Police fine 500 drivers a day for using handheld phones

Mark Shuttleworth
Member - 45 posts

I'm a firm believer in no mobile use at all when driving, whether hands free or using any other device. If you're driving, drive don't talk. If you need to talk then being asked to pull over and turn the engine off seems reasonable to me.

500 fines a day is nothing but i realise the Police force's limited resource means they can only scrape the tip of the iceberg. It seems to me the enforcement of this policy could; without any need for greed or profit, create a few jobs and be self financing with a dedicated trained team assigned to this role. With a little planning and some proper guidelines this number should become thousands.

The only people who would object are those who flout the law regarding phones and driving anyway. Then again i suppose there will be those who argue about targets and how to achieve them by issuing false fines. But, if the system was properly set up and regulated i'm sure the revenue from fixed penalties would finance it.

Perhaps then i wouldn't be continually cut up by the same woman in the silver BMW who chats away on her hand held mobile and then flicks you the 'V' when you honk at her. What i wouldn't give to see her stopped and ticketed. And you know what? In light of recent headlines about 'car vandalism not being a crime' it might go some way to restore my faith in british justice. No crime should go unpunished no matter how small it is perceived. It won't seem small when she or one of the thousands like her kills someone.

Carole Simmons
Member - 52 posts

Without taking anything away from the law which states that you should not use your mobile phone whilst driving - which I absolutely agree with and get as annoyed as everyone else when I see people using them on an almost daily basis - still! However I do have some problem with Marks comments.

I personally don’t see the difference between talking on a legal hands free and having a conversation with somebody sitting in your car. How many of us have followed somebody in a car who is having a very animated conversation to somebody in the passenger seat, hands flying everywhere , oblivious to their surroundings and not concentrating on what they are doing. Mark, are you going to suggest therefore that "drive don’t talk" means you have to zip it and not have conversations in your car with fellow passengers? whats the difference therefore?

Much more dangerous is the use of CD's, DVD's, IPod’s, sat nav's, smoking, eating, drinking and anything else that you either have to take your eyes, hands or mind off the road for, if only for a split second. Personally I cant understand the persecution of hands free which is no more than having a conversation with somebody sitting next to you when all these other things are being totally ignored. Can’t we do without them for an hour or so?

Mark Shuttleworth
Member - 45 posts

Mine is merely a personal point of view and you've answered this for me Carole 'Can't we do without them for an hour or so?' Are some people so important that they have to remain contactable even when driving or does it just make them feel more important?

My real problem is the hand held, not the hands free and although i acknowledge that hands free kits are legal their use should be limited to emergencies - not to discuss what's for dinner or what time are you going down the gym.

I'm not sure about your phrase 'much more dangerous' either Carole any distraction is dangerous when driving, my thoughts are that the number of potential distractions should be kept to a minimum. I don't have hands free and i never will as a personal choice. If someone wants me they'll have to wait until i'm not driving. When it comes to hands free kits I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree :-}

Bernadette Palmer
Member - 1 post

Are employees obliged to notify their employers if they are caught using their mobile whilst driving during working hours and subsequently ?