EU safety drive

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classic33

Leg End Member
GPS and in car entertainment to be banned

"GPS navigation systems, in-car entertainment and even touch-screen radio could be included on the banned list while driving, along with texting and talking on your phone.

A detailed investigation into all the modern devices that can take a driver’s attention off the road is under way throughout the EU at the moment.

The findings, to be published towards the end of the year, are expected to put pressure on national governments to update laws on what is permitted while driving.

The study is also looking at the road habits of pedestrians and cyclists, as there are increasing reports blaming the use of smartphones for fatal accidents.

While the number of fatal road accidents dropped slightly in the EU last year, they increased in a number of countries, including Ireland, where the 43 deaths amounted to a 4% increase on 2013.

EU experts said police are reporting an increased number of accidents when people are using smartphones while on the road. “We know there are serious problems and we would like to understand the dangers better,” said one expert.

In the past few years, thanks to a wide range of measures, the number of deaths on EU roads has dropped by almost a fifth.

However, the number of fatalities among pensioners has fallen by just 5%. People aged 65 or over account for almost half of the number of people killed while walking or on bicycles.

“Cyclists and pedestrians are making up an increasing percentage of the deaths on the roads, and we have to look carefully at this,” said the expert.

Countries can learn from each other and the report notes examples, including in from Ireland, of education programmes on intoxication and pedestrians.

In the past, younger people made up a disproportionate number of road fatalities, but this has changed, thanks to targeted messages and programmes.

Generally, European roads are becoming more safe, especially compared to other parts of the world, such as the US, where people are twice as likely to die on the roads as in the EU.

The number of traffic deaths has reduced more than the number of accidents, and the report says this is partly due to better-built roads and infrastructure; automated cameras to catch those speeding, or breaking red lights; and technical improvements in vehicles.

These include in-built warnings in vehicles about seatbelts, though it is still not mandatory in all EU countries for backseat passengers to wear seatbelts.

Other measures recommended to help reduce fatalities include improved driving skills, backed by not giving people a full driving licence immediately after passing their test, but having them revisit a driving school a number of times over a year or so to further improve their skills."
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
No consideration of driving helmets, then?

Seriously: this looks like a step forwards, doesn't it?
 

mr_cellophane

Legendary Member
Location
Essex
The government/police should do more educate the public as to where is safe and legal to stick their phones/sat navs so that they don't restrict the drivers view.
I have seen cars where the Sat Nav is at eye level and olny slightly to the left of the driver. Directly under the mirror is also a "good" place to put a Sat Nav. I have also seen cars which both Sat Nav and phone stuck to the windscreen. Never mind what is going on outside the car, just make sure you can see who's calling you and which direction you should be going in !
 

Turbo Rider

Just can't reMember
Thing I've never really understood about Satnav is why the need for graphics at all...couldn't they just have audible directions called out? I've used one before and barely look at the screen, because I just follow the directions given...might not work for the hard of hearing, mind.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
Thing I've never really understood about Satnav is why the need for graphics at all...couldn't they just have audible directions called out? I've used one before and barely look at the screen, because I just follow the directions given...might not work for the hard of hearing, mind.
Sometimes on roundabouts it's a lot easier to look at the picture than it is to count exits as you go round
 

Steady

Über Member
Location
Derby
Sat Navs should be banned from being positioned on the windscreen, I can't stand anything on the windscreen blocking view flashing distractions etc, I don't understand those that have their devices next to the a-pillar as if the pillar isn't blocking their view enough, but banning sat nav devices completely is just as bad. Anybody who has encountered a 'lost' driver whose relying on their 'road knowledge'/maps etc can attest to.

That said In-car entertainment systems are getting pretty advanced and are completely unneeded, I can see the need to kerb the trend of a multi-device such as a touch screen in-car entertainment/gps combo.
 

Turbo Rider

Just can't reMember
Sometimes on roundabouts it's a lot easier to look at the picture than it is to count exits as you go round

True, but you could just keep going round until you get it right...might be fun as well with the windows down on a sunny day...like an almost free merrigoround...
 

dst87

Well-Known Member
Location
Falkirk, UK
I like having the touch-screen infotainment system in my car. It's easy to use while stationary and looks nice too. It's also pleasant for the person in the passenger seat to use/look at, and allows those in the back to see the name of the track being played etc.

The key thing is banning the configuration of these while driving. If I'm driving and I need the SatNav adjusted or I want different music on I'll get whoever's in the passenger seat to do it for me. Having the SatNav in the centre console is much safer than having it block some of the windscreen (as someone else pointed out) or using a paper map going everywhere (as someone else pointed out)!

Of course regardless of what legislation is enacted, it's going to be so very difficult to enforce. I saw a friend once holding her iPhone in her hand and having a FaceTime conversation with her Mum! She got a good solid telling off for that, I can assure you. Some people have used devices while driving for years, and will continue to do so without incident, so it's difficult to convince someone who has been lucky in such a way that it's actually dangerous.
 

Dommo

Veteran
Location
Greenwich
whilst they are distracting, 'm not convinced that a map draped over the passenger seat is any safer

This. Before Satnav people would have an A3 road atlas either on their lap or on the passenger seat, generally requiring a much longer look away from the road than glancing sideways at a satnav screen. Obviously an in-car entertainment system that the driver can see is a no-brainer, but I can't see that GPS devices really make the situation worse. It's probably that A3-map-on-steering-wheel statistics were not recorded...
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Sometimes on roundabouts it's a lot easier to look at the picture than it is to count exits as you go round
Aye. I use an audible sat nav on the bike sometimes (with earpiece or booster speaker in cities) and do occasionally stop to switch on the screen (easier on a bike) because sometimes what I see doesn't look like what the sat nav seems to think and a picture can be worth a thousand words.
 

mr_cellophane

Legendary Member
Location
Essex
When I was going to work on Tuesday up the M1, my Sat Nav decided to recalculate the route based on traffic conditions. It the told me to turn off at the junction I was level with and I was in lane 2. Some drivers would obey that guidance and cut in front of the lorries on their left. Me - I'd rather be late than the late Mr C.
 

Turbo Rider

Just can't reMember
Yowzer! So if 1 in 7 people admit that their driving is impaired by sat nav and 1 in 50 reported accidents are directly attributed to sat nav and the assumption is then made that maybe that actual impairment is higher and the actual figure for the cause of the accident being at least partly down to sat nav is also higher...could it not be argued that the roads would be safer without them?

Is closing your eyes for a second or two while you drive not comparable to changing your focus from the outside world while you drive?

Is getting to where you're going without getting lost a better option than risking an accident for the sake of it?

I'd ban them.
 
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