LG John

Not sure I get the pic MJ?

Does it mean your post has gone over my head?

mj

To be fair, I posted the pic before I fully read your reply...

hence the following thanks..

In hindsight the only thing you missed was the p1sstake. But You are quite right, no doubt a slating will follow

dpb

All three wimmins that frequent are anchored to the bar , i doubt youll get a rise,but who knows

LG John

he might not get a rise tonight but some other lucky punter might

nik52wrx

Never use a phone in a car as nothing is that important it cant wait until my journey is over/take a break.
What did people do before mobiles?????

jods

I seem to recall the phrase "Have one for the road"

LG John

IDK, these days talking to a passenger is distracting!??

I once drove 50 miles through the Scottish Highlands in a beat up polo getting head. I eventually had to pull over to blow my bolt. Driving in pitch dark with deer jumping in front of you and your old deer sucking your johnson........THAT is distracting

jods

You drove FIFTY miles before blowing your beans out? Wasn't she very good?

LG John

She had the skills, in fairness. You can't begin to imagine how distracting driving and avoiding 25st stag is when you are trying to *** is.....such an inconvenience

jods

Yeah, that sucks

pikeywrx

iTrader: (5)

50 miles????????? I could probably manage to the end off my road. then id fall asleep and crash any way lol.

Some one mentioned the police chasing bikes. Your right there not ment too. Didnt know this until i got pulled on my R1. If i had off known this i probably wouldnt be getting banned on monday ! lol.

So are those parrot things illegal as well now.

LG John

Meh, I was medically circumcised at age 7.....most lasses will need jaw surgery before I shoot my custard

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

I've used a mobile whilst driving three times in my life, and on all three occasions was just long enough to tell the other person to call back. I don't like the distraction, and anyway, I can't hear the thing ring if it's in my pocket when I'm driving. And that has **** all to do with my point anyway. My point was, since you clearly missed it, that if you are on the phone it will distract you. If that distraction causes you to hit someone/thing, then that crash was at least partly your fault. Yes, in the same way that if you are fiddling with the satnav and it takes your attention of the road. If it's partly your fault, it's not an accident. Accidents have no-one to blame, or blame spread very thinly between many people. This was you. Man up, and take the blame.


M

scoobymad555

iTrader: (1)

I understand your point Meridian but to be fair that's not actually what the word accident means. If someone has an accident due to using a mobile phone then I (like you) would consider it to be their fault and they should "man up" and take the blame but, it is still an accident since it wasn't an intentional outcome on their part. Unfortunate, stupid, dangerous and irresponsible yes (and many other words could be used i'm sure) but deliberate, no.

Therefore it is still an accident since in this particular context, the word is referring to an unintentional, unforseen or unexpected outcome .... you would assume that the driver didn't consciously answer their phone with the intention of crashing their vehicle deliberately at any rate!

Snazy

Well that would depend on what device you have. What have you got ?

The answer is 2 tier.

Is it illegal.... Depending on what you have it could be perfectly legal to hold a conversation on it, while driving next to a police traffic car.


HOWEVER , as above, IF there is an accident, the police are entitled to look into phone records and decide if it was a sufficiant distraction to cause the accident, and prosecute based on their findings.

As an example, my friend was killed by someone using their mobile while driving. Engrossed in the conversation, she forgot to use her mirrors and pulled a u-turn that her husband had just told her she needed to do over the phone...... Kevin lost his head for that "error of judgement"

Regardless of which handsfree she was using at the time, she was charged with death by dangerous driving.

Leslie

Its a funny thing I know but I was quite able to control a 4 jet aircraft at low level, use the radio, coordinate the actions of a 5 man crew during a low level bombing attack, actively avoid missile threats all going on at the same time. I never found it put me off my stroke for an instant as you so rudely infer. It was of course a necessary part of the job.

I still however maintain that using a mobile phone while driving constitutes an unecessary and unsafe distraction.

Commercial activities used to be perfectly controllable before the days of mobile phones, instant communications are not worth the risk of a crash and the danger to other drivers.

Les

LG John

MJ, my point is that in nearly all cases blame can be identified in nearly all accidents. Even when an accident is as a result of mechanical failure you can often argue that the mechanic responsible made a mistake or the owner didn't strictly follow manufacturers guidelines with regards to maintenance and regular checks.

I accept that using a hands free mobile phone is a distraction. It's impossible for it not to be. However, so is talking to a passenger, checking out a hot chick, opening a pack of chewing gum, glancing at your sat-nav, scratching that annoying itch on your back.

My key point is that most of the distractions on my list you would regard as both a reasonable and acceptable element of driving. However, as soon as the government or media tell you that one of them is particularly bad, like a good little sheep, you follow and move the activity into your 'unacceptable' category.

The bottom line is that you have to draw the line somewhere. You cannot totally eliminate risk from driving or from your life. My point last night is that humans seem driven to attempt to do exactly that. What is needed is a well reasoned approach to determine which risks are acceptable and which ones are not.

I think in most tests of reasonableness you could easily argue that using a non-hands free mobile is an unacceptable risk. However, I'd argue that using a hand-free system is no greater a risk than many other things that we might take for granted. I can safely say that the most distracting things I do in the car, in order are:

1. Argue with the wife (I barely know I'm driving if that happens)
2. Change stuff on my ipod.
3. Communicate with 3+ passengers in a multi-way conversation.
4. Attempt to eat something.

I don't have kids, but I'd imagine a screaming child must be very high on the scale as well. As I see it, if you are going to ban people from using hands-free systems then it should also be an offense to communicate with others in the car, change music, use sat-navs, eat or drink or do anything that requires you to think or do anything other than driving. Clearly, this would be unreasonable......well, in my eyes. Perhaps you disagree.

I'm not saying we should take unnecessary risks. I'm just saying that we are a chaotic species that lives in a chaotic environment and we have to accept we cannot control everything. As a professional poker player I have a somewhat unique perspective on 'risk' and 'risk management'. Every day I weigh up risk and make financial decisions based on it. I also see how chaotic 'random' truly is. Trust me, you'll be miserable if you try to wrap yourself and your family in cotton wool and remove all danger and risk from your life - it simply can't be done. My kids will be allowed to climb trees and have fun...they'll get bumped and scraped. Probably break a bone like I did at that age. But they are human....this is what we have always done. Getting injured or dead isn't bad, it's just life. It's also necessary!

The bottom line is that I personally feel that using a hands free system to communicate with others is not an unreasonable risk. Similarly, I believe you should be allowed to talk to passengers, drink a beverage, and even use entertainment and navigation systems.

Finally, and somewhat ironically, I don't have a bluetooth system or any form of hands free. I don't use my mobile when driving at all and never feel the need to. I therefore have no vested interest in how things turn out on this. I do have a pretty strong opinion on what I believe is right and wrong and that is the only reason I post. It's not to argue, wind people up, or be a ****. I simply think that people should have the right to talk to others when driving provided they have the use of both hands for control of the vehicle.

Snazy

Face facts, people have been known to crash or hit people/objects because they were simply day dreaming.... Try outlawing that one.

I know where SB is coming from on this one, and honestly think that every case needs judging on its individual merits, rather than tarring all with the same brush.

SVXNUT

Of course, its perfectly OK for the cops to drive at 90mph past the local school, whilst gassing on the radio to base????.

dpb

Snazy its a nexxus something something ...

I can answer a phone call with one finger and talk whilst looking striaght ahead with both hands on the wheel .

I personally believe this is reasonably safe and a lot safer than having the phone in one hand , les


p.s. I dont think you necessarily need to have just recieved last minute directions from your spouse via the airwaves in order to sling a left at the very last innings

tkws5606

saxoboy has the right idea life is full of risk banning stuff for the sake of it is pointless.
A few years ago the goverment banned handguns because of 1 mans actions yet people still get shot today in this country with handguns.


Funny thing is when Harold shipman a respected gp killed all those people no one sought a ban on doctors

deanb1980

and for all the woman on here step away from the steering wheel why do you have to sit that close to the steering wheel which by the way when you crash will snap you spine killing you instantly nice . if you cant reach the pedals get a smaller car and to stick to the topic i dont think this will come into force as every car now can come with a standard bluetooth kit in the end we wont be able to take our hands off the wheel to indicate or switch the wipers on

Snazy

Not heard of that device, but if its hands off then it sounds perfectly legal.

As for the slinging a left thing, agreed you dont have to be told to, to do it. But in this case her statement was quite damning, and while distracted by the call already, she was simply following the directions she was being told, sadly without looking.

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

Saxo boy WTF ?

SJ_Skyline

Using a mobile phone whilst driving is exteremly dangerous. Last time I tried it I nearly spilt my beer.

LG John

Funny as the double facepalm jpg is.....it doesn't add much to your argument. Largely because you don't appear to have made one yet

Leslie

Yes fair enough, of course it is much safer, but the point I think is, you are pretty close to other traffic when in a car which is coming towards you. It takes only a short loss of attention to drift off track. There is no doubt that when you are having a conversation on the phone that your attention is divided between that and the driving. I used to find that when I used to have a ham radio in the car and I removed it because of that and also I was once criticised by a copper for using it. I had to be honest and agree with him at the time. i did have to use a microphone at the time of course.

You may well be able to use the mobile like that and drive safely, but there are a lot of people who can't do that in full safety. The laws have to cover all circumstances of course.

Les

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

How would I manage without you

LG John

Meh, you're all a bunch of slack-jawed ******* Driving whilst on the phone will turn you into a Sexual-Tyrannosaurus...........just like me

What can I say, I just hate *****-pansy culture. I had to insta-leave the thread about the binmen (sorry, "refuse collection and organisation operative") not lifting a bin cause it was too heavy. I can only cope with one thread at a time.

Leslie

And what does it make you if you hit someone else while on the mobile then?

Les