Using a mobile whilst driving?

[babycatcher]

To an extent the same can be said for radio as well, especially if the driver is engaged in a topic on talk radio.

 

What the study doesn't touch on is the visual impairment caused by holding the latest dinner plate sized smartphones upto your head.

 

I've got a rather mahoosive phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2) but I can't see it when I hold it to my ear, even if I look to that side.

 

---------- Post added 09-06-2016 at 12:20 ----------

 

I have said this many times before. However, apparently the result of the findings was that this is not the case as passengers would be aware of road conditions and issues such as you having to navigate a tricky roundabout or intersection whereas a person on the phone would not.

 

IMHO this is complete horse cr@p as they would only be aware if they were also drivers themselves, and certainly not aware if they were children who were fighting in the back seat. As borne out by the woman who once slammed her anchors on in front on me and in the middle of a junction to turn round and yell at her misbehaving kids. Seriously.

 

So if they are going to take hands free off us can I also recommend that all cars now become 1 or 2 seater with a separate trailer towed for passengers? Or we could go back to the old school motorbike and sidecar perhaps?

I don't think this is always a benefit, on more than one occasion my wife has spotted something that I've already noticed (but she thinks I haven't) and then scared the life out of me with a loud "WHOAAH!" or "WATCH OUT!", almost causing me to crash with startle

 

*Sorry love, just realised I posted while your account is still logged in*

Edited June 9, 2016 by babycatcher

[Isabelle]

I've got a rather mahoosive phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2) but I can't see it when I hold it to my ear, even if I look to that side.

 

---------- Post added 09-06-2016 at 12:20 ----------

 

I don't think this is always a benefit, on more than one occasion my wife has spotted something that I've already noticed (but she thinks I haven't) and then scared the life out of me with a loud "WHOAAH!" or "WATCH OUT!", almost causing me to crash with startle

 

I've been in the van with my OH and his mum, she sometimes has a similar panic if another vehicle is very close, she made me jump a few times.

He doesn't take her in the car much, its so low she'd get scared if a big wagon came past. I find it weird sometimes on the motorway when the wheels seem to be above my head.

[DnAuK]

I've got a rather mahoosive phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2) but I can't see it when I hold it to my ear, even if I look to that side.

 

---------- Post added 09-06-2016 at 12:20 ----------

 

I don't think this is always a benefit, on more than one occasion my wife has spotted something that I've already noticed (but she thinks I haven't) and then scared the life out of me with a loud "WHOAAH!" or "WATCH OUT!", almost causing me to crash with startle

 

*Sorry love, just realised I posted while your account is still logged in*

 

With you entirely. I was just stating what the findings of the study apparently revealed.

[Bottletop]

So, I work in an office that houses several different business. I start earlier than most people and therefore when I arrive our car park is pretty empty.

 

I've noticed over the past couple of weeks a woman who also works in my building, arrives in the car park at a similar time to me and she is ALWAYS on her mobile. Sometimes we travel along the same main road on the way to work and she's on it then - when she arrives at work she carries on using her phone as she gets out, grabs her bags and goes into the offices.

 

I don't know her, and I don't know which company she works for. But my questions is, should I do anything?

 

It's obviously illegal to use your mobile whilst driving, let alone dangerous - let alone do this every single time she drives to work!

I know we see people on their phones every day whilst driving, and in some cases this leads to accidents and occasionally fatalities. I thought I'd approach her or leave a note on her windscreen saying I'll get the police involved if I see her doing it again. But I don't want to be confrontational and CCTV covers our car park. Maybe I shouldn't do anything and hope she gets caught out one day?

 

What would you do/recommend?

[Eater Sundae]

Maybe contact the police on the non-emergency number, and tell them where and when she does this. If they think it is important enough, they could target her one morning.

[stifflersmom]

So, I work in an office that houses several different business. I start earlier than most people and therefore when I arrive our car park is pretty empty.

 

I've noticed over the past couple of weeks a woman who also works in my building, arrives in the car park at a similar time to me and she is ALWAYS on her mobile. Sometimes we travel along the same main road on the way to work and she's on it then - when she arrives at work she carries on using her phone as she gets out, grabs her bags and goes into the offices.

 

I don't know her, and I don't know which company she works for. But my questions is, should I do anything?

 

It's obviously illegal to use your mobile whilst driving, let alone dangerous - let alone do this every single time she drives to work!

I know we see people on their phones every day whilst driving, and in some cases this leads to accidents and occasionally fatalities. I thought I'd approach her or leave a note on her windscreen saying I'll get the police involved if I see her doing it again. But I don't want to be confrontational and CCTV covers our car park. Maybe I shouldn't do anything and hope she gets caught out one day?

 

What would you do/recommend?

 

I would just mention it to her (when she's on her own) and say that if you've noticed her doing it consistently then it's possible that the police might too one day. She's likely to get defensive that you've called her out on it so adopt a conciliatory tone. If people aren't confronted about their illegal behaviour it becomes normalised and eventually people do it out of habit without realising. I'm sure this point has been reached already with a number of people.

[Justin Smith]

What`s the worst example you`ve seen of someone talking on their mobile whilst driving ?

 

How about this for a starter. I was picking my three year old up from his nursery on Minto Rd, he runs down the path and out of the gate but stops by the side of the road like we`ve spent a lot of time training him to do. Just in front of him was a Fiat 500 being manoeuvred by some woman whilst chatting on her mobile ! I kid you not, she was reversing etc (including partly on the pavement)outside the entrance to a nursery whilst on her mobile ! ! Let`s just remember, she`d have been struggling to see the toddlers (their height means they`re below the level of the windows) even if she`d had her full 100% concentration on the job, but, and it bears repetition, she was chatting on her mobile ! I actually bent down to look at her and made the sign of a phone in my hand against my ear, she looked straight at me, but far from saying sorry or even just putting the phone down, she just carried on chatting as she drove off up Minto Rd ! What a cretin.

 

Beat that.

 

I subsequently discovered who it was and put it to her that what she did was unacceptable as well as illegal. Unsurprisingly she was unapologetic. She said she "was just switching on her Bluetooth", which would "be on in a few seconds". A classic case of someone believing what they want to believe. A driver has a phone in one hand, and, one assumes, altering the settings on it, whilst in a moving vehicle. So that`s fine then, not. And it`s even worse when it`s outside a nursery with toddlers coming out.....

Edited September 16, 2016 by Justin Smith

[Marx]

On the motorway behind me at seventy with one hand clamped to her ear and the other one constantly preening her hair?

[GoGo_dancer]

Seen a few terrible ones but last week we followed a JCB digger up Main Road between Wharncliffe Side and Deepcar which is national speed limit for the majority of the way and quite bendy so not many places to overtake safely.

 

The driver happily crawled the whole way whilst chatting on his mobile, getting down to about 15mph on some steeper parts and blissfully ignoring the queue of irate drivers behind him...some of which started pulling dangerous overtakes in order to get past him. We pulled alongside him at Deepcar traffic lights and he was still on the phone and not wearing his seatbelt!

[Justin Smith]

Seen a few terrible ones but last week we followed a JCB digger up Main Road between Wharncliffe Side and Deepcar which is national speed limit for the majority of the way and quite bendy so not many places to overtake safely.

 

The driver happily crawled the whole way whilst chatting on his mobile, getting down to about 15mph on some steeper parts and blissfully ignoring the queue of irate drivers behind him...some of which started pulling dangerous overtakes in order to get past him. We pulled alongside him at Deepcar traffic lights and he was still on the phone and not wearing his seatbelt!

 

This is an interesting one. On the one hand I think the bigger and heavier the vehicle is the more irresponsible it is to use your mobile phone whilst driving. But on the other I also think the faster the vehicle is going the more irresponsible the driver is, and JCBs can`t go very fast !