Loophole to be closed on phone use at the wheel.

[Drago]

HuD solves little in a car, where its isn't difficult to move our heads to view instruments due to G forces while manoeuvring. The brief period of attention diversion, and time taken to re-establish focus on the outside environment is not significantly different from time taken when viewing conventional instruments. Indeed, it has been shown that experienced motorists who dont drive around with the stereo turned up to 11 can hold speed extremely accurately without referent to the instruments at all, believed to be due to the subconscious wort of the brain keying onto the engine tone. That'll be problematic in electric cars with no such aural cues.

 

[mjr]

HuD solves little in a car, where its isn't difficult to move our heads to view instruments due to G forces while manoeuvring. The brief period of attention diversion, and time taken to re-establish focus on the outside environment is not significantly different from time taken when viewing conventional instruments. Indeed, it has been shown that experienced motorists who dont drive around with the stereo turned up to 11 can hold speed extremely accurately without referent to the instruments at all, believed to be due to the subconscious wort of the brain keying onto the engine tone. That'll be problematic in electric cars with no such aural cues.

I'm pretty sure that bit about engine tone is not true for people with impaired or no hearing. We know about a quarter of drivers have eyesight too crap to drive so how many do you think have imperfect hearing?

And as you note, electrics don't have as noisy motors. I also think HuD is easier to notice change, especially when lots of segments extinguish, as they do going from 69 to 70(mph) or 109 to 110(km/h). I think it would be even easier for more limits if numbers ending zero were in a different colour but I've not seen one do that yet.

 

[Arjimlad]

This clot spent the whole time waiting at the red light scrolling up & down on his dash-mounted mobile phone, then when the lights changed carried on hunched forwards, flicking away at it. I have therefore reported him for not being in proper control.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Like radio's & cigarettes?

Yes. Why not? Anything that distracts from the main task is bad.

Those are already in the non-exhaustive list of avoidable distractions while driving that could result in a prosecution. Just because there isn't a specific law against a specific act doesn't mean it's without consequence.
See https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/road-traffic-charging

"The following examples of circumstances that are likely to be characterised as dangerous driving are derived from decided cases and the SGC Definitive Guideline:

•driving whilst avoidably and dangerously distracted such as whilst reading a newspaper/map, talking to and looking at a passenger, selecting and lighting a cigarette or by adjusting the controls of electronic equipment such as a radio, hands-free mobile phone or satellite navigation equipment;..."

 

[Bonefish Blues]

This clot spent the whole time waiting at the red light scrolling up & down on his dash-mounted mobile phone, then when the lights changed carried on hunched forwards, flicking away at it. I have therefore reported him for not being in proper control.
View attachment 491750

Unlikely to fly though, I think. Mounted up high, he's looking forward, and it's not (yet) illegal per se to do that on a phone in a holder.

Whether it should be (I think it should) is different, of course. I voice control things if I need to (not sure the last occasion when I had to, having said that), which works just fine.

 

[Drago]

You have to demonstrate an actual lack of control, eg, no hands on the wheel whilst in motion, the car weaving all over the place, etc. It has to be an actual lack of control, not a speculative one.

 

[Arjimlad]

Oh well, nothing ventured etc. 👍

 

[RichK]

Points need doubling from six to twelve so it's an instant ban (I'd be OK with 1-3 months for a first offense) with none of this "hardship" nonsense

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I'd settle for enforcement

 

[Tenkaykev]

If a driver is convicted of using a phone whilst driving and gets fined and has points put on his/her licence, does the money go to the exchequer?

If so then perhaps increasing the amount that can be fined, with 50% going direct to the local Police Authority Budget might encourage the Police to enforce the law more often.

 

[mjr]

If a driver is convicted of using a phone whilst driving and gets fined and has points put on his/her licence, does the money go to the exchequer?

If so then perhaps increasing the amount that can be fined, with 50% going direct to the local Police Authority Budget might encourage the Police to enforce the law more often.

Then you'll get a load of whining about "war on motorists" and "the police working on commission" in the newspapers until the politicians fold.

We've seen similar before: other countries have CCTV cars driving around and sending out tickets in the post for parking offences (including obstructing solid-line cycle lanes and cycle tracks) and England doesn't because Cameron's government put in law that a ticket has to be stuck to the windscreen in order to hinder enforcement. They can't find time to widen London's pavement parking ban to the whole country, but they can find time to do shoot like that.

And now another Conservative minister announces a loophole closure when it just happens to be too late to implement it? It is yet another load of Boris!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Cameron's government put in law that a ticket has to be stuck to the windscreen in order to hinder enforcement.

I read a recent tweet about this and the response was that there's no need to affix it to the windscreen specifically, and that in some areas the practise is to take a photograph and send the ticket by post.

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q725.htm
"Some local areas may have different methods of notification and will not issue a parking ticket in this manner. For example, Officers/Wardens may take a photograph using a digital time stamp and issue the ticket via post. There are also CCTV systems covering parking places which work on the same principle."

 

[mjr]

I read a recent tweet about this and the response was that there's no need to affix it to the windscreen specifically, and that in some areas the practise is to take a photograph and send the ticket by post.

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q725.htm
"Some local areas may have different methods of notification and will not issue a parking ticket in this manner. For example, Officers/Wardens may take a photograph using a digital time stamp and issue the ticket via post. There are also CCTV systems covering parking places which work on the same principle."

Doesn't that police answer only apply when Police Officers or Traffic Wardens are issuing tickets? That's only about 32 out of 370 districts/boroughs now.

Parking Civil Enforcement Officers are restricted by https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1001/regulation/2/made which requires the ticket to be served "(a) by fixing it to the vehicle; or (b)by giving it to the person appearing to the civil enforcement officer to be in charge of the vehicle."

 

[BoldonLad]

If a driver is convicted of using a phone whilst driving and gets fined and has points put on his/her licence, does the money go to the exchequer?

If so then perhaps increasing the amount that can be fined, with 50% going direct to the local Police Authority Budget might encourage the Police to enforce the law more often.

As much as I dislike use of mobile phone whilst driving, isn't the suggested approach a bit too close to the mess caused by cowboy clamping companies?

 

[Drago]

I dont thinking would, as u like the parking taliban individual bobbies wouldnt be incentivised - that would be unlawful.

But I disagree with that course any way. The dibble should be properly funded to enforce these laws in the first place.