Come next year, the fine and points for using a mobile while driving will be increased from £100 - 3 points to £200 - 6 points. Best be ready folks (if you're not already geared up for it) cause it's starting to get expensive.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37389800

Come next year, the fine and points for using a mobile while driving will be increased from £100 - 3 points to £200 - 6 points. Best be ready folks (if you're not already geared up for it) cause it's starting to get expensive.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37389800

 

 

And about time too, Why next year though, why not Tomorrow.

 

Another thing which should also be stopped is people who drive whilst wearing headphones 

A good idea imho

posted from iPhone in the fast lane of the M5

I welcome this more severe penalty, but, in my opinion it should be a ban for 12 months

And about time too, Why next year though, why not Tomorrow.

 

+1 

 

Stupid message to say 'next year, we're gonna...'

 

Do it now, make it sting, police it as effectively as can be, make an example of the idiots and ramp it up for repeat offenders.

 

Gaz

About bloody time!!

Fed up with seeing cars slowly drifting across a lane then suddenly twitching back.

Heads of drivers looking up and down towards their seats.

& lost count of the times I follow a car with a phone wedged near their ear, & they put it down when slowing down near a busy junction, then put it back once they clear it. Grrrrrr!!!!!

Get a bloody hands free kit, they're so cheap now!

Was pleased to read this the other day indeed. Not as high a punishment as I would like, but certainly a good step in the right direction in making it too big a risk for ignorant sods to kill people because they have no self control or just don't give a damn when it comes to their phones. New changes like this normally happen in one of two ways, it's brought out in NI and quickly followed by GB or vice versa. This time though shockingly, our worthless government has responded instantly to the GB announcement with this crap (link below)..... We are still on the £60 basic fixed penalty fine ffs! Our death rate on roads is 4 times higher than the rest of the UK and in my specific region another 4 times higher than the rest of NI, vehicle safety has increased dramatically over time but that is the only reason our statistics had stayed roughly the same as there are still more and more accidents. I see around 30% of all drivers in all vehicle classes engaged in using their mobiles be it by handset to ear or the obvious head and eyes down one hand missing engrossed and drifting......

 

 

PATHETIC 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-37396891

Edited 18 September, 20169 yr by FUBAR

If they offered me a job to ride around in my own car and gave me authority to report people to the police and paid me say £20 for every conviction I'd make a fortune

You could make it 12 points and a £10,000 fine, but people will still do it because they know the chances of getting caught on the motorway are practically zilch. In two stints of daily driving at all hours on the M8 for the past two summers I saw one patrol car parked up.

The only other time I saw the police on there was when 3 or 4 of them were escorting wind turbine components at around 0430 each morning.

I had four people banged to rights using their phones or laptops whilst at the wheel on both my dashcams and the two pcs they sent round told me it was insufficient, eventually stating ;if we investigated them for using their phones, we'd have to investigate everyone we catch using their phones whilst driving.

Edited 18 September, 20169 yr by Guest

+1 

 

Stupid message to say 'next year, we're gonna...'

 

Do it now, make it sting, police it as effectively as can be, make an example of the idiots and ramp it up for repeat offenders.

 

Gaz

 

When the original law was made, they left a 'period of grace' before using it!

When will they ever learn?

Should be a £1000 fine, confiscation of the phone and a 6 month ban minimum. Using the phone is a deliberate act and not an accident or mis-judgement.

When the original law was made, they left a 'period of grace' before using it!

When will they ever learn?

Because if you change something immediately people will make the argument "I didn't know it was..." better to avoid giving them the "excuse".

The issue I have, not that I bow to the pressure is that I've had a number of employers that require very fast response on the phone.

I had a previous employer that would phone you on your work mobile but now provide handsfree. My current employer expects 15 min response to a txt which is a right pita as most hands free don't handle them well, especially as the number to respond to is in the txt.

Until the social attitude is changes, i.e. Like drink drive, it'll still be a massive issue. After all speeding is illegal but I'd reckon most drivers do it.

Edited 18 September, 20169 yr by gullyg

And about time too, Why next year though, why not Tomorrow.

 

Another thing which should also be stopped is people who drive whilst wearing headphones 

 

Why stop people wearing headphones whilst driving?

Why stop people wearing headphones whilst driving?

Stops drivers hearing what's going on around them.

Why stop people wearing headphones whilst driving?

2 most important senses when driving are sight & hearing.

Headphones reduce external hearing to almost zero, compared to in car audio which still allows you to hear external noises above the sound (unless your a boomboomboxboy)

Edited 18 September, 20169 yr by 999pooch

Interesting to see that phone use is now officially seen as more dangerous than a typical speeding offence, if not on a par with drink driving. Yet there is still more money and time spent on men and equipment trying to catch speeding motorists. Seems as though a re prioritising of assets is now needed ? What I find hard to understand is why try and use fines to stop phone use when a signal jammer fitted to all new cars would sort the problem, over several years, without the need to fill courts with errant motorists or trying to catch drivers using phones. 

Interesting to see that phone use is now officially seen as more dangerous than a typical speeding offence, if not on a par with drink driving. Yet there is still more money and time spent on men and equipment trying to catch speeding motorists. Seems as though a re prioritising of assets is now needed ? What I find hard to understand is why try and use fines to stop phone use when a signal jammer fitted to all new cars would sort the problem, over several years, without the need to fill courts with errant motorists or trying to catch drivers using phones.

Nokia used to have a car mode in the symbian days which disabled several features. Problem is it couldn't distinguish between being a driver or passenger and was quickly removed at the next software update

Interesting to see that phone use is now officially seen as more dangerous than a typical speeding offence, if not on a par with drink driving. Yet there is still more money and time spent on men and equipment trying to catch speeding motorists. Seems as though a re prioritising of assets is now needed ? What I find hard to understand is why try and use fines to stop phone use when a signal jammer fitted to all new cars would sort the problem, over several years, without the need to fill courts with errant motorists or trying to catch drivers using phones.

Signal jammers are illegal in a lot of places (inc uk), as others have pointed out would impact passengers and as much as car manufacturers may tell you they're all about safety they're actually all about selling cars. Some of them even allow you to read emails on the go!

As for speeding I suspect it's been regarded for a long time as more dangerous to use a phone but speeding is an easy target as it can be caught by automatic systems or "a man in a van".

From what I've heard if there's an accident the police will often ask to see your phone to see if you've been on it.

It's struck me for a long time that really the police need more people out on the roads able to use their judgement and actually stop dangerous driving rather than camera but it's all down to money and priorities.

Edited 19 September, 20169 yr by gullyg

About bloody time!!

Fed up with seeing cars slowly drifting across a lane then suddenly twitching back.

Heads of drivers looking up and down towards their seats.

& lost count of the times I follow a car with a phone wedged near their ear, & they put it down when slowing down near a busy junction, then put it back once they clear it. Grrrrrr!!!!!

Get a bloody hands free kit, they're so cheap now!

 

 

How many offenders do we see driving motors that are probably already fitted with Bluetooth - Mercs, BMWs, and especially Range Rovers, mainly motors costing in excess of £40, 50k?

Edited 19 September, 20169 yr by FlyingGecko

Saw a guy yesterday driving a Bentley Continental with his phone to his ear - maybe he doesn't know how to connect to Bluetooth.

Funniest mitigation ever in court....

"I only answered the phone to tell the person I couldn't speak because I was driving"

I found it very hard to keep a straight face reading that out

As for speeding I suspect it's been regarded for a long time as more dangerous to use a phone but speeding is an easy target as it can be caught by automatic systems or "a man in a van".

It's struck me for a long time that really the police need more people out on the roads able to use their judgement and actually stop dangerous driving rather than camera but it's all down to money and priorities.

 

Actually, if a speed camera van got a driver on camera using a hand held phone they could use the evidence in court.  Certainly the young man in a video I saw giving 'V'signs with both hands was prosecuted successfully for due care.

Problem is that the so called "road safety " fraternity can only see stick as the answer, and the local road safety organisations can only see courses and funding from courses ( again a stick) as the solution. Just like speed. No education, then- but that's OK- forget safety, let's grab some cash.

Problem is that the so called "road safety " fraternity can only see stick as the answer, and the local road safety organisations can only see courses and funding from courses ( again a stick) as the solution. Just like speed. No education, then- but that's OK- forget safety, let's grab some cash.

 

 

It's difficult to educate the mindless and stupid

GMP caught 10 people per hour recently!

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/driving-mobile-phone-police-crackdown-11919246