Changes in the law regarding driving with a mobile phone held to the ear have been slow to catch on.
Stories of drivers taking corners, negotiating tricky junctions and pulling into parking spaces with one hand clamped to the ear holding their phone and chatting are ten to the dozen.
Last weekend this writer was almost mown down (albeit at about 8mph) by a driver so engrossed in her conversation, holding a phone to her ear and trying to change down a gear and steer around a tight left-hand turn all the same time - and everybody we speak to seems to have similar recent instances of drivers who believe the law doesn't apply to them and the need to arrange their social life or shoot the breeze.
At first there was the benefit of the doubt where such cases were concerned. Sure, they're idiots but many simply didn't know they were breaking the law. All laws such as this need some time to bed in - but that time should now be considered over.
Now the laws have been in place long enough for the message to have filtered through but still people are breaking the law - and it would seem willingly - and knowingly - so, if research out earlier this week is anything to go by.
More and more people are finding ways around the laws - few of which involve using the approved methods such as hands-free kits or Bluetooth headsets.
The research claims women (and presumably long-haired men) are hiding the phones under their locks while others are putting phones in their laps and shouting at their crotches (which probably looks odd from the pavement or next car - and is probably even less safe than ever.)
Such irresponsible behaviour smacks of flouting laws almost for the sake of it. While many have supported the legislation and have got into the habit of pulling over to answer calls or change their handsets and peripherals according to post-legislation needs it's time everybody was forced to play ball - especially when so many calls are doubtless a needless luxury.
Comments
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1. David Wright
It isn't just mobile 'phone users that drive carelessly, but having been in cars where the driver has been typing SMSs and looking for numbers in the address book, I have to say they are worse than most! It was downright scary in the SMS instant, we had a car full (Galaxy MPV) with 3 adults and 3 on board, and wandering all over the road! Managed to get the 'phone away from her in the end. And no not just women, a male friend of mine mounted the central reservation trying to find a number in the address book...
But the really scary one was when my brother was run off the road by an oncoming mother. She was swerving over both sides of the road and my brother was forced to mount the kerb and drive into somebodies garden to avoid her!
He managed to catch her up and stop her. She was totally unaware of what she had done. Her reaction?
"How can I be expected to keep and eye on the road with 3 kids in the back?" (All the more reason to keep an both eyes on the road in my opinion!)
2. anonymous
An easily solved problem. Simply give the police complete and unrestricted access to mobile phone records so that they can correlate them with traffic cameras and GPS or cell data. After all if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.
3. anonymous
Yes, my recent experience confirms that this abuse is rife.
Why can't the Police give us a central reporting e-mail address so that it becomes easy to notify them about careless and dangerous practices? This "anecdotal evidence" would not lead to arrests but at least warning notices could be sent out. This might help pull the abusers back into line.
4. Stu
Sadly like almost all driving laws (drink drive, speeding, driving under influence of drugs) this law will always be broken by someone who has to make 'that call'
All crashes involving someone on a mobile should result in an instant ban and them being liable for the accident and all costs - regardless of the situation, just like it should be for other law breakers.
Another option is to create more 'mobile call points' for people to pull into and dot mobile phone dampeners along the route so that all phones lose signal, thus killing the conversation. It would be an annoyance for passengers on the phone etc, but a small price to pay for safer roads and we all seemed to manage fine without then 10 years ago...
5. Angus Doyle
MSG TO: Anonymous from Reading..
While we are at it, why dont we just give up all our Civil Liberies, Privacy and human rights.
6. anonymous
I ride a motorcycle and usually when passing in slow traffic hoot at them providing that the situation allows me to do so without startling other road users. This I hope has the effect of enforcing the fact that they are endangering others and also the person on the other end of the phone would realise that they are calling from a car and either say something or tell them to call back later. Embarrasment might work if the law doesn't.
I was cut up on the motorway by a guy texting with the phone wedged against the steering wheel. he was swerving out of his lane. I felt sorry for his kids in the back. If that wasn't bad enough his wife was in the passenger seat watching him do it.
I also drive a car and never answer my mobile unless it is safe for me to park off the road. If it is that important they can ring back.
7. Jeff
How about giving the police the power to comfiscate the phone from offenders. A few days without their little toys will probably have more of an affect than the paltry fine.
8. Hubert
For the first month or so I hardly saw anyone using a hand held phone but now I see at least a couple of people every day. One woman in particular is on her mobile every morning without fail. You can see her in the traffic queue to the motorway and then still see her when she is whizzing past on the motorway itself. Then you still get the people who slow down or start swerving about in front of you for no apparent reason until you then see the phone held to their ear!
The first few people to be caught ended up in the paper as a novelty but perhaps the papers and TV should give out some stats now and again showing how many people have been prosecuted to keep peopl aware until it becomes second nature like seatbelts.
9. anonymous
Smoking whilst driving is as bad, if not worse than using a mobile! You wouldnt think twice about dropping your phone into your lap should the need arise - but a cigarette?
I also know someone who drove straight into the back of of another vehicle whilst watching the end of his fag and attempting to light it! His comeuppance was only having third party insurance! Bet he doesnt light up at the wheel again in a hurry.
10. Mike Hart
This law is stupid! If I can drive a manual car and use a "hands-free", why can I not drive an automatic car and use a handset? Both involve carrying on a conversation, and both require the use of (typically) the left hand. The law is a total ass!
The focus should clearly be concerned with the control of the vehicle being demonstrated, and that can only be judged on a case-by-case basis!
Also, this law completes the a la carte menu of ass-ish-ness by not specifically requiring that the hands-free holder is mounted within the drivers eye-line. Could this be a law abiding alternative explanation for the crotch-watchers out there??
11. Angus Doyle
it all comes down to patting your head and rubbing your stomach. The fact is that if we all admit it, we could be talking on the phone with the missus, she starts going on about her seeing you with another woman. The brain goes in to overdrive, trying to come up with a plausable explanation. How on earth can you concentrate on the road and do that at the same time.
12. anonymous
Make it a gross misdemeanor -- £2,500 fine, 30 days in jail -- this is serious and irresponsible behavior and it should be stopped. There's nothing you need to talk about that's so important as to risk the lives of everyone around you for your own selfishness. Studies show that talking on a cell phone is every bit as dangerous as drunken driving -- treat it as such legally.