Should all phone use be banned.

[Richie_asg1]

I think driving with children under 4 yrs old in the car should be banned as that is clearly a distraction far and away more than talking while driving.....and a lot of cars now have voice command for many things - so is satnav also considered a distraction?
Also holding a conversation with a taxi driver should be made illegal, and save us all the earache.

 

[The Baron]

Checking for hazards
The study involved 20 male and 40 female volunteers who took part in video tests while sitting in a car seat behind a steering wheel.

One group of volunteers were allowed to "drive" undistracted while another two heard a male voice from a loudspeaker 3ft (0.9m) away.

Those who were distracted by the voice engaging them in conversation took just under a second longer to respond to events, such as a pedestrian stepping off the pavement, an oncoming car on the wrong side of the road or an unexpected vehicle parked at a junction.

The study showed that asking a simple question - such as, "where did you leave the blue file?"- during phone conversations could mean a driver concentrates on an area four times smaller than normal, because their brain is imagining the room where they left the file, instead of checking for hazards in front of them.

These were the sorts of exercises we would show on our presentations to company drivers that thinking about work questions which are usually quite taxing issues does make the brain go into deeper thought and effect reaction issues rather than general conversations which are less of a distraction in the thought process

 

[DavidDetroit]

@dad_of_jon

I agree. I tried the same exercise while teaching my niece and, for me, there was nowhere near enough time to say aloud everything that's going on. As simple as driving sometimes seems, I think too many take for granted how much experience is required to do it properly. I get the impression there's a lot of "point it this way and go" attitude about driving.
Personally, I love driving no matter the vehicle but especially a manual or my motorcycle. I've been driving for decades and still look to become better.
On the other hand, I asked this same niece, age 17, a few questions a month or three later, probing how she felt about driving, her confidence in her ability, skill and so forth. She says to me (and she wasn't joking) that she's got it all down 100% and that she's a perfect driver. Confidence is very important but there's the "you don't know what you don't know" aspect. She's a very smart kid and is an excellent driver--for a 17 year old.
Anyway, I cringed a bit on the inside after that.

 

[DavidDetroit]

What percentage of calls could wait until later? 99%? 100%? What is an example of a situation where the call needs to be made or received? I couldn't come up with anything realistic.
Anyone on a call is using some of their attention for that which means that portion is not on driving which is a point that can be argued both ways. How much is enough? It wouldn't be enough if you ran over a little kid while making that call.
I'll be okay when talking on the cell is made illegal here. Then I'll just get annoyed at the folks who make/receive calls regardless of the law. I see plenty of illegal texting going on.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

What percentage of calls could wait until later? 99%? 100%? What is an example of a situation where the call needs to be made or received? I couldn't come up with anything realistic.

Spot on Dave.

My take on it - We used to get along fine before mobile phones were invented we didn't need to be contactable every minute of the working day back then and we still don't, losing the ability to use a phone while driving really shouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

[Arcs]

Hands free ban aye! If you are driving an automated car er no cuz you aint driving it ^^

 

[dad_of_jon]

There is evidence that having a conversation on a HF phone is more distracting than having one with a passenger.

depends who the passenger is

 

[Hopperty]

Wish they would just enforce the current laws, can't remember the last time I was on the road and didn't see someone playing with a phone whilst driving. What's the point in bringing out more laws if they ain't going to enforce the ones we already have.

As a cyclist I find it pretty disturbing the amount of drivers I see who are clearly texting, they should just be banned.

 

[GerritT]

What percentage of calls could wait until later? 99%? 100%? What is an example of a situation where the call needs to be made or received? I couldn't come up with anything realistic.
Anyone on a call is using some of their attention for that which means that portion is not on driving which is a point that can be argued both ways. How much is enough? It wouldn't be enough if you ran over a little kid while making that call.
I'll be okay when talking on the cell is made illegal here. Then I'll just get annoyed at the folks who make/receive calls regardless of the law. I see plenty of illegal texting going on.

I don't use a phone for work or during work, and I do not want to be called while driving. So I have 'do not disturb' for most of the day. Even prioritised nummers only get through if they call twice in the span of a quarter of an hour.

 

[Linalmeemow]

My standard response is not to give the state greater powers without good reason, or if it isn't using the powers it already has. As for the first, I want to see proper, independent, peer reviewed science, not the opinions of 'experts' who frequently turn out to be activists with an axe to grind; like the health 'experts' who advocate lower recommend healthy consumption limits, then you scratch a bit deeper and find they are from the temperance alliance. As for my second point, I drive upwards of 40k business miles a year and drivers on their mobiles is a common occurrence, especially HGV driver's, suggesting the police aren't enforcing the powers they already have.

So it's a no from me.

https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/distraction/fact-sheet/[URL]https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/distraction/fact-sheet/[/URL]

"A substantial body of research shows that using a hand-held or hands-free mobile phone while driving is a significant distraction, and substantially increases the risk of the driver crashing."

 

[Chippy_Tea]

As a cyclist I find it pretty disturbing the amount of drivers I see who are clearly texting, they should just be banned.

Could a driver be prosecuted if someone sent camera footage to the police?

 

[Clint]

What about smoking or vaping while driving? Car following me home just now looked like it was on fire with the amount of vape belching out the window...
I sometimes like to shout at other drivers. Is that ok?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I sometimes like to shout at other drivers. Is that ok?

I think most of us do that so in my view yes. :thumba:

 

[Banbeer]

In my opinion as a driver that does a thousand miles a week (sometimes) I see a lot of drivers that just don't concentrate i.e. lane closes in 800 yards, lane closes in 600 yards etc etc then at the last second oh sh*t i need to be in that lane, people just not indicating or sitting in the overtaking lane. I don't think all of them are on there phone but some could be. Until hands free is illegal I will use it, I STRONGLY disagree with texting or calling whilst holding a phone and don't get me started on people at traffic lights checking their social media

 

[Hopperty]

What about smoking or vaping while driving? Car following me home just now looked like it was on fire with the amount of vape belching out the window...
I sometimes like to shout at other drivers. Is that ok?

a bit of 'hot boxing' ?

 

[Rodcx500z]

In my opinion as a driver that does a thousand miles a week (sometimes) I see a lot of drivers that just don't concentrate i.e. lane closes in 800 yards, lane closes in 600 yards etc etc then at the last second oh sh*t i need to be in that lane, people just not indicating or sitting in the overtaking lane. I don't think all of them are on there phone but some could be. Until hands free is illegal I will use it, I STRONGLY disagree with texting or calling whilst holding a phone and don't get me started on people at traffic lights checking their social media

The other day coming up to a set of lights I said to my misses watch this when we stop she said what I the heads going down to check their phones, she starting singing bobbing up and down like this

 

[marshbrewer]

https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/distraction/fact-sheet/https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/distraction/fact-sheet/

"A substantial body of research shows that using a hand-held or hands-free mobile phone while driving is a significant distraction, and substantially increases the risk of the driver crashing."

Interesting reading, bit the studies in the fact sheet all appear to be simulations of distractions (particularly conversations) and the effects in hazard perception. Where are the studies of actual data? You know the sort of thing, statistical analysis of accidents where the driver at fault, showing how many were on a call? That would be pretty conclusive, and easy to obtain, you would think. That would sway my opinion.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If you were driving at 60 mph and your other half rang in a panic and said "i have just checked and our bank account has been emptied" how much concentration would you be giving to your surroundings for the next 5 seconds?

You have just travelled 440 feet which is 1.5 times the length of the shortest PL football pitch!

 

[Ghillie]

Talking regardless of hands free or not is a distraction and just another one to add to the list.

As a motorcyclist, I would love nothing more than vehicle drivers to apply the same amount of concentration as we motorcyclists do when riding. Being on the phone only makes this dream of mine even more impossible...

 

[DavidDetroit]

I don't use a phone for work or during work, and I do not want to be called while driving. So I have 'do not disturb' for most of the day. Even prioritised nummers only get through if they call twice in the span of a quarter of an hour.

My brother uses the "do not disturb" on his phone. Good idea.
I could live quite effectively with just a landline and no cell. Lots of things like that--Facebook, Twitter, cable TV--which I don't do or use. I tried them but there wasn't much point in it for me, personally.
This fast-paced, wild and crazy site (plus the American version) is enough for me.