Smartwatch & driving law

[Cuchilo]

Knight rider never got stopped for it

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Knight rider never got stopped for it

He never got stopped for having a red light on the front of his car either

 

[Markymark]

He never got stopped for having a red light on the front of his car either

Nor for ill fitting leather trousers.

 

[cd365]

I've checked PNLD - a smart watch is not a telephony device (it doesn't transmit on the specified GSM frequencies so doesn't meet the definition) so the mobile phone regs don't apply.

Thanks for the info @Drago

It may not be illegal but one's brain is otherwise occupied with a task which is not the primary driving one. IMHO it's unsafe.

Have you ever spoke to a passenger whilst driving? What would the difference be with talking to yourself in affect? With a passenger you are more likely to turn and look at them. In my example the hands were on the steering wheel and you were continuing to look forward at the road.

 

[PaulSecteur]

regardless of the legalities of it, dictating a voice text in a brummie accent renders it unintelligible.

"alright bab, I'm on me way um nah. tara a bit."

 

[Stephen C]

Coincidentally, I watched this the other day, part of it looks at driving with various distraction, such as hands free devices. Skip to 19 minutes for the test:

 

[Profpointy]

This has been researched. The difference is that a passenger shares the driver's experience in real time and will shut up when things get difficult. People are surprisingly reluctant to interrupt a phone conversation, unlikely though it sounds.

I used to have a proper car kit and used it occasionally. I didn't find "getting dirctions" type calls at all distracting - the opposite if anything. Ie where coversation was how.to find someones house or unit. As the subject was directly aligned with the actual driving it perhaps wasn't a million miles from the "Advanced Driving" comentary thing. However a business call was hugely distracting and I considered it an unacceptable risk and couldn't do it - conference calls were ridiculous. Maybe othes can manage but I doubt it.
Chatting to someone maybe not so bad, but still not great.

I don't currently have car kit, although I guess a speaker phone or headphones are "allowed" but I don't do it as I don't believe I can drive safely whilst making a phone call. The mult-tasking is the issue rather than merely holding the phone.

 

[cd365]

This has been researched. The difference is that a passenger shares the driver's experience in real time and will shut up when things get difficult. People are surprisingly reluctant to interrupt a phone conversation, unlikely though it sounds.

My example was referring to saying a few commands to a smartwatch, not holding a telephone conversation or even holding a telephone.

 

[fossyant]

I still recon you'll end up in the doghouse with the missus.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Do you have to be wearing your anorak to receive these, Phil

You know I always wear an anorak wocky

 

[ColinJ]

I don't currently have car kit, although I guess a speaker phone or headphones are "allowed" but I don't do it as I don't believe I can drive safely whilst making a phone call. The mult-tasking is the issue rather than merely holding the phone.

My sister bought a new car with a Bluetooth hands-free system built in. She rang me on her way home from work. I asked if she were driving and she said yes, but it was ok because it was a hands-free call ...

A few minutes into the call she realised that she had driven straight past her exit junction, on a motorway commute that she has been doing for over 20 years - I call that distracted!

 

[CopperCyclist]

It's legal. You don't have to hold the device, or less anything to activate it so it's fine. If anything, it requires even less than most Bluetooth car system which need you to hit a button on the steering wheel first.

That's not to say it wouldn't be distracting though...

 

[classic33]

Could a wrist mounted device(a watch) be classed as handheld?

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Yeah... They wrote an exemption into a law that existed before 9/11 in case a 9/11 happened here...

It was just an example

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

What smartwatch incidentally?