Stand to loose job for using mobile phone in car

Debt_Free_Chick

catlover1 wrote: »

Have you never done anything without thinking that was wrong and regretted it later .... I really wish I was that perfect that i felt I could sit in judgement of others.

Th OP was asking for help not blame


xx

But doing something that you know is wrong is not a mistake, is it? It's not as if it's something done "accidentally" - it was done on purpose.

Now then, the person concerned has knowingly committed a serious traffic offence. One which, I strongly suspect, he knew full well would lead to him losing his license, if caught. You don't think he considered this at the time "Oh, I'll lose my license if I'm caught. I'd better ......."? continue the call regardless?

There is no other option but blame. There is no way out of this, unless we all help to create a web of deceipt - which is not something that I think MSE should ever be a party to.

Add to this, that his story doesn't actually stack up. There's simply too much co-incidence ......

"There I was, being a model citizen, on the phone to the Police, when - would you believe it - the battery ran out on the headset. But I managed to disengage the headset, pick up the phone and continue the call - all without putting anyone in any danger at all. And what's my reward, well the b**tards nabbed me for it!"

I don't believe a word of it, sorry. Maybe I'm just old and cynical but there is no getting away from the fact that he knew what he was doing; he knew the risks if he got caught; and he still went ahead.

There is no "advice" we can give - other than to ram home what he's done in the hope that he really does learn his lesson.

wendfd

He was receiving a call FROM the police about an incident NOT making a call. His bluetooth hands free battery died so he picked up the handset.

He has 3 points already this 3 will give him 6 -

I am pleased to see so many responses to my post. I would probably agree with the more harsh comments if it wasn't my family being effected. It is very hard for young families anyway. They have a hard enough struggle with everything else!

Wendy

wendfd

wendfd wrote: »

He was receiving a call FROM the police about an incident NOT making a call. His bluetooth hands free battery died so he picked up the handset.

He has 3 points already this 3 will give him 6 -

I am pleased to see so many responses to my post. I would probably agree with the more harsh comments if it wasn't my family being effected. It is very hard for young families anyway. They have a hard enough struggle with everything else!

Wendy

He couldn't pull over as someone suggested as he was in traffic at Elephant and Castle

soolin

catlover1 wrote: »

Have you never done anything without thinking that was wrong and regretted it later .... I really wish I was that perfect that i felt I could sit in judgement of others.

Th OP was asking for help not blame


xx

I'm sure we have all made mistakes and have regretted doing something that with hindsight was foolish. However the relative of the OP should be accepting he has done something stupid and accept the blame, maybe looking at ways to find other employment, rather than looking for an easy way out.

Recently a senior member of the Government was prosecuted for using a mobile while driving, so it does appear to be something that is taken seriously.

If this was an emergency 999 call it would mean that there was a crime in progress..so why had the relative continued to drive away from a crime rather than stop to help? If it was a moving crime or the OP feared for their own safety then surely driving half a mile up the road and stopping safely before making a call might have been more appropriate? I struggle to think of a situation where the relative had to continue driving yet needed to report a crime urgently enough to knowingly break the law.

Debt_Free_Chick

Sam_Bee wrote: »

Oh, all the judgemental & overly harsh comments - keep them to yourself. I might agree with you, the OP might agree with them, but they provide no help here, make you look petty, alienate people from asking for help in difficult situations and are actually, pointless.

There is no help. It's an automatic penalty - £60 and three points on the license.

As he's had his license for less than 2 years, it will be revoked.

Of course, he could contest this in Court ..... but where's his defense? And is he really going to reel his fairytale to the Magistrates? If he does, we can be sure that the CPS will get his phone records to prove the number he had dialled.

Even the use of hands-free phones is not acceptable. You can still be distracted and if the Police believe you've been driving erratically whilst using a hands-free phone, you get the same penalty. And the penalties apply if you're stationary e.g. at traffic lights or in a queue.

New drivers simply don't have sufficient experience in the best of driving situations. But to be a novice AND use the phone whilst driving creates a potentially dangerous situation for other road users, including pedestrians.

It's a hard lesson to learn - and a hard way to learn it. But he simply knew what he was doing.

espresso

wendfd wrote: »

He was receiving a call FROM the police about an incident NOT making a call. His bluetooth hands free battery died so he picked up the handset.

He has 3 points already this 3 will give him 6 -

I am pleased to see so many responses to my post. I would probably agree with the more harsh comments if it wasn't my family being effected. It is very hard for young families anyway. They have a hard enough struggle with everything else!

Wendy

The law is the law and he did not have to pick up the handset to continue the call as it was clearly not an emergency call. I don't understand why he is going to appeal, as the Highway code states:

Penalty points and disqualification The penalty point system is intended to deter drivers and motorcyclists from following unsafe motoring practices. Certain non-motoring offences, e.g. failure to rectify vehicle defects, can also attract penalty points. The court MUST order points to be endorsed on the licence according to the fixed number or the range set by Parliament. The accumulation of penalty points acts as a warning to drivers and motorcyclists that they risk disqualification if further offences are committed.

Admit to the crime and take the punishment.

soolin

wendfd wrote: »

He was receiving a call FROM the police about an incident NOT making a call. His bluetooth hands free battery died so he picked up the handset.

This makes it even more confusing as this suggest it was not a crime in progress but an exisiting matter..so waiting a few minutes until a safe place to stop could be found and the call returned would appear to have been a logical thing to do?

I work for more than one official Government department and yes I get very important calls..however I can assure people that I am not allowed under any circumstances to drive while on a mobile, so policy is that a voicemail message is left and I call back at the earliest possible time it is safe to do so. If I answered a call while driving that would in itself be a disciplinary matter.

peterbaker

Hi Sam Bee!

Gawd, this thread really does separate the chaff, don't it? :rolleyes:

Tomthumb

catlover1 wrote: »

I must say I am shocked at everyones judgemental attitude - whatever happened to being nice to moneysavers anyone can make a mistake
xx

Hmm Would you still be saying that if he had killed someone through his lack of concentration in a very busy area?

I have driven for a living as a courier for more than 18 months and have held my clean license for 14 years. I could be sympathetic if it was a genuine mistake by the driver but it clearly wasn't, not sure what else to say

mystic_trev

I'm NOT commenting on this case, but would like to voice a fact about the use of mobile phones whilst driving. The risks involved are the same as somebody driving whilst over the drink / drive limit. The penalties ought to be the same.