Using Mobile Phone Whilst Driving

Jackmydad

Mercdriver wrote: »

You aren't. I was driving into central London and got caught in traffic earlier and missed an appointment. Yes, I could quite legally have called the person I was meeting, but I felt that I needed to have 100% attention on the road especially with cyclists regularly around me. I won't initiate a call from the driver's seat unless I am pulled in and the ignition is off.

Agreed. My attitude is that either you are driving, or you're doing something else.
The problem with "multi-tasking" is it's OK until something goes wrong, and you need to concentrate 100%.

I think there's something in our brains (at least there seems to be in mine) that puts taking a phone call on a higher level of importance than casual chit-chat with a passenger in a car.

Herzlos

It's just in awareness. A passenger who's paying any attention will see the driver has stopped talking and notice they are focusing on something. A remote conversation doesn't have that.



Because of the visual cues, I think people feel more comfortable about ignoring a passenger than the person on the other side of the phone.

KamTash1

hi, thanks for the information - so whats the difference between a NIP and a S172?
How long realistically could I expect to receive a S172?

Aylesbury_Duck

I walked across town today in the morning rush-hour. I walked alongside a queue of stop-start traffic going in the other direction and kept a mental tally of people using their phones (not on hands-free) whilst stationary in traffic or crawling along in first gear in the queue. I would say about one in five drivers were checking or typing on phones on their laps in the ten minutes it took me to walk down the half-mile straight stretch of road. Now at their speed nothing serious was likely to happen but it's a good indication of the impulse to be on the phone when there's any perceived downtime and I suspect a number of those people are the sort that would be doing the same at different speeds and in different road conditions.

I wonder how many minor rear-end shunts are a result of this sort of behaviour in queuing traffic?

KamTash1

Car_54 wrote: »

AIUI there is no requirement for a NIP to be served for Construction and Use offences, of which this is one.


They would need to send a s172 request to the registered keeper in order to identify the driver, but this is not subject to any time limit, except that court proceedings need to be started within six months of the alleged offence.

Hi, is their anywhere I could read this up? i always thought there was a time limit?cheers

NaughtiusMaximus

building_with_lego wrote: »

Or just leave your phone in the boot while you're driving?

Hands-free or hand-held, you are negatively impacting on your driving performance. Link.

"The impact of using a hands free phone on driving performance was not found to differ from the impact of using a hand held phones".

That doesn't sound right. I agree that a hands free phone is a distraction but surely the fact you're not driving one handed and don't need to take your eyes off the road to receive a call means a hand held phone is worse.

mcpitman

building_with_lego wrote: »

Or just leave your phone in the boot while you're driving?

Hands-free or hand-held, you are negatively impacting on your driving performance. Link.

"The impact of using a hands free phone on driving performance was not found to differ from the impact of using a hand held phones".

This is a small study, yes, but I've read of others which have found that your reaction times are actually faster if you are up to twice the drink-drive limit for alcohol. How urgent is that call, exactly? And why is, "Sorry I didn't answer; I was driving" unacceptable to some people?

Not really an accurate or relevant study, seeing as this was largely based around people texting whilst driving.


But get the point you are attempting to make.


My opinion - nonsense, no different to having someone sat next to you. If I am on a handsfree phone and I need to concentrate, then I concentrate the phone call is secondary to my life.

Mercdriver

NBLondon wrote: »

An alert passenger can realise when it's time to shut up until you've cleared the junction or stop talking if you say "hold on". If you've started the call with "I'm driving" then a reasonable person on the other end will accept that you might have to say "hold on" and concentrate on the road for a bit. But you can never guarantee that.... especially with business calls.

I did say potentially for a reason

In any case, phone conversations seem to take more of our attention than any other form of conversation in person. I won't do anything that takes that amount of concentration from properly controlling a 2 ton block of metal on wheels

Mercdriver

mcpitman wrote: »

My opinion - nonsense, no different to having someone sat next to you. If I am on a handsfree phone and I need to concentrate, then I concentrate the phone call is secondary to my life.

It's easy to say that when you aren't doing it. There is a potential for something important to come up on the call. The person you are speaking to can't see out of your windows. Suddenly something happens on the call that takes you by surprise. What happens next? Your mind is distracted, and then the lights change. A crash? Run down a pedestrian? It's just not worth it. If a call is that important that it has to take place then there is every chance enough of your attention will be taken away from your driving.

NBLondon

Which is why I think you're right to not initiate a call while driving. I might do it if stopped in traffic to warn someone I'm going to be late but not otherwise - and I'll choose to answer or let it go to VM based on the road conditions. If I call somebody on a mobile and they're driving I'll always ask if they are OK to talk. The problem is that with work mobiles - a lot of people are conditioned to always answer or always be available. You might be able to hold some conversations while driving without diverting an unsafe amount of concentration Where are you? Driving to Customer X. Can you ring Y afterwards and tell them how the meeting went? Will Do! but if it requires much more it should become I'll call you back in 10 minutes when I've found a layby