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"I cannot believe that any driver is still unaware of the new law - or they are exremely arrogant!"
People still drink & drive don't they.... it's a case of I'm a great driver everyone else isn't or is it I'll never get caught?
Oops, where did that screw go!!
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It’s amazing how all those who do not use a mobile phone whilst driving can spot the driver who is not driving well due to being on a mobile, yet all those use a phone regularly say it does not effect their driving. Wake up guys, it due to the fact you are not concentrating and you are not aware your speed ierratic, your lane discipline if really off and the distance from the car in front is very viable. Wake up guys and hang up !!. Get a totally hands free kit if you must ( Until they ban them as well ) or just mute or divert the phone.
You may as well get used to it, when they bring in the 3 penalty points that will deter the arrogant users. I would remind all, you are not permitted to send text messages, photographs or log onto the internet. Lets face it sending a text message whilst driving is pretty dumb, the distraction of staring at the tiny screen with one hand dedicated to the key bad is a total no no !, I have just seen a lady parked on a slip road to a company entrance using a mobile, two offences, may be 3 offences, Illegal parking, obstruction and use of a mobile phone, she had not turned the engine off you could see the stream from the exhaust. Well cheer up it’s Friday, drive carefully and enjoy yourself, I am sure that some road users stress level will drop because their phone doesn’t ring. Regards Peter
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