Mobile phone crackdown

[Blue Hills]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38711931

encouraging, though years too late.

some cyclists would be advised to stay off the things while cycling as well - have seen a few nut jobs in London.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

While it’s good that there was a crackdown and so many were caught, it won’t change the mindset in the long term and it’s that which is the problem. While there’s no crackdown on, drivers know that the chances of being caught are near zero, and the perception for many remains that it’s harmless.

It’s something I look out for when I’m walking and cycling, as you look into cars it’s frightening to see the scale of this issue… truly epidemic. One observation I have is that when I see a phone being used by a driver, it’s most often a younger lady involved (say, 18-30 ish) that’s texting or maybe updating a status on social media. I’m not sure why it’s that demographic that I see doing this most often, but they genuinely seem less able than others to just put the smartphone away until they've get to where they’re going.

 

[ufkacbln]

Ironically in September last year.....Even has the same stock photo!


Fewer drivers on mobile phones 'caught by police'

 

[Milkfloat]

I would like to get a breakdown of the numbers;

"Thousands of drivers caught in mobile phone crackdown"
"40 fines an hour "
"issued 68 court summonses"
"hundreds of verbal warnings"

I am a bit confused - how many people actually got a serious sanction? Was it just 68?

 

[jefmcg]

I would like to get a breakdown of the numbers;

"Thousands of drivers caught in mobile phone crackdown"
"40 fines an hour "
"issued 68 court summonses"
"hundreds of verbal warnings"

I am a bit confused - how many people actually got a serious sanction? Was it just 68?

Guardian seems more precise.

"Officers handed out 7,966 fixed penalty notices for the offence in a week-long campaign in November."

 

[jefmcg]

Maybe we need some billboards in a similar vein to this one.

 

[MontyVeda]

Most all of the drivers i see using their mobile are nobbers.

 

[Blue Hills]

Agree with folks above that it is an epidemic. Scandalous that the police never seem to have bothered much about this. It needs a sustained campaign. Some dangerous posts about the balance of offendors above

I have a fair few times blocked drivers I see on the phone.

I once memorably in lewisham saw an ambulance driver using a handheld! At least he had the decency to apologise when I told him he should be ashamed.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Agree with folks above that it is an epidemic. Scandalous that the police never seem to have bothered much about this. It needs a sustained campaign. Some dangerous posts about the balance of offendors above

I have a fair few times blocked drivers I see on the phone.

I once memorably in lewisham saw an ambulance driver using a handheld! At least he had the decency to apologise when I told him he should be ashamed.

Not being nit-picky..
this was a topic of a recent convo with another radio ham ( and ambulance person)...

The law that covers this is the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003.

Section 2. 110 (1) of the regulations clearly state:

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is using—(a)a hand-held mobile telephone; or(b)a hand-held device of a kind specified in paragraph (4).

Paragraph 4 states:

A device referred to in paragraphs (1)(b), (2)(b) and (3)(b) is a device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data.

Note the “other than a two-way radio”. Paragraph 6(b) defines a two-way radio as follows:

“two-way radio” means any wireless telegraphy apparatus which is designed or adapted—

(i)for the purpose of transmitting and receiving spoken messages; and

(ii)to operate on any frequency other than 880 MHz to 915 MHz, 925 MHz to 960 MHz, 1710 MHz to 1785 MHz, 1805 MHz to 1880 MHz, 1900 MHz to 1980 MHz or 2110 MHz to 2170 MHz

From this, use of a two-way amateur radio rig in-car on the amateur frequencies, appears not to be an offence under the ‘you can’t use a mobile phone when driving’ laws. It also allows the emergency services, companies such as taxi firms, and even CB users, to operate two-way radios whilst driving.



You can read the law for yourself at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2695/regulation/2/

 

[Bimble]

It is incredible how many people don't see any risk in using their phone whilst driving, and just how distracting the things can be.

To illustrate this I recently noticed, in my rearview mirror, that the the driver behind me in the traffic queue kept putting their head down over their steering wheel and taking their eye off me and the road ahead for quite long periods - popping up for a few brief moments every now and then to see if the traffic had moved on?

We eventually trundled up to the traffic lights and I was first in the queue. Still the driver behind was head-down into their mobile phone, so when the traffic lights turned to green I stayed where I was. Waiting. Watching in my rearview mirror for the next "check in" from the driver behind and sure enough it came a few seconds later and the head bobbed straight back down again (because I hadn't pulled away or moved forward). No attention to anything going on around them other than whether I'd moved my car a few feet or not. Nuts. I kindly waited until just before the lights were due to change and pulled away, leaving the phone-drone some extra minutes to engage with the obviously important content on their handset.

I do hope the new tougher penalty helps to pull people away from their phones whilst at the wheel and focuses their attention to where it should be. And let's hope it saves a few lives too.

 

[Markymark]

When driving it's tricky to spot other drivers who are over the alcohol limit but it's very easy (and frighteningly common) to spot drivers on the phone. Reactions noticeably slower, lane discipline awful.

 

[mjr]

Oddly enough, I mostly seem to see van and lorry drivers using phones, presumably to discuss their work but possibly also texting and updating a status on social media, who can tell, stereotypes aside.

I was thinking about this as I was cycling on the track to the right of the A10, so had a clear view of many phone-addled motorists, including down into the cabin of cars. I think it's partly that young women seem to hold the phone up almost in view, while younger men seem to favour holding it in front of the handbrake (which gives them a strange slouched-to-one-side position) and White Man Van seems to prefer the passenger seat or dashboard shelf. They are all still nobbers and the 6pts+£200 fine can't come soon enough.

 

[Blue Hills]

Not being nit-picky..
this was a topic of a recent convo with another radio ham ( and ambulance person)...

The law that covers this is the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003.

Section 2. 110 (1) of the regulations clearly state:

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is using—(a)a hand-held mobile telephone; or(b)a hand-held device of a kind specified in paragraph (4).

Paragraph 4 states:

A device referred to in paragraphs (1)(b), (2)(b) and (3)(b) is a device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data.

Note the “other than a two-way radio”. Paragraph 6(b) defines a two-way radio as follows:

“two-way radio” means any wireless telegraphy apparatus which is designed or adapted—

(i)for the purpose of transmitting and receiving spoken messages; and

(ii)to operate on any frequency other than 880 MHz to 915 MHz, 925 MHz to 960 MHz, 1710 MHz to 1785 MHz, 1805 MHz to 1880 MHz, 1900 MHz to 1980 MHz or 2110 MHz to 2170 MHz

From this, use of a two-way amateur radio rig in-car on the amateur frequencies, appears not to be an offence under the ‘you can’t use a mobile phone when driving’ laws. It also allows the emergency services, companies such as taxi firms, and even CB users, to operate two-way radios whilst driving.



You can read the law for yourself at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2695/regulation/2/

Thanks for the post.

But I had the impression that it was a private mobile.

And the guy apologised (for which I gave him top marks) which implies that it was.

 

[steveindenmark]

"Distraction offences like eating"

I have never heard of it and I was a copper many years ago. Anybody heard of this one?

 

[Drago]

All mobile phones should be fitted with a taser in the earpiece that can be remotely activated by an on looking copper.