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Motorists using mobile phones behind the wheel is rising

This is a real concern in the uk as it is dangerous and it has caused accidents and people to be killed in the past, they are rising the punishment with you getting 4 points on your licence instead of 3 and a £150 fine but surely it is not going to stop some motorists doing this behind the wheel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37370828

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Should get a minimum 10 years ban
Original post by Rock Fan
This is a real concern in the uk as it is dangerous and it has caused accidents and people to be killed in the past, they are rising the punishment with you getting 4 points on your licence instead of 3 and a £150 fine but surely it is not going to stop some motorists doing this behind the wheel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37370828


its because of pokemon go. we ban pokemon go, then it decreases.
Until they stop giving people 18 months for murdering someone for dangerous driving , people will go about their selfish little lives as they please with no regard for the consequences for anybody else
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Avatar for L i b
L i b
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Original post by Hachik0
Should get a minimum 10 years ban


Seriously? A minor infraction that was perfectly legal until recently? A ten year ban?

In 2013, only 5 of the over 4,500 people prosecuted for dangerous driving were banned for more than ten years. That's a punishment not given to the most serious offenders. You won't get that for driving outrageously over the alcohol limit, street-racing or whatever. You'd realistically have to kill or cripple someone through a major act of deliberate recklessness.

Alienating all reasonableness is hardly going to solve this. It's a minor offence that, yes, increases risk - although I'd question how substantially compared to legal things that drivers can do that divert their attention.
1 year in prison for all those caught using a mobile behind the wheel should stop it.
Original post by L i b
Seriously? A minor infraction that was perfectly legal until recently? A ten year ban?

In 2013, only 5 of the over 4,500 people prosecuted for dangerous driving were banned for more than ten years. That's a punishment not given to the most serious offenders. You won't get that for driving outrageously over the alcohol limit, street-racing or whatever. You'd realistically have to kill or cripple someone through a major act of deliberate recklessness.

Alienating all reasonableness is hardly going to solve this. It's a minor offence that, yes, increases risk - although I'd question how substantially compared to legal things that drivers can do that divert their attention.

I like tough sentences hehe
I will admit Ive been doing this more recently with the popularity of whatsapp and even more recently Pokemon Go. It's difficult to resist and I think a years ban for someone caught would be a good deterrent. I'm not sure anything else will stop it...driverless cars in the future? You just have to hope the driver using the phone has excellent peripheral vision and awareness I guess.
I drive frequently, and I have to see I've noticed the increase too.
A 10 year ban as proposed above is completely ridiculous, but it should be an automatic driving ban if caught, followed by retaking your test.

It's such a difficult law to enforce that you need something severe like that to act as a real deterrent, as well as to make sure that the few people who are caught are put off and are not likely to do it again.
I cycle ten miles each way commute each day and as such, mixing it with cars but sitting high enough to see in to them I have to tell you this is waaaay more prevalent than even the most pessimistic estimations coming out.
At any junction with lights, looking down into the car from my raised you will easily see two or three with their phone on their lap texting, reading or even watching video at each change of the lights. Next junction, same thing, junction after, same thing.
Let's be honest, with so few police around in cars what are the odds on them getting caught?
Two other big clues are needing a toot when the lights turn green and drifting from the gutter to the white line and back again while theiy are driving along. My experience is that women are the worst offenders.
It should be as antisocial as drunk driving.
punish them good i say

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Original post by L i b
Seriously? A minor infraction that was perfectly legal until recently? A ten year ban?



That's what I though when I bounced across her bonnet 'hell it's only a minor infraction so what if she wasn't looking up when she pulled in front of me and after all I am wearing leathers and a helmet'

Seems her reading a text from a friend about shopping was worth risking my life for.
Original post by caravaggio2
I cycle ten miles each way commute each day and as such, mixing it with cars but sitting high enough to see in to them I have to tell you this is waaaay more prevalent than even the most pessimistic estimations coming out.


Used to do the same but on a Motor cycle.

2 accidents later and I now own a car as it's just not worth it
Depends entirely on the situation and the circumstances.

Would i be on my phone in a busy built up area? no
Would i be on my phone on the country lanes? no

Will i check a text and reply when i'm stopped in traffic? yes
If i'm on a long straight A-Road will i check a text? probably but most of my attention is still on the road, it takes no more effort than changing the radio or setting the air con.
Original post by blue n white army



If i'm on a long straight A-Road will i check a text? probably but most of my attention is still on the road, it takes no more effort than changing the radio or setting the air con.


Last week a van driver got 8yrs for killing a cyclist.
It was daylight, the sun wasn't low and in his eyes(a favourite excuse amongst cyclist killers)
The cyclist was wearing hi vis and yes it was a long straight stretch of A road.
He hit him at 65mph.
He was just checking a text too.
You're a fool if you think you aren't playing with other peoples lives. You are.
Original post by caravaggio2
Last week a van driver got 8yrs for killing a cyclist.
It was daylight, the sun wasn't low and in his eyes(a favourite excuse amongst cyclist killers)
The cyclist was wearing hi vis and yes it was a long straight stretch of A road.
He hit him at 65mph.
He was just checking a text too.
You're a fool if you think you aren't playing with other peoples lives. You are.


In that situation i would guess that he took his eyes off the road for a considerable amount of time. I don't make a habbit of it but reading a text can be done so easily. My eyes are off the road for about a second at a time. Likewise replying to a text can be done without evening looking at your phone.

It's not that act of using a phone that is a bad thing it's how much attention you pay to the road whilst doing so. Everyone has change the channel on the radio whilst driving which is fine but what's not fine is spending 5 minutes tuning the radio whilst barely looking at the road, apply the same logic to using a phone.
Original post by blue n white army
In that situation i would guess that he took his eyes off the road for a considerable amount of time. I don't make a habbit of it but reading a text can be done so easily. My eyes are off the road for about a second at a time. Likewise replying to a text can be done without evening looking at your phone.

It's not that act of using a phone that is a bad thing it's how much attention you pay to the road whilst doing so. Everyone has change the channel on the radio whilst driving which is fine but what's not fine is spending 5 minutes tuning the radio whilst barely looking at the road, apply the same logic to using a phone.


This guy was saying everything that you are saying. He didn't go to work that day thinking he was going to kill someone.
This Bozo was so confident in fact that he wasn't going to kill anyone that being caught and fined eight times, yes eight times, and sent on two driver awareness courses still wasn't enough to convince him to stop doing it.
As a matter of interest what would it take to stop you doing it? Genuine question.😕
What's so important that it can't wait?

I used to know some eejit who would use his phone whilst driving and we'd swerve. We were lucky more than once that we didn't hit someone or something. I'd never get into a car with him again. Thankfully, most people I know tend to use their brains a bit and pull over to somewhere safe. (or give it to me to deal with)
Original post by caravaggio2
This guy was saying everything that you are saying. He didn't go to work that day thinking he was going to kill someone.
This Bozo was so confident in fact that he wasn't going to kill anyone that being caught and fined eight times, yes eight times, and sent on two driver awareness courses still wasn't enough to convince him to stop doing it.
As a matter of interest what would it take to stop you doing it? Genuine question.😕


If i'm stopped in traffic there's no issue at all as far as i can see.

On A-Roads, i don't make a habbit of it and it's very rare i'll actually do it. I do generally agree that you shouldn't use your phone whilst driving and certainly wouldnt encourage it, but i do think there are occassions where it is perfectly safe to use your phone, providing that you stay focussed on the road.

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