Mobile phone message still not getting through to motorists (From Bournemouth Echo)

Insp Butler warned motorists in Dorset: “My officers are out and about on the roads in marked and unmarked vehicles, so if you are using your mobile phone there is a very high probability that you will be detected.”

No surprise then that some are. They are only detecting an average of 4 a day, with a little bit more effort they could do much better than that.

There was a stupid woman in a car behind me on my drive home along Poole Road texting with a young girl in the passenger seat beside her. I stopped my car and gestured to her to put the phone down but she ignored me. I was really concerned as she was so engrossed in texting that she might hit the back of my car. It should be an instant ban when caught!

It is also very dangerous cycling on the pavement texting with no hands on the handlebars - unbelievable!

"Mobile phone message still not getting through to motorists"
Perhaps you should think about changing your network provider then, The signal is excellent on the one i'm with!

"Mobile phone message still not getting through to motorists"

Should it be? I thought it was illegal to use a phone when driving?

Another classic headline from the jobseeker dropouts!

Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

It was the authorities who deemed it to be a minor offence, originally a £30 fine with no endorsement. They then increased it to £60 with 3 points. Now they may offer a Driver Awareness Course as an option, mainly so that the Police can retain the surplus from the courses to fund their operations.
Is it not the Police themselves who have down rated the offence by making it one that can be dealt with by attendance at a course, rather than prosecution?

These selfish people make me sick. For pities sake put your phone on divert with an appropriate message. If you are waiting for an IMPORTANT call, pull over into a safe place to answer.
Idiots are everywhere not looking where they are going, even on foot, pecking away at their stupid little screens.
GET A GRIP you stupid people!

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Not necessarily dangerous but against the law. It took a high court case to define what the legislators meant by the words 'using' and 'driving' in relation to the mobile phone law.
As with most things it is open to discretion of the Officer. Stationary at a red light more than likely to be pulled, stationary in traffic much more likely to be the factors at the time that determine whether the Officer takes action. In a mile long stationary queue on the motorway with nobody going anywhere and engines switched off then very unlikely.

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

The answer to your question is simply answered here: http://www.direct.go
v.uk/en/TravelAndTra
nsport/Roadsafetyadv
ice/DG_188761

The fact is 'yes', you are a driver in control of a vehicle. The only time using a mobile device is permitted when you are in the driving seat on the public highway is when you are stopped/stationary in an appropriate permitted place with the hand brake engaged and the engine swtiched off. Unless it is for the puposes of making an emergency call to the statutory emergency services where a delay in the call could be a risk to life.

Just don't do it!

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

The use of a CB radio whilst driving would be an offence.
Road Traffic Act 1988 Part II General regulation of construction, use etc.Section 41D.
Breach of requirements as to control of vehicle, mobile telephones etc.A person who contravenes or fails to comply with a construction and use requirement—
(a)as to not driving a motor vehicle in a position which does not give proper control or a full view of the road and traffic ahead, or not causing or permitting the driving of a motor vehicle by another person in such a position, or
(b)as to not driving or supervising the driving of a motor vehicle while using a hand-held mobile telephone or other hand-held interactive communication device, or not causing or permitting the driving of a motor vehicle by another person using such a telephone or other device,
is guilty of an offence

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

I'd agree that its unlikely to be dangerous to use the phone while the car actually isn't moving. In fact, I'm struggling to think of a single scenario when it would be dangerous, but I'm happy to be corrected.

So, the logical next question is, how many of these thirteen hundred tickets were issued for using the phone when the car was moving, as opposed to stationary? Are these records kept I wonder? I'd say they probably are. So, hows about publishing them?

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

I got stopped for using a mobile because I was in fact holding a transistor radio to my ear in an attempt to hear the results of the horse racing over the din of the old transit I was driving. The radio in the van didn't work.
When I pointed this out (sans horseracing) the policeman tested the radio, checked my phone and let me go without a ticket.

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

Apart from Kris Kristofferson and Burt Reynolds, do people still use CB Radio's?

BarrHumbug wrote:
"Mobile phone message still not getting through to motorists"
Perhaps you should think about changing your network provider then, The signal is excellent on the one i'm with!

LOL very good, best laugh I've had today

BarrHumbug wrote:

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

Apart from Kris Kristofferson and Burt Reynolds, do people still use CB Radio's?

Of course, Dave Lee Travis.
(That will sort out the over fifties).

As someone whose car was written off by a texter, looking at their mobile when driving a 4X4 (Mum + kids, classic example on school run) behind me I would welcome any additional effort to catch those so many still breaking this law.

rayc wrote:
It was the authorities who deemed it to be a minor offence, originally a £30 fine with no endorsement. They then increased it to £60 with 3 points. Now they may offer a Driver Awareness Course as an option, mainly so that the Police can retain the surplus from the courses to fund their operations.
Is it not the Police themselves who have down rated the offence by making it one that can be dealt with by attendance at a course, rather than prosecution?

Probably so but they do make more money from the driver awareness course I believe.

I believe that this has become an offence purely to raise revenue.
I never use a mobile phone while driving but I have to say why only mobile phones.
It's not illegal to use hands free mobile phones, why, it's the conversation element that is the distraction as well as pushing the buttons.
It's not illegal to use two way radios while driving or the old citizen band radio, it is also not illegal for a cyclist to use a mobile phone while cycling, why is this,
I don't agree with using a phone while driving, hands free or not, but I think that this offence has been enforced because it's so easily visible to spot, it's just another money raising excersise.
Lets face it, if no one was caught somebody would be out of a job.

penhale wrote:
I believe that this has become an offence purely to raise revenue.
I never use a mobile phone while driving but I have to say why only mobile phones.
It's not illegal to use hands free mobile phones, why, it's the conversation element that is the distraction as well as pushing the buttons.
It's not illegal to use two way radios while driving or the old citizen band radio, it is also not illegal for a cyclist to use a mobile phone while cycling, why is this,
I don't agree with using a phone while driving, hands free or not, but I think that this offence has been enforced because it's so easily visible to spot, it's just another money raising excersise.
Lets face it, if no one was caught somebody would be out of a job.

what a load of rubbish, if you are using your phone you are not in control of your car, i pity you if you have a crash while using your phone and kill someone

pugs0404 wrote:

penhale wrote:
I believe that this has become an offence purely to raise revenue.
I never use a mobile phone while driving but I have to say why only mobile phones.
It's not illegal to use hands free mobile phones, why, it's the conversation element that is the distraction as well as pushing the buttons.
It's not illegal to use two way radios while driving or the old citizen band radio, it is also not illegal for a cyclist to use a mobile phone while cycling, why is this,
I don't agree with using a phone while driving, hands free or not, but I think that this offence has been enforced because it's so easily visible to spot, it's just another money raising excersise.
Lets face it, if no one was caught somebody would be out of a job.

what a load of rubbish, if you are using your phone you are not in control of your car, i pity you if you have a crash while using your phone and kill someone

Obviously you didn't read my comment, I said I never use my phone while driving, use a little intelligence and read a post fully before replying.
forget phones , my point was that drivers are targeted while cyclists are not, are they not in control of a vehicle, they are dangerous enough without a phone stuck to their ear, and whats the difference between phones, two way radios and citizen band radios, of all three they all need to be held which is what this offence is 50% about, so why not ban all three, in future read a comment in it's entirety to instead of using a neanderthal mentality.

BarrHumbug wrote:

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote: Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

Apart from Kris Kristofferson and Burt Reynolds, do people still use CB Radio's?

Thats a big Ten Four Goodbuddy

rudolph_hucker wrote:

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote:
Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

I got stopped for using a mobile because I was in fact holding a transistor radio to my ear in an attempt to hear the results of the horse racing over the din of the old transit I was driving. The radio in the van didn't work.
When I pointed this out (sans horseracing) the policeman tested the radio, checked my phone and let me go without a ticket.

So you were willing to put your own and others life at risk , just to get a race result--that is beyond belief !!

If its so dangerous (and I'm not saying it isn't) then why are the police catching so few drivers? I see many drivers using their phones. On a typical 15 min trip around town I probably see at least 4 or more. I think the police could set-up somewhere with a pair of binoculars looking down a straight traffic queue - hey plenty of those around! and it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Four a day doesn't tell me they are taking it as seriously as they say it is.

Not at all, I was driving like a champ.
And I didn't get a ticket (as I had committed no offence).
And the horse (lil' beauty) paid out so it was a result all round.

thevisitor wrote:

mossy 1 wrote:

derek_acorah wrote: Is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while at a red light or stationary in traffic? Genuine question.

Maybe not dangerous,but still illegal,as far as I`m aware a hand held device can only be used if the vehicle is parked AND the keys out of ignition,although interestingly CB radios can still be used whilst driving.

The use of a CB radio whilst driving would be an offence. Road Traffic Act 1988 Part II General regulation of construction, use etc.Section 41D. Breach of requirements as to control of vehicle, mobile telephones etc.A person who contravenes or fails to comply with a construction and use requirement— (a)as to not driving a motor vehicle in a position which does not give proper control or a full view of the road and traffic ahead, or not causing or permitting the driving of a motor vehicle by another person in such a position, or (b)as to not driving or supervising the driving of a motor vehicle while using a hand-held mobile telephone or other hand-held interactive communication device, or not causing or permitting the driving of a motor vehicle by another person using such a telephone or other device, is guilty of an offence

CB radios and two way radios were made exempt from this act so long as band 27Mhz was used.Government organisations such as the emergency services and businesses like taxi firms would not otherwise be able to operate with such constrictions.

Imaximus loves the way every story is turned around to cycling, dog walkers blah blah blah. You guys make Imaximus laugh. I blame the surf reef.

So how many offences does a cyclist commit when riding on the pavement with no hands on the handlebars using a mobile phone?

yawn.....