using the mobile

fryup

ok ok....i know its an old topic

but can someone pls clarify something for me, once and for all....

is it or is it not an offence to drive whilst using your mobile phone??

because the amount of people i saw this morning doing it was unreal.....are the gaurds not clamping down??

high horse

Yes, it is still an offence... don't do it!

Maybe it's just me, but the presence of the gardai on the roads lately seems to have dropped way down. I haven't been through a tax/insurance checkpoint in months and can't remember the last time I saw a speed check.

_Kaiser_

Yes it's an offence and there's penalty points attached if you're caught/convicted, but unfortunately the chances of being caught commiting ANY sort of traffic offence are minimal in this country, and even if you ARE stopped it depends on the cop you get as to whether they'll let you off with a warning or do you for it. :rolleyes:

I'm all for a bit of common sense regarding enforcement, but in this country that's replaced with whatever's easiest (and which gives the impression of doing something without too much actual work, or real results) - thus you'll see squad cars camped oout at the side of perfectly safe, wide dual carriageways with great visibility of oncoming traffic but never pulling cars in for overtaking on bends, or driving with no/minimal lights in bad weather conditions etc.

Solitaire

fryup wrote:

is it or is it not an offence to drive whilst using your mobile phone??

A better question: is it or is it not utterly retarded to drive whilst using your mobile phone?? :P

I've seen it suddenly coming back "in" in a big way lately, seems everyone's back to doing it. Darwin Awards time for these lads (and ladies!)... why do so many people consider the idea of focusing on what they are doing while driving a 1-2ton hunk of metal at speed as anathema?! :rolleyes:

hi_im_fil

Isn't the offence actually for holding the phone and not using the phone?

Henry Ford III

Yep. I laugh when I see people holding the phone at arms length whilst driving, and shouting into the phone's loudspeaker

thegunshow

it is an offense i was done on saturday morning and it's a 60 euro phone and 2 points for it,It's only legal if u are phoning the emergency services,I hold my hands up as i never usually use the phone but it was a call i made while in slow traffic and i wasn't thinking!!

Hooch

fryup wrote: »

ok ok....i know its an old topic

but can someone pls clarify something for me, once and for all....

is it or is it not an offence to drive whilst using your mobile phone??

because the amount of people i saw this morning doing it was unreal.....are the gaurds not clamping down??

It is not an offence to use a mobile phone while driving........it is however an offence to hold a mobile phone while driving contrary to Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 2006.

Easier to prove holding rather than using, just in case your wondering the reason for the difference.

Jimbo

I'm all for the ban on mobiles when driving, but I'm seeing more and more idiots 'pulled in' at inappropriate places or not even bothering to really pull in at all and just stopping with their indicator on.

If you're not going to pull in to a safe place which doesn't require other drivers to overtake you at a corner, it's probably safer to continue driving on the phone.

Hellrazer

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Yep. I laugh when I see people holding the phone at arms length whilst driving, and shouting into the phone's loudspeaker

Or holding it like this.

Redisle

Jimbo wrote: »

I'm all for the ban on mobiles when driving, but I'm seeing more and more idiots 'pulled in' at inappropriate places or not even bothering to really pull in at all and just stopping with their indicator on.

If you're not going to pull in to a safe place which doesn't require other drivers to overtake you at a corner, it's probably safer to continue driving on the phone.

Yeah, saw a crazy example of this the other day. Coming out the south link heading away from tunnel, going over the bridge past Douglas there was a woman literally just stopped dead in the left lane having a fine chat on her mobile! This is a very busy 100km/hr zone ffs! Love to see people like that put off the road..

congo_90

hi_im_fil wrote: »

Isn't the offence actually for holding the phone and not using the phone?

Using a mobile phone

You must not drive a vehicle or ride a motorbike while using a hand-held mobile phone. It is an offence, for which you will receive up to 4 penalty points.

Found here

Big Nasty

Serious buzz goin' on lately, more so with women then men - in fact entirely with women the truth be known whereby it seems that it is acceptible to use your phone if it is on loudspeaker and held in your hand as opposed to up against one's ear! I see this every day of the week and it's the most rediculous practice ever. Once the phone is in your hand you can be done so what's this loudspeaker vibe gonna solve!?!

Muppettes!!!

Solitaire

I don't have a problem with people talking on mobiles via hands-free while driving per se; its holding them in one hand and/or clearly prioritising the content of the conversation over looking where they're going! Add both together and you have a driver who always randomly goes up and down between 70 and 110kph regardless of, well, anything, while gently weaving back and forth across the road like a constipated Seicento

Still not as bad as Darwin Awards fodder... i.e. people who text and drive :eek:

I've received calls on the road before using my handsfree... it cost me a whole whopping 75 cent in Halfords and I found the speaker arrangement far easier than messing with a bluetooth thingmabob (messing around having difficulty using anything while moving is potentially dangerous so I minimized the risk with 75c worth of amplifier and speaker ) But even if I do have to talk, the person on the other end has to accept the fact that the conversation might be somewhat dreamlike and stilted, because the conversation is not my priority! Not-dying comes higher up my list! :P

fryup

should sat-navs be put under the spotlight to??

they can also be a distraction

Robbo

fryup wrote: »

should sat-navs be put under the spotlight to??

they can also be a distraction

Depends on if you talk back to yours really. Charmin' Miss Garmin isn't really my bag, but each to their own.

Solitaire

Depends on how much of a distraction they pose - manual aircon can be fiddly too, as can trying to change a setting on the stereo. That's why we invented things like steering wheel remotes and automatic climate control though

Basically, the trick is to limit the need to have to fumble around fiddling with any equipment if possible

Robbo wrote:

Depends on if you talk back to yours really. Charmin' Miss Garmin isn't really my bag, but each to their own.

Terrontress

Jimbo wrote: »

I'm all for the ban on mobiles when driving, but I'm seeing more and more idiots 'pulled in' at inappropriate places or not even bothering to really pull in at all and just stopping with their indicator on.

If you're not going to pull in to a safe place which doesn't require other drivers to overtake you at a corner, it's probably safer to continue driving on the phone.

I an not sure if some people realise how dangerous it is to sit in the hard shoulder of the motorway. It is the most dangerous place of the motorway to be and the official advice is to get out of the car and preferably behind the crash carrier or up a bank. Nevertheless, the number of people who pull over to make or take calls beggars belief

Lord Nikon

What if I'm using the SatNav application on my mobile phone???

Henry Ford III

Terrontress wrote: »

I an not sure if some people realise how dangerous it is to sit in the hard shoulder of the motorway. It is the most dangerous place of the motorway to be and the official advice is to get out of the car and preferably behind the crash carrier or up a bank. Nevertheless, the number of people who pull over to make or take calls beggars belief

That's illegal too (and also pretty stupid).

Gregor Samsa

Henry Ford III wrote: »

That's illegal too (and also pretty stupid).

It's only going to get more common with the new motorways being designated on the 28th of August. You'll have people who've been driving the N18 between Shannon and Ennis (for instance) for years, and they won't understand the difference the change from green to blue signs makes.

Seth Brundle

neuromancer wrote: »

What if I'm using the SatNav application on my mobile phone???

What about it?
As already mentioned, the offence is for holding the phone (regardless of whether its in use).
If you are communicating with the phone but not holding it then that's fine (legally speaking), e.g. with a handsfree kit

robtri

Simple, handsfree unit for less than 10cent...
:D:D

Eoin

Solitaire wrote: »

Depends on how much of a distraction they pose - manual aircon can be fiddly too, as can trying to change a setting on the stereo. That's why we invented things like steering wheel remotes and automatic climate control though

Basically, the trick is to limit the need to have to fumble around fiddling with any equipment if possible

Obviously there is less fiddling around with a decent hands free kit, but I think it's the actual conversation that is very distracting, regardless of the phone being in your hand or a cradle.

I was thinking of getting a bluetooth kit, but I would just prefer to not talk on the phone at all when I'm driving and take the call later. I realise that this isn't an option for everyone though.

Solitaire

eoin wrote:

Obviously there is less fiddling around with a decent hands free kit, but I think it's the actual conversation that is very distracting, regardless of the phone being in your hand or a cradle.

+1. The problem is that its a double whammy - unless you're the phone equivalent of a touch-typist and have memorised the entire UI of your current mobile, you have to take your eyes off the road to operate the device. Same goes for all equipment if manipulated while actually in motion, and its far worse if it has lots of fiddly wee buttons and its halfway down the center column as your eyes and concentration are that much further away from where they should be. GPS isn't quite as bad as its usually closer to your sight-line but if it needs a lot of fiddling done to it its pretty much as bad as texting! I just don't get the psychology of such drivers - even adjusting the stereo in my car while moving feels like a loss of control, and that sensation is instinctively anathema to me.

The second issue is prioritising your concentration. Conversation or driving? One or the other will suffer by some amount. I cannot concentrate on the former while driving; sadly, not everyone feels the same way about it

The real killer are those peeps who break both rules. They hold and/or manipulate a device while chatting away to someone with their conscious, and seem to be drving with their subconscious. Which doesn't work very well!

Best way to minimise risk is to avoid these situations as much as possible. Which means that if you need aircon, set climate control before setting off. Don't mess with the GPS while en route. Set up a playlist on the stereo then leave it alone. And don't make outgoing calls! I will take calls on the handsfree but I'm not going to pay them much heed as staying alive takes priority! :P

jmck87

Solitaire wrote: »

...Best way to minimise risk is to avoid these situations as much as possible. Which means that if you need aircon, set climate control before setting off. Don't mess with the GPS while en route. Set up a playlist on the stereo then leave it alone. And don't make outgoing calls! I will take calls on the handsfree but I'm not going to pay them much heed as staying alive takes priority! :P

Thats all a bit extreme in my opinion. Playlist on a stereo? As in not hitting the next track button? Climate control? Dont hit the fan on another notch?

Personally, and not having a go mate, but I think if you cant press the odd button on a stereo or air con, and still maintain good concentration, then you're far from a competent driver. Dont get me wrong, driving takes priority, but I can safely handle a few buttons and a chit chat while pottering along. Although I am able to hit the buttons without taking eyes of the road I suppose (long term car)....

batperson

There is a lot of evidence, more so recently, that shows using a hands free kit is also dangerous - the conversation slows reaction time. "...conversation itself, not just holding the phone, takes drivers’ focus off the road, studies showed." see link.

Expect a lot more on this over the next year as the US is only beginning to ban drivers from holding a phone while driving and this is likely to have an impact on european legislation as more findings come out on the dangers of hands free use due to distraction.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/technology/21distracted.html?_r=1

D_murph

robtri wrote: »

Simple, handsfree unit for less than 10cent...
:D:D

That guy was well ahead of the times so. That looks like an old Ericsson GA-628 from over 10 years ago .

ToxicPaddy

Yeah I have noticed a huge number of people using phones while driving lately.. and I mean holding them up to their ear as opposed to speaking while on loudspeaker..

Its crazy.. Are they just stupid or something?? Most tend to be people in large exec style cars too who should be able to afford a bloody hands free kit too.. :rolleyes:

bazzachazza

ToxicPaddy wrote: »

Yeah I have noticed a huge number of people using phones while driving lately.. and I mean holding them up to their ear as opposed to speaking while on loudspeaker..

Its crazy.. Are they just stupid or something?? Most tend to be people in large exec style cars too who should be able to afford a bloody hands free kit too.. :rolleyes:

I agree with your first bit but disagree with the second. I see a broad spectrum of people and vehicles.

The worst by far is the Feckin truck drivers. Every bloody tipper truck driver I see is blabbing away on his mobile.