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Tue 23 Sep, 2003 07:11 am
Drivers text and talk (BBC News Website 22-9-03)
One in four motorists in the UK use hand-held mobile phones while driving, research has found.
One in ten people admitted sending text messages while driving, the Continental Research study found.
Out of 2,000 motorists surveyed, the majority who used a mobile phone while driving were males aged between 25 and 44.
Research spokesman James Myring said 9% of drivers still make calls and 10% write text messages while driving, despite the Department of Transport's law banning the use of hand-held mobile phones on 1 December.
A total of 15% read text messages, and 16% answered calls at the wheel.
"Many perhaps would not initiate a call or write a text whilst driving, but upon hearing the phone ring, cannot resist the temptation to answer a call or read the message," he said.
On-the-spot fine
Around 35 million adults in the UK use a mobile phone.
Anyone breaking the law will receive an on-the-spot £30 fine - rising to a maximum £1,000 if their case goes to court.
Those caught breaking the ban would also get three penalty points on their driving licences for each offence.
Under current laws, motorists can only be prosecuted for using mobiles if they fail to keep proper control of their vehicle - there is no actual law specifically prohibiting the use of mobiles while driving.
Previous research has shown people using a phone while driving are four times more likely to have an accident, according to the government.
It is also warning users of hands-free phones they still risk prosecution for failing to have proper control of their vehicle or for careless or reckless driving.
Studies by the Transport Research Laboratory have suggested using a hand-held mobile is more dangerous than drink driving.
The practice is illegal in more than 30 countries.
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I was surprised that it's taken them this long to fix this problem, and was wondering what the laws were around the world and if anyone had any horror stories about accidents caused by inattentive drivers chatting on phones.
I read this thread on my cell phone while driving. COOL!
M62
Pulled up on the M62 between Leeds and Manchester (rush hour traffic) and this dummy hit me up the rear end, the damage wasn't too bad but when you've had the car a week it's still a crapper.
I jumped out of the motor ready to give this mobile phone ass a full weight sermon, but I was wrong, he wasn't using a mobile phone at all, he was trying to read a ******** map which was spread over his steering wheel.
People who drive whilst phoning friends, or buttering their bagels, or fixing their broken CD player, should be banned, not fined a paltry £30.
Should it include people who use hand's free kits ?
I agree with Kev. Ive almost been hit many times by folks on the cell phone. Awhile back I took my mother shopping and while we were walking back to the car, a woman nearly ran over my mother while backing out (she was on a cell phone). I threw a can of corn at her car.
A cop saw the whole thing.
Part of me would like to see them crash into inanimate objects like walls or lamp-posts to teach them a leason. Having said that it'd just put up everyone's insurance premiums, so perhaps there is no justice in the world...
I had to laugh when I saw a few years ago some footage on "Police Camera Action" of a guy driving his car and filming the road (for some unknown reason) with a camcorder! He was caught, and obviously the film in his camera was enough to get him banned for a few years!
I can't see that having a conversation on a hands-free is any different from having one with someone sitting in the back seat.
Part of me would like to see them crash into inanimate objects like walls or lamp-posts to teach them a leason. Having said that it'd just put up everyone's insurance premiums, so perhaps there is no justice in the world...
I had to laugh when I saw a few years ago some footage on "Police Camera Action" of a guy driving his car and filming the road (for some unknown reason) with a camcorder! He was caught, and obviously the film in his camera was enough to get him banned for a few years!
I can't see that having a conversation on a hands-free is any different from having one with someone sitting in the back seat.
Gautam,
I edited this because I think I can explain a little better. Lets suppose the conversation you are having on your "hands free" phone is something very intense, like your shares in Acme just dived by 50%, or you didn't get the promotion you expected, or its your brother breaking the news that a family member just died.
How many people would keep their concentration sharp under those circumstances? Most might, some certainly would not.
I dont believe anyone is so busy that they have to make phone calls whilst driving a car.
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