[article] 400 mobile-phones users caught every week

mike65

from indo

ALMOST 400 drivers a week are hit with penalty points after being caught using their mobile phone, it emerged yesterday.

A total of 3,912 motorists were nabbed making a call in the past two months since the ban on hand-held devices became a penalty points offence.

Gardai yesterday said mobile phone usage while driving was a potential cause of fatal crashes.

Since September, motorists nabbed using their mobile faced two penalty points and a €60 fine.

A driver who refuses to pay and who is subsequently convicted in court is hit with four points and a possible €2,000 fine.

Garda Traffic Corps Chief Supt John Farrelly said yesterday that gardai were determined to stamp out the practice of drivers using hand-held portable phones at the wheel. This was very dangerous and a cause of crashes, he said. Since September a total of 3,912 drivers were caught on their mobile phones, he added.

Mike.

OTK

Maybe thread title should be per week not per day

Red Alert

About time too. (People who insist on delaying at the lights because they're lighting a fag should be put off the road too)

Mad Dog

The one that makes me laugh most is this new craze of putting your phone on speaker and holding it in front of your face to talk. This is something I see now on a regular basis and makes me laugh how these people think you can't be done for this .... DUH ! ! ! ! :eek:

Capt'n Midnight

Mad Dog wrote:

The one that makes me laugh most is this new craze of putting your phone on speaker and holding it in front of your face to talk. This is something I see now on a regular basis and makes me laugh how these people think you can't be done for this .... DUH ! ! ! ! :eek:

Isn't the offence for HOLDING a mobile phone - you can't use the I wasn't talking on it excuse.

Still see people on them MOST mornings on the way to work (too dark on the way home )

Did they ever get a ruling on two way radios ?

cyclopath2001

Speaking of distractions, it's about time they banned handing out the free-sheets at traffic lights. Those people shouldn't be walking among the cars & it's downright scary seeing drivers read the papers while driving.

corktina

I bought a hands free kit for €4.99 in Texaco last week...works perfectly.

cyclopath2001

Handsfree sets don't fully address the problem.

Conducting a phone conversation while driving is taking away from the concentration a driver needs to drive properly.

loyatemu

you could say the same about holding a conversation with another passenger, listening to the radio, just thinking about something else. The law can only go so far - banning hand-held phones is sufficient.

Cabaal

I see atleast three-four people on my 15 min communte to work each day and same on way home, hell just before the ban came in I saw a Gardai using his phone while driving.

Yesterday I saw some muppet on a bike txting as he was going along on his merry way,

Alun

loyatemu wrote:

you could say the same about holding a conversation with another passenger, listening to the radio, just thinking about something else.

Actually I believe there was some research done in the UK that showed that holding a conversation with someone on the phone, whether using a hands-free kit or not, is much more distracting than talking to a passenger.

unkel

Alun wrote:

Actually I believe there was some research done in the UK that showed that holding a conversation with someone on the phone, whether using a hands-free kit or not, is much more distracting than talking to a passenger.

I remember that too

mike65

Not suprising as you have to give more brian power to someone you can't see or often hear properly.

Mike.

mackerski

Alun wrote:

Actually I believe there was some research done in the UK that showed that holding a conversation with someone on the phone, whether using a hands-free kit or not, is much more distracting than talking to a passenger.

About the most distracting thing I've ever had to contend with as a driver was a baby in a rear child seat. Where do you want to draw the line?

Alun

mackerski wrote:

About the most distracting thing I've ever had to contend with as a driver was a baby in a rear child seat. Where do you want to draw the line?

That's what duct-tape is for, isn't it?

Victor

cyclopath2001 wrote:

Handsfree sets don't fully address the problem. Conducting a phone conversation while driving is taking away from the concentration a driver needs to drive properly.

Generally a passenger will be aware when to talk and when to shut up on a journey. Someone on the other end of a phone won´t.

As I understand it, using a handfree phone is twice as dangerous as normal driving and holding a phone is 4 times more dangerous.

corktina

Alun wrote:

That's what duct-tape is for, isn't it?

quite right Alun.

mackerski

Victor wrote:

As I understand it, using a handfree phone is twice as dangerous as normal driving and holding a phone is 4 times more dangerous.

That sounds very precise. What is the definition of "danger" in this instance?

MrPudding

Apparently you are 2 or 4 times, can't remember which, more likely to have an incident in the 20 minutes following a phone call. This is whether or not you use hands free.

MrP

Chris_533976

Mythbusters showed that using a phone when driving was actually more dangerous than driving with a couple of pints in you.