Thanks, but again no specific information on the impact of phone use while the vehicle is strictly stationary, i.e. the specific case I am probing here. Furthermore, if the RoSPA study we find the following statements which contradict what seems like a pre-determined conclusion in some people's minds:
"The effects of receiving a call on a hands-free mobile phone while driving on a real motorway under moderate traffic conditions were monitored in one study.16 This study did not reveal evidence that receiving the calls impaired the drivers’ behaviour. Neither vehicle control, manoeuvring (lane change, overtaking) nor speed choice were influenced by telephone use."
"Another study30 involved 27 drivers who drove on a combination of city, urban and rural roads while talking with a passenger, and separately holding a conversation on a hands-free mobile phone. Unlike most (?) other studies, this one did not find that using a mobile phone affected driving performance, with the exception that more navigation errors were made by drivers when they were using the telephone"
Most of the studies were conducted using a simulator, therefore their accuracy is immediately in question.
I would much rather see real-life data, on the very specific topic of interest.
The parliamentary brief is of a predictably low quality, however, it does contain some interesting real-life figures (which the report fails to sensibly interpret), notably the annual KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) figures. Turns out, we are talking about around 150 KSI cases merely linked to mobile phone use, out of the total approx. 30,000 UK KSI cases in 2017 for example:
https://www.gov.uk/government/stati...d-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2020
So, the data is very clear: ANY mobile phone use is a contributory factor (which does not mean it is the sole or primary factor) in just 0.5% of KSI cases. Basically, in the grand scheme of things it's noise, an absolute tempest in the teapot and waste of police time overall, without even going into the specific case of phone use while the vehicle is strictly stationary. Furthermore cyclists chasing people on the phone while stuck in traffic and in stationary vehicles arguably project the image of the combative fanatic, and one would think is hardly helpful in winning hearts and minds and progressing the broader society towards the "cycling nation".
I would totally agree with this video answer to the slightly rephrased question "why should cyclists use action cams and report offenders" by CycleGaz:
I am sure everybody agrees cases similar to those are fairly easy to come by, and that's the kind of driver behaviour I am worried about. Hope every camera users finds the resolve to report those as a priority.
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