Driving on the Phone

OldmanMondeo

Have you ever heard of anyone getting fine/points because they were on the phone while driving, I mean handset to ear, not on a handsfree kit. The reason I ask is because I had a guy behind me last night, from the Kilcock interchange to the longwood turn, 10-15 miles, with the phone glued to his ear. Bear in mind that the interchange roundabout is 2 lanes, and there is 3 roundabout and traffic lights at enfield. Most of the road is fairly straight though. There was no way he could have 100% known what was around him. Any views on people driving on the phone.

mikemac

Inexcusable.
Especially for people in well paying jobs in BMW's, Mercs,etc. If you can afford a car like this surely you can afford a handsfree kit.

However, every category of driver seems to be at it, not just these.
We've great laws in this country, just no enforcement.

Btw, I'm sure someone will raise the point that the Gardai use mobiles. I'm told they are exempted as their communication system is a shambles

Bluetonic

Try searching.

Many views have been expressed on this before.

OldmanMondeo

Bluetonic wrote:

Try searching.

Many views have been expressed on this before.

My apologies. please delete/lock this thread.

Marcus.Aurelius

Road Traffic Act 2006 allows for points when using mobile phone. Its 2 on notice and 4 on conviction. Taoiseach's office refers.

Seth Brundle

You can also use a phone in a genuine emergency (which this and most cases are not!)

Henry Ford III

kbannon wrote:

You can also use a phone in a genuine emergency (which this and most cases are not!)

Presumably a medical emergency or similar? Transporting a sick person to hospital - that kind of thing.

p.s. A bluetooth headset costs very little these days.

MrPudding

Henry Ford III wrote:

p.s. A bluetooth headset costs very little these days.

Yes but they make you look like a cock.

MrP

Savman

MrPudding wrote:

Yes but they make you look like a cock.

I think you meant

MrPudding wrote:

Yes but they make me look like a cock.

_Kaiser_

MrPudding wrote:

Yes but they make you look like a cock.

MrP

Eh? I'm gonna assume there's a or missing there?

Edit, besides, you can get Bluetooth speakers too if that's better. The one I have certainly works well.

Henry Ford III

MrPudding wrote:

Yes but they make you look like a cock.

MrP

Clearly the cost of compliance is quite high

Stark

I have one of those Bluetooth radios that I picked up in ALDI. Works fine for me any time I'm in the car and someone rings me. Most useful when you're meeting someone and stuck in traffic.

Rowley Birkin QC

Stark wrote:

I have one of those Bluetooth radios that I picked up in ALDI. Works fine for me any time I'm in the car and someone rings me. Most useful when you're meeting someone and stuck in traffic.

Got one of those too. Good job, and they play Mp3 cd's, v. handy. I've been on the brink of reporting a few people that I've seen on the phone while driving to the Guards lately.

Lex Luthor

most people will drop the phone if they come across a cop car while driving

I saw a garda last week driving with his phone stuck to his ear so they are not even obeying the rules they are supposed to be enforcing

I was walking back to my car a few weeks ago in Naas and there was a fire brigade and garda cars with their personnel standing outside the social welfare building after an evacuation. There was a woman in her Volvo XC90 with her kids not in safety belts in the back seat of the car, stopped at the lights within 2 feet from 3 gardai on her phone. They didn't even stop her and they saw her

Seth Brundle

Lex Luthor wrote:

I saw a garda last week driving with his phone stuck to his ear so they are not even obeying the rules they are supposed to be enforcing

They are exempt from that law (as are other emergency services)but I agree, i have seen abundant cases of what appears to be gardai chatting on the phone.

SoBe

ever notice that most people that can spend around 100,000 yoyos on a car cant spent the 150 for a handsfree kit?

Robbo

MrPudding wrote:

Yes but they make you look like a cock.

MrP

Even Steve McQueen would look like a cock with a Bluetooth headset on.

Esel

Robbo wrote:

Even Steve McQueen would look like a cock with a Bluetooth headset on.

My answer to that is: I can't see that from here.

Maybe people who think that have seen more cocks than I have though?

gyppo

Surely if you drive on the phone, you'll break it:D

blorg

People do get done for it, my brother for example. Person before him in court was in for the same thing. (He fully accepted he was wrong, just didn't get anything before the summons- caught before it was a penalty point offence, so avoided them though.)

Definately should be more people prosecuted for it, I have had people nearly run into me while clearly not focusing on what they are doing.

Stark

Yes I've seen the stupidest things done by people who were talking on mobile phones.

j2u

i got a nuvi 310 from garmin for navigation and it has bluetooth with a built in mic at the front.so i find it very handy to use a phone without looking like a cock

zilog_jones

There's been recent studies suggesting talking to someone on the phone in general while driving (even handsfree) is still a significant distraction - I saw it in some paper recently IIRC. People tend to concentrate more while talking to someone on the phone compared to chatting to someone within the car - I certainly don't pay much attention to the latter anyway

Guy:Incognito

Saw a woman sitting in a left turning slip road earlier with her hazards on and on the phone. Despite the retarded place to stop (traffic was forced back into the forward lanes to get around her) she proceeded to pull back out and drive on while on the phone and with her hazards on. :rolleyes: She obviously felt you only need to pull in while actually answering the call.

drdre

the simple answer is just go bloody get a car kit to avoid the points.:D its only 100 -150 for a car kit

Volvoboy

I do somtimes drive while on the phone, but not if i can help it, so say if i put on a speaker phone (which is built into the phone) is this as illeagal as driving while having the phone up to my ear?



-VB-

Rowley Birkin QC

Volvoboy wrote:

I do somtimes drive while on the phone, but not if i can help it, so say if i put on a speaker phone (which is built into the phone) is this as illeagal as driving while having the phone up to my ear?



-VB-

Do you mean with speaker phone in your hand while holding it up to your head?

patrickc

Volvoboy wrote:

I do somtimes drive while on the phone, but not if i can help it, so say if i put on a speaker phone (which is built into the phone) is this as illeagal as driving while having the phone up to my ear?



-VB-

in simple mans language yes, only a handsfree kit and bluetooth earpiece are legal

Rabies

Don't have a car for the past few months, but I regulary did drive while on the phone.
I have a bluetooth ear piece but would often forget to bring it with me. I have been flagged down by the cops before and told to take the phone down, but it I still do it. If I knew it would be a long conversation then I stop and pull over.

Gwynston

Went out in town for a few beers the other week and got a hackney home. He must have been the worst cab driver in the city - doddery old guy looked like he was about to croak, couldn't see or hear very well, wandering across the road etc... :eek:

Anyway, while driving out towards Claregalway he got an SMS and said, "Sorry, do you mind? I have to take this." So he pulled over onto the shoulder to read the message. Then decided he needed to reply to it, but drove off anyway! So he was texting while driving down the road :rolleyes:

I was drunk, so tried to ignore it and just hung on for dear life until I was home. I didn't give him a tip!

Lex Luthor

kbannon wrote:

They are exempt from that law (as are other emergency services)but I agree, i have seen abundant cases of what appears to be gardai chatting on the phone.

shouldn't really matter kb, they could still use a bluetooth headset or HF kit like the rest of us