UK government is to double current penalty for drivers using handheld mobile devices at the wheel

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, Sauron said:

There are solutions to the problem without the need for the car to drive itself. Most cars at this point (except the ultra low cost variants) have bluetooth phone integration bundled with their on board entertainment system (aka what used to be just the radio/cd player). You can make phone calls and in some cases even have your messages read out loud without moving your hands from the wheel or your eyes from the road. Besides, even in a self driving car you're supposed to be alert at all times.

Not all phones have Advanced Natural Language Processors and Specialized Audio DSPs .

 

Snapdragon 800 series or better OR Apple's A9 or better support what you described. Unfortunately I don't have that class of SOC in my phone.

[dalekphalm]

4 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

In a move expected to come into play next year, drivers caught using handheld devices while driving can expect 6 penalty points and a £200 on the spot fine for a first offence. 

New drivers might lose their licences altogether and be forced to sit a retest

Repeat offenders could face a 6 month ban and a £1000 fine

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37389800

 

Increasing penalties is only ever going to work if you've got officers on patrol enforcing the penalties. It's crazy how often I see people using phones while driving here in England, honestly I see at least one every single day and I live in a medium sized town, in cities the problem is probably much much worse. 

 

A slightly off topic story but I don't drive, I can't because I have sight problems but about 3 weeks ago I had to go to hospital (actually for an eye test) so my dad was driving me along a very busy dual carriageway near where I live and about half way there I spotted a woman doing about 50mph in the lane next to us, she had no hands on the wheel at all, instead she was brushing her hair with one hand and putting on lipstick in the rear view mirror with the other hand! 

I'm sorry to say that my Dad used to be a very bad offender in cases like that. Obviously he wasn't putting on lipstick, but he used to do things like: Oh we're in the middle of a snow squal? Let's open the mail!

 

He's gotten over this habit for the most part though.

 

Personally, I support any attempts to curb this issue.

3 hours ago, Sauron said:

I'm fine with it being even worse, but why are new drivers somehow getting a worse penalty that others? Is it less bad for an experienced driver to drive with a phone in their hand?

Not necessarily worse. Being forced to retake your test doesn't necessarily mean a worse penalty. The idea behind that is you LITERALLY JUST TOOK THE TEST, the rules should be fresh in your memory. The idea is to reinforce with young drivers how it's not okay.

 

I see people doing this all the time, but yeah, it's hard for Cops to catch you, and here in Ontario at least, they need to catch you in the act before they can give you the ticket. Or they need other proof, like if another car snapped a picture of you on the phone, as long as you were clearly visible, it would be sufficient evidence.

[Sauron]

Just now, AluminiumTech said:

Not all phones have Advanced Natural Language Processors and Specialized Audio DSPs .

 

Snapdragon 800 series or better OR Apple's A9 or better support what you described. Unfortunately I don't have that class of SOC in my phone.

Fair enough, but you can probably survive without answering messages for up to an hour - you can stop every once in a while to answer, there are plenty of places to do this safely. A phone call is more urgent, but you can use conference mode.

[Sauron]

Just now, dalekphalm said:

Not necessarily worse. Being forced to retake your test doesn't necessarily mean a worse penalty. The idea behind that is you LITERALLY JUST TOOK THE TEST, the rules should be fresh in your memory. The idea is to reinforce with young drivers how it's not okay.

 

I see people doing this all the time, but yeah, it's hard for Cops to catch you, and here in Ontario at least, they need to catch you in the act before they can give you the ticket. Or they need other proof, like if another car snapped a picture of you on the phone, as long as you were clearly visible, it would be sufficient evidence.

Makes sense I suppose, still I'm pretty sure people know they shouldn't do it and simply don't care.

 

I've seen bus drivers having both hands on their phone with the bus in movement...

[dalekphalm]

4 hours ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Good. It's a completely moronic crime and is incredibly irresponsible. If you need to use your phone in the car so badly, invest in a hands free kit. 

 

I have family members that will constantly text and drive. If I'm in the car with them and they pick up their phone, I tend to just take their phone off them and keep it until we're out of the car. 

 

They need to introduce some form of mandatory awareness course to show just how much using the phone affects your driving. Being in the car with someone who is texting and starts drifting between lanes as soon as they look at their phone is scary. I don't use my phone much anyway, but If I'm in the car I'll always pull over before touching it. 

I agree! I mean, c'mon, it's 2016! Bluetooth in cars has been practically standard issue for the last 5 years. And buying a Bluetooth kit can be as cheap as $30 if your car doesn't have one.

 

Mythbusters, I believe, did some testing, and using a phone while driving was nearly as bad as being drunk. Oh, and they tested that too

2 hours ago, vorticalbox said:

Personally, I think they should remove "up to" parts of laws. Up to 6 months should be 6 months.

The problem is that crime isn't black and white. Leaving the "up to" in laws, allows the Judge to use their own experience and knowledge of the law to apply the specific context and details of each case, on a case-by-case basis. Not everything is equal. Though in many laws, that's why a minimum punishment is stated, in addition to a maximum.

2 minutes ago, Sauron said:

Makes sense I suppose, still I'm pretty sure people know they shouldn't do it and simply don't care.

 

I've seen bus drivers having both hands on their phone with the bus in movement...

Oh I agree, some know it's wrong and don't care. Others, I think, are ignorant of the law. And finally, there are some that know it's illegal, but think it doesn't apply to them, because they are such great drivers.

 

If you ever see a bus driver doing that, please take a picture of them, and immediately report them to the bus company, or even the police, if you feel that you're in actual danger. Those drivers will (justly) lose their jobs.

 

We just had an article in the news the other day about a Bus Driver for the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) who was caught texting by some passenger, who snapped a picture. Needless to say, that man lost his job, and is being investigated by the police.

 

I for one, don't care if you whip out your phone for 2 seconds to check if you have any messages while you're waiting at a bus stop (as a bus driver), or if you're at a red light. But don't unlock the phone. Don't read your texts. Don't talk on it. Glancing at a phone while stopped is okay. Actually USING it is where I draw the line.

[Marcodian_Elite]

4 hours ago, Sauron said:

I'm fine with it being even worse, but why are new drivers somehow getting a worse penalty that others? Is it less bad for an experienced driver to drive with a phone in their hand?

It's not that they get a worse penalty than others exactly - it's just that if you accumulate 6 penalty points within your first 2 years of passing the driving test, you instantly lose your licence, so with the penalty being increased for driving and using a phone to 6 points it just appears that they get get a worse penalty.

[BuckGup]

Just take it back to the medieval days and cut their hands off or pence their tongue out. Hahha no this is good I guess. In america I see way too many truckers, teens, old people, and so on just staring down then up then down. Or I actually drive the speed limit and everyone always passes me. Glad people follow rules

[minibois]

Good. Drivers that are calling while driving are endangering themselves and also others (I almost got run over by a driver who was calling once)

The fine here in the Netherlands is now 230 euros (roughly 197 GBP)

[System Error Message]

its not hard to enforce as the UK has cameras all around so they can make use of that if someone is watching.

[demonix00]

It doesn't matter how high the penalties go, people will still use their phones at the wheel of their car and it is highly likely that a majority of them won't be caught in the act because there aren't enough cops on the roads.

[shermantanker]

[Lethal Seraph]

This isn't enough. Triple the penalty and add a point against driver's license like how a DUI would be. I know people who lost their valedictorian kid to a distracted driver who clipped him off the intersection.

[dalekphalm]

Just now, Lethal Seraph said:

This isn't enough. Triple the penalty and add a point against driver's license like how a DUI would be. I know people who lost their valedictorian kid to a distracted driver who clipped him off the intersection.

They lose 6 points on their drivers license, so it's not just a fine.