Should all phone use be banned.

[Chippy_Tea]

I am all for a ban, the standard of driving on our roads is so poor one less distraction has to be a good thing.



BBC News -

Drivers could be banned from using hands-free mobile phones in England and Wales, a group of MPs has suggested.

Current laws give the "misleading impression" that hands-free options are safe, they warned.

While it has been illegal to use a handheld phone at the wheel since 2003, using a hands-free device creates "the same risks of collision", the Commons Transport Select Committee said.

The government said that, where legal, drivers must always use phones safely.

An expert told the committee that taking a hands-free phone call caused "essentially the same" amount of distraction as being at the legal limit for alcohol blood level in England and Wales.

A public consultation on the proposal should be published by the end of 2019, the cross-party group said.

It would only apply to England and Wales, as the issue is devolved in Scotland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473

 

[GerritT]

A lot of things are plainly distracting, handsfree or not. Totally agree here.

 

[user 18729]

I think making hands free illegal is taking things too far. What will be next, making any talking/conversation among passengers illegal incase the driver becomes distracted? You can’t really counter incompetence on the roads in my opinion. A lot of it is down to people that really shouldn’t have passed their test being let loose.

Having recently moved to Essex, I’m blown away by how inconsiderate, rude and dangerous 90% of people are whilst driving. Undertaking, not letting people merge, using a slip road to undertake half a mile of stationary traffic and then pushing back in, and the worst thing- tailgating.

I think a better approach would be to police those offences first, and actually pull people over and give them points and a fine for driving like a tosser.

 

[MickDundee]

I’m fed up of SWMBO calling my hands free from her hands free on my way home from work when I’m trying to listen to music, so it sounds good to me!

 

[terrym]

I think making hands free illegal is taking things too far.

Would you be saying that if a close relative or friend had been killed or seriously injured by some inconsiderate t**t making a call/texting?
And the debate is not about the general standard of driving which I agree is generally bad and getting worse , that's another subject which has a different set of solutions if indeed there are any.

 

[marshbrewer]

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.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I am all for a ban, the standard of driving on our roads is so poor one less distraction has to be a good thing.



BBC News -

Drivers could be banned from using hands-free mobile phones in England and Wales, a group of MPs has suggested.

Current laws give the "misleading impression" that hands-free options are safe, they warned.

While it has been illegal to use a handheld phone at the wheel since 2003, using a hands-free device creates "the same risks of collision", the Commons Transport Select Committee said.

The government said that, where legal, drivers must always use phones safely.

An expert told the committee that taking a hands-free phone call caused "essentially the same" amount of distraction as being at the legal limit for alcohol blood level in England and Wales.

A public consultation on the proposal should be published by the end of 2019, the cross-party group said.

It would only apply to England and Wales, as the issue is devolved in Scotland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473

Enforcing the existing law would be good start.
I 'use' my hands free in a different way. my friends have one ringtone, my family have their own. And I have who are you from the who for caller withheld.
so when the phone rings in my car I cut off the unsolicited calls with one press of the button on the steering wheel whilst I let the others go to answerphone. I find that no more distracting that pressing the next track button when a random song on the stereo comes on that I want to skip.

I've seen drivers holding phones in cars that have handsfree in them. That winds me up the most - breaking the law and TOO STUPID to pair it up.

 

[user 18729]

Would you be saying that if a close relative or friend had been killed or seriously injured by some inconsiderate t**t making a call/texting?
And the debate is not about the general standard of driving which I agree is generally bad and getting worse , that's another subject which has a different set of solutions if indeed there are any.

I’m not saying that texting should be legal, I’m merely saying that answering a call with both hands still on the wheel isn’t a problem in my view

 

[Rodcx500z]

I'm all for this ban, using a phone while driving is as bad as drink or drug driving and should carry an minimum 12 month ban and hefty fine, go on dvla website and look how many everyday meds effect your ability to drive and illnesses I would say half the people who drive shouldn't be on the roads, have an accident first thing your insurance will ask is are you on any meds if you are and they are on the list your insurance is void ( not speaking from experience here) their is also a list of illnesses on there as well, be aware

 

[DavidDetroit]

I voted "yes." In a perfect world people would recognize their limitations so there would be no need to ban. People who are capable would and people who aren't wouldn't.
Only texting (reading or writing) is illegal in my state and no laws against talking on the cell whether hands-free or hand-held.
Is there a way to train a person to be capable of using a cell while driving and doing it safely? The pertinent information and techniques are there but it's always the same problems.

 

[PerthRod]

I think making hands free illegal is taking things too far. What will be next, making any talking/conversation among passengers illegal incase the driver becomes distracted?


Got to agree here...........is talking to someone on a handsfree device any more distracting than talking to a passenger in the car ?

 

[dad_of_jon]

I voted "yes." In a perfect world people would recognize their limitations so there would be no need to ban. People who are capable would and people who aren't wouldn't.
Only texting (reading or writing) is illegal in my state and no laws against talking on the cell whether hands-free or hand-held.
Is there a way to train a person to be capable of using a cell while driving and doing it safely? The pertinent information and techniques are there but it's always the same problems.

The uk police do a running commentary whilst in pursuit of a vehicle so it can be done. But they have training we don't. I tried it when taking my daughter out to drive and found i wasn't concentrating as well as I had to describe what I was doing subconsciously whilst doing it. e.g. check the roundabout(traffic circle for the US) ahead, look in rear mirror, all clear, signal, move gradually into right lane..... phew too involved.

 

[Nicks90]

Talking to someone on a hands free is no different to talking to a passenger.
Banning all mobile calls is just rediculous.
Now touchscreen car interfaces....well that's different.
Do you not find it incredible that we have banned people touching a mobile, but quite happy for car manufacturers to fit incredibly complicated touch screens for drivers to interact with whilst driving?
How many sub menus on a Citroen cactus to get to the Aircon temp? 3
How many submenus on a VW Passat to change from satnav to audio, select your mobile instead of radio 2 and stream music? 4
Now all of this is LEGAL and also completely not in line of sight and you have to look at the thing to press the icons. Physical buttons are easy, muscle memory means I can select the air con in my merc without averting my eyes.
And yet using these is not illegal, just a cautionary warning not to be distracted and that's all the legal obligations complete.
Touch a mobile in front of a copper, 6 points. Spend half your journey jabbing a built in mobile device and you get nothing.

 

[britton]

should we ban kids in cars, far more distracting!

 

[Nicks90]

Ohhhh yes.
Britton for president

 

[GerritT]

Enforcing the law: since 2010 police numbers have dropped with around 20,000.
Appropriate and/or effective fines or punishment: hardly.
Self-overestimation: high, nowadays.

 

[The Baron]

I used to manage many large fleets for high profile companies in conjunction with the RAC and the conclusion was that all the companies I managed were advised to switch off there mobiles as they were due to generally have a driving break every 2 hours . They would check and return calls whilst on a driving break which meant the maximum length of time without contact was 2 hours. I also ran courses with the RAC which showed that using handsfree was a risk factor as the actual thought process of the call would cause a distraction from the driving. I do not use handsfree and totally agree that if you are thinking about what somebody is discussing with you that it is a distraction no matter how small as it only takes a split second of indecision for that fatal crash

 

[Rodcx500z]

My humble peugeot 2008 as all the toys, carplay android auto hands free satnav, can even text while driving, why I never use them just the satnav which is set before I set off, cars are for driving not mobile offices, one thing I do miss is the cd player as it forces me to use amazon prime or spotify or a usb flash drive, all just a money maker for the manufactures

 

[Chippy_Tea]

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

 

[Chippy_Tea]

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.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49320473