The Law Says we Cant use a mobile while driving fair point?

Question

The association of chief police officers also want handsfree banned as well where does the line get drawn. and what about single manned police vehicles the driver takes his or her hand off the steering wheel to fumble for the mic button is this not just as dangerous why cant they be the target for the safety campaigners as well .

Answer 1

fair play to them about holding the old mobile to the head and chatting away as this is pretty dangerous. Not sure about the handsfree though. I guess they are worried that if you are concentrating on your conversation then you are not concentrating on the road. Is any conversation so important that it cannot wait until you are not driving? I am not sure that someone's life is worth a conversation about what you are doing that night... I guess it is all down to common sense.

Answer 2

Perhaps they will ban talking to any other occupants in the car next!

And then listening to the radio!

It is different for police officers who are doing the job the tax payers pay for. You would be pretty fed up if there was a delay responding to an immediate call for assistance, by you, because the police officer could not find somewhere safe to pull over to take the call.

Many police vehicles have a long narrow stalk on the dashboard, close to the steering wheel and a microphone in the car so that the officer can activate the car radio without removing either of his hands from the steering wheel, just a finger or two.

Answer 3

Most people we catch using a mobile phone are normally driving in such a poor way we have no other choice.
The argument that someone can drive well whilst using one is total tosh, everyone we see using one is normally tailgating, driving too fast, unable to keep to the centre of the road or just not paying any attention.
The use of a mobile phone is also normally only one offence, we caught a chap today speeding, using a phone and not wearing a seat belt. Obviously a menace on the roads.

Point 2, regarding police radios. They are either handsfree and built into the car, or they are classed as a 2 way radio and are exempt. For the real arsey people amongst you there is a defence to using a phone if you are calling for police/medical assitance or to report an incident (obviously you'd have to prove this and records at our end would also be checked).

Point 3 regarding speeding and not having blue lights on. For all you know a police officer could be on a covert approach, knowing full well that using lights/sirens would alert the offenders to their impending arrival.

Point 4. Money raised from fines goes to central ticket office. From there it is sent straight to Central government. The force itself doesn't see a penny of it. The only way a police force can raise money from "criminals" is by seizing their assets.

Answer 4

Bad shot is correct.

being a police officer as well as a motorcyclist people who talk on mobile phones wile driving are dangerous and don't give a monkeys about other road users. I stopped a guy with no seatbelt, talking on a phone, and to top it all he was also p##sed. you are 4 times more likely to have an accident whilst on the phone.

There is not one law for the public and one for police, we have some exceptions as far as the road traffic act. If we were to have an accident the matter is fully investigated by a traffic Sergeant. If there is an offences the police officer will go to court. in most cases when a police officers is found guilty he or she will get more than a member of the public.

Answer 5

Next time you see a traffic police officer, ask him to tell you about some of the horrific sights he has seen on the road due to drivers not concentrating and crashing. I once saw an accident where a woman had been dragged under the vehicle. I noticed two chalk lines drawn along the road. On closer inspection I realised they were made by her knee bones wearing away on the road surface as the vehicle had dragged her along. The police don't make the laws, they enforce them. I, as, a police officer will stop and ticket anyone I see on a mobile phone. Not because I like doing it, but because once you've attended a fatal road accident you realise the damage caused by lack of attention to the road.

Answer 6

Police radios are not classified as mobile phones,they are two way radios and not covered under this legislation. ACPO would like mobile phone use banned in moving vehicles as the conversation distracts attention from the road, let alone the fact most drivers don't even use that nice little wire supplied with all phones and insist on driving one handed like idiots. As for police radio use, whilst it could be said they can be distracted too by the conversation, it is not a conversation they are having, merely instructions on what/where their next job is. Without that communication, it would not be possible to dispatch them

Answer 7

To be fair, police are trained to drive at a higher standard than the public, and whilst driving they do not have to 'Fumble for their mic button', they have a hands free loud speaker (no fumbling required) type!

I think hands free should be banned. The amount of accidents caused by lack on concentration is horrendous!

I'm sure you'd change your tune if a family member was seriously injured because of a driver not paying attention whilst driving! Simply for chatting on the phone!

These laws are bought in for a reason, to protect people!

Answer 8

The ban on phones is because it is shown that, when engaged in a phone conversation, the average driver has the same reactions that they would have if 3 times over the limit for drink. This has nothing to do with the fact they take a hand off the wheel, but entirely to do with them concentrating on the conversation instead of the road. So I'm all for banning hands free kits too.

As for the police radios, well, police drivers receive the highest level of training possible. They have to be exceptional drivers anyway to become a police driver, then are given lots more training than the average motorist could ever take in.

So lay off the police. They are doing a difficult enough job as it is, without a bunch of middle class pillocks saying "Well, its one law for us..." - I've had enough of these people nearly drive into me when they are on their mobiles to fully agree with the police. Moaning about the ban on mobiles is exactly the same as moaning about the alcohol level limit, or speeding limits. They are there to protect us.

Answer 9

The point that the Association was trying to make was that although hands free is OK for answering have you ever tried to dial a number using the hands free cradle, its not good is it. But I think that before they can even talk about hands free they have to make some sort of headway into actually stopping people from putting the phone to their ear whilst driving, if I can spot at least 50 people on my 4 mile journey into work I am sure the police can stop more people from doing this if they were that bothered about it. As a manager with 2 mobile phones I welcome any ban of their use, I get p'd off with them.

Answer 10

I can't believe some of the answers provided here. So many bloody idiots in this place.

Is it not fairly obvious that emergency personnel are using their phones is because the reason for it is updating themselves and control about emergency situations? Its not as if they are talking about shopping or football.

So, because they are dealing with life or death situations, I have no problem with it (lets not forget they are trained for it, and are putting their own lives at risk all the time they are working and are responsible for whatever happens while they are out there doing their duty). I cant believe any member of the public is involved in situations of such importance, in fact I bet 99% of the things people discuss while they are driving is stuff that could have waited until they weren't putting people's lives at risk.

As it is obvious people driving on the phone do so much more poorly, I think the ban on them is perfectly sensible. But I also see why some peoples in Emergency Services need to do it, so I think they are perfectly justified to do so when it is necessary.