Distracting speedos and built-in satnavs: law?

neilmcl

SouthLondonUser wrote: »

Please name one of the "myriad of other things" which would require you to take your eyes off the road for so long and as frequently as one of those built-in satnavs.

If you're spending "so long" and "frequently" looking at your sat nav then you're clearly a poor driver. It shouldn't require no more than a split second to glance at the screen especially when you're getting spoken instructions too, no more in fact than you'd require to check your mirrors, your speedo etc. If you get so distracted by these things then maybe you should be off the road.

The only time I'd ever be distracted by my built-in screen, which is one of those that you say are OK, is driving at night, in which case I simply turn the screen off.

AdrianC

It does make me wonder how on earth I cope without a satnav - not just locally, but across the entire country, and across far more of Europe than most people will ever go to by plane, let alone by car.

neilmcl

AdrianC wrote: »

It does make me wonder how on earth I cope without a satnav - not just locally, but across the entire country, and across far more of Europe than most people will ever go to by plane, let alone by car.

TBH, I can take it or leave it, never really been that reliant on sat nav. The only time I do find it useful is for alternate routes during traffic incidents and road closures.

Merlin139

For lots of Motorway driving people you do not need to look ahead. Just point the car and close your eyes!:rotfl:

SouthLondonUser

@neilmcl, I never said I spend so long looking frequently at my sat nav; I said that I find myself checking the speedometer more frequently in a city than on a motorway, which is a sliiiiiightly different concept from what you said.

I have no doubt that you and all the forum users are incredibly better drivers than me, and I am absolutely sure that the concept of illusory superiority ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority#Driving_ability ) does not apply to you. However, the fact remains that, if your satnav is a phone at the bottom right of the windscreen, then you can quickly look at it without taking your eyes completely off the road; if the satnav is a builtin unit placed between your feet (OK, I'm exaggerating, but you get the gist), then you can't. How the two can be comparable is, honestly, beyond me. Yes, it's a split second, but I don't understand why reducing and minimising these split seconds shouldn't be welcome. When I did the bikesafe course with Met police motorcyclists, they did say that, while on one hand modern cars are safer than older ones, on the other hand all these gizmos are a major source of distractions and contribute to many collisions.

Btw, it would only take a split second to, say, swipe across your phone to see if that beep was a message from your mate or from your boss, but, guess what, it will cost you dearly if you get caught doing so, and with good reason!

David_Aston

I assume caprikid, we are not going to be informed as to whether the colleague could have been in any way to blame for his misfortune.

AdrianC

SouthLondonUser wrote: »

Btw, it would only take a split second to, say, swipe across your phone to see if that beep was a message from your mate or from your boss, but, guess what, it will cost you dearly if you get caught doing so, and with good reason!

Not if it's in a holder, it won't. Only if it's hand-held.

And that'll apply even if it's just being used for nav.

SouthLondonUser

David_Aston wrote: »

I assume caprikid, we are not going to be informed as to whether the colleague could have been in any way to blame for his misfortune.

What do you want me to say? I wasn't there nor do I have a recording of the event. My best guess is both were at fault. There was another person with him, who was about to cross the road but then decided not to, when he saw the car swerving a bit; this other person claims the driver was bending forward, as if to reach or touch something.

SouthLondonUser

AdrianC wrote: »

Not if it's in a holder, it won't. Only if it's hand-held.

.

Where exactly doe it say that? What law / which highway code rule?

David_Aston

"What do you want me to say?"

Your response in this post is all you could say. Thanks for the reply