No mobile phone ban until end of 2006 ?

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/2005/august/1008053.asp

No mobile phone ban until end of 2006 despite reports

A ban on the use of mobile phones while driving won’t come into effect until the end of 2006 it has emerged.

Earlier this week the Department of Transport suggested that the legislation to give legs to the ban was in the final stage of drafting and would be brought before the Dail in the autumn.

However, a spokesman for Transport Minister Martin Cullen said on Tuesday (August 9) that a more realistic date for the introduction of the legislation would be the end of next year.

The spokesman said the department was only at the beginning of the process and said motorists won’t face prosecution under the new legislation until the end of 2006 at the earliest.

beller b

Whats this about the ban including talking using a handsfree? Whats next a ban on talking to any passangers?

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/2005/july/1307057.asp

Mobile phone findings

A motorist using a mobile phone while driving is four times more likely to be involved in a serious accident, a new study has shown.

The study conducted in Western Australia and published in the British Medical Journal found drivers, even those using a hands free phone kit, increase the risk of being involved in an accident by a factor of four.
The study found that the injury risk did not differ from one type of phone use to another.

The National Safety Council (NSC) says the survey re-enforces the findings of a survey published by the British Transport Research Laboratory in 2002, which found that drivers on mobile phones had slower reaction times and stopping times than that of motorists under the influence of alcohol.

NSC spokesman Brian Farrell commented: “From a safety point of view, motorists should not use a hand-held or hands-free mobile phone while driving because it is a distraction.”

beller b

I don't doubt the finding..but I find it hard to understand how it is more distracting talking to someone on a handsfree than is is talking to the person beside you , who you are bound to look over at from time to time..Do the findings take into account what else a person might be doing while talking on the phone? eg writing an address or phone number or reading out same... If this is the case surly it would be better to ban reading/writing while driving....If you see my point..

DubTony

More nonsensical studies that don't seem to take into account the fact that everyone is different. A friend uses his phone in his hand while driving a van all the time. I mean ALL THE TIME. The guy is never off the phone. To be honest I don't know how he does it.

Saw a woman last week bump a parked car as she tried to put her car in the space beside it. She was talking on her handheld phone.

I use a handsfree device, and only ever take calls (as opposed to making them) while driving. People have gotten annoyed with me because I keep asking them to repeat themselves. My concentration on the road ahead blocks out what they're saying, and in fact, this happens even with passengers in the car.

There is little difference between talking handfree and talking to a passenger. Next we'll hear they're banning kids from the back of cars becasue they're a distraction. Someone needs a good kick up the arse.

Alun

There is little difference between talking handfree and talking to a passenger.

I disagree, and so do most researchers. I've only ever tried using my phone while driving once or twice, a long time ago before there was even any mention of legislation being introduced, and I found it much more distracting than talking to a passenger. If you're talking to someone in a car, and something happens on the road ahead that requires more concentration on my part, I'll either just stop talking, or possibly raise my hand to indicate that I'm not taking part in the conversation any more, although often that isn't needed because subconsciously I'm giving out body-language that says "Do not disturb". Passengers seem to pick up on this in my experience and stop talking also.

When speaking on a phone, I feel that I've become somehow more "detached" from my surroundings, and in addition the person at the other end cannot pick up on those subtle signals you're giving out and carries on talking regardless.

This happens regardless of whether you're using a handsfree or not, but if you're not, you're adding in all the extra danger of trying to drive a car one-handed.

Personally when I'm in the car I either just ignore my phone, or switch it off ... that's what voicemail and text messaging is for.