What do people think of driving with a mobile. I’m slowly changing but have, in the past, been known to use it whilst driving.
What’s worse is that I really hate it when I see others do it. Even more so if I’m on my bike or motorbike. But, in reality, I don’t think the penalties are enough to stop it. £60 and a few points is hardly going to ensure you don’t do it.
A new report from Jabra has highlighted the cost of doing it outside of the UK. In short, if you do it, don’t go to Portugal. It will cost you nearly 500 quid (€600) and Italy is nearly as expensive.
The full map is available here.
I have to admit I’m slightly surprised that it’s so much more in Italy than in the UK. Especially as Top Gear once described the Italian approach to road safety as, “good hospitals.”
The report also shows where to go if you want to get away with it, Russia. The fine is just £7 there. Lets hope Moscow has good hospitals.
They should be made to go to A&E departments to see the victims of car accidents /JaquiSmith.
Seriously, it's pathetic. I've not seen a single phone in the last 3 years that hasn't come with a wired headset in the box. Cheap bluetooth ones are only ~
You can't police this into submission. Look at speeding. Everyone does it. Big fines, loss of licence etc, and yet it's the norm here in the UK anyway. Maybe in places with armed police and reputations to match drivers have a slower culture.
The ONLY thing that will stop people using mobiles is when insurance companies start declining claims if they can prove you were on your handset at the time. I reckon there is enough evidence of the distraction that any mobile call creates to back them up. Of course, they can't really prove you weren't using a headset. So it's all or nothing.
I don't buy into handsfree kits being the answer at all. Loads of cognative studies have confirmed that it's not a dexterity issue (One-armed folks are allowed to drive, and if I drive an auto, I only need one hand anyway. If dexterity was an issue, cars wouldn't have radios & non-essential controls accessible by the driver when moving). The studies I've read put driving ability while maintaining a mobile call – handsfree or not – on par with being over the alcohol limit.
The sheer fact that you are talking/thinking about something else makes you unsafe. Passengers in the car instinctively pause their chat when you have to do something tricky, but callers don't so blather on and expect replies while you try to negotiate a 3-lane roundabout.
We have all had the post-call experience of “feck me, how did I negotiate the last 3 miles?”. You can't remember, can you? Wonder what would have happened if something untoward had occurred.
Knowing what they know about the reality of using a mobile full stop, I personally feel that vendors pushing them as the workaround to the ban have blood on their hands. If someone kills because they were handsfree on a mobile, they should be treated just as if they were drunk.
Bring on the complete ban I say, and zero insurance in the event you were on the blower. We don't accept knocking back a few Gins on the road, and nothing is so important that it can't wait until you've pulled over or arrived at your destination.
You can't police this into submission. Look at speeding. Everyone does it. Big fines, loss of licence etc, and yet it's the norm here in the UK anyway. Maybe in places with armed police and reputations to match drivers have a slower culture.
The ONLY thing that will stop people using mobiles is when insurance companies start declining claims if they can prove you were on your handset at the time. I reckon there is enough evidence of the distraction that any mobile call creates to back them up. Of course, they can't really prove you weren't using a headset. So it's all or nothing.
I don't buy into handsfree kits being the answer at all. Loads of cognative studies have confirmed that it's not a dexterity issue (One-armed folks are allowed to drive, and if I drive an auto, I only need one hand anyway. If dexterity was an issue, cars wouldn't have radios & non-essential controls accessible by the driver when moving). The studies I've read put driving ability while maintaining a mobile call – handsfree or not – on par with being over the alcohol limit.
The sheer fact that you are talking/thinking about something else makes you unsafe. Passengers in the car instinctively pause their chat when you have to do something tricky, but callers don't so blather on and expect replies while you try to negotiate a 3-lane roundabout.
We have all had the post-call experience of “feck me, how did I negotiate the last 3 miles?”. You can't remember, can you? Wonder what would have happened if something untoward had occurred.
Knowing what they know about the reality of using a mobile full stop, I personally feel that vendors pushing them as the workaround to the ban have blood on their hands. If someone kills because they were handsfree on a mobile, they should be treated just as if they were drunk.
Bring on the complete ban I say, and zero insurance in the event you were on the blower. We don't accept knocking back a few Gins on the road, and nothing is so important that it can't wait until you've pulled over or arrived at your destination.
You can't police this into submission. Look at speeding. Everyone does it. Big fines, loss of licence etc, and yet it's the norm here in the UK anyway. Maybe in places with armed police and reputations to match drivers have a slower culture.
The ONLY thing that will stop people using mobiles is when insurance companies start declining claims if they can prove you were on your handset at the time. I reckon there is enough evidence of the distraction that any mobile call creates to back them up. Of course, they can't really prove you weren't using a headset. So it's all or nothing.
I don't buy into handsfree kits being the answer at all. Loads of cognative studies have confirmed that it's not a dexterity issue (One-armed folks are allowed to drive, and if I drive an auto, I only need one hand anyway. If dexterity was an issue, cars wouldn't have radios & non-essential controls accessible by the driver when moving). The studies I've read put driving ability while maintaining a mobile call – handsfree or not – on par with being over the alcohol limit.
The sheer fact that you are talking/thinking about something else makes you unsafe. Passengers in the car instinctively pause their chat when you have to do something tricky, but callers don't so blather on and expect replies while you try to negotiate a 3-lane roundabout.
We have all had the post-call experience of “feck me, how did I negotiate the last 3 miles?”. You can't remember, can you? Wonder what would have happened if something untoward had occurred.
Knowing what they know about the reality of using a mobile full stop, I personally feel that vendors pushing them as the workaround to the ban have blood on their hands. If someone kills because they were handsfree on a mobile, they should be treated just as if they were drunk.
Bring on the complete ban I say, and zero insurance in the event you were on the blower. We don't accept knocking back a few Gins on the road, and nothing is so important that it can't wait until you've pulled over or arrived at your destination.