Mobile phones!

gerarda

Why do people still drive around whilst on their phone? Yesterday I witnessed a guy being stopped for it - the look of suprise and embarresment was classic! A friend of mine has been caught twice and still does it!!!!

godtabh

People are idiots

Del2005

gerarda wrote: »

Why do people still drive around whilst on their phone? Yesterday I witnessed a guy being stopped for it - the look of suprise and embarresment was classic! A friend of mine has been caught twice and still does it!!!!

I have to laugh at people driving brand new cars but aren't willing to spend E20 for a Blue tooth headset.

Alun

Del2005 wrote: »

I have to laugh at people driving brand new cars but aren't willing to spend E20 for a Blue tooth headset.

I have to laugh even more at people driving around in new cars that almost certainly have bluetooth fitted as standard and not using it. Heck, even my lowly 09 Qashqai has it as standard.

theteal

godtabh wrote: »

People are idiots

QED

theteal

Alun wrote: »

I have to laugh even more at people driving around in new cars that almost certainly have bluetooth fitted as standard and not using it. Heck, even my lowly 09 Qashqai has it as standard.

just reminds me, the aul' lad's accord has a nokia kit built in (small silver circular type unit that's wired to the stereo) but he still uses a sony eric visor unit that I got him for his previous car

Tallon

People with the call on speaker and they're holding up while driving

These people are too stupid to have a phone, let alone a car

djimi

Its the same reason people still drink and drive; some people think that the law does not apply to them, some are too stupid to understand why that law is in place, some are just thickheaded ignorant and dont care etc.

Not point trying to understand the logic behind some peoples actions; youll only give yourself a headache

biko

It's the "ah sure it'll be grand" attitude, then we read about them in the paper when they ran over some kid that "came out of nowhere".

The Real B-man

Yet Doing you're Makeup is not a Offence :P

H3llR4iser

The Real B-man wrote: »

Yet Doing you're Makeup is not a Offence :P

Don't get me started...the car I had years ago was rear ended THRICE at red lights by women applying makeup in the morning. Funny fact, all three times it was my dad driving it rather than me. And they're safer drivers according to insurances (note: in all three cases, if was then declared that it was their husband or dad driving the car, mind you).

The battle agains mobile phone usage whilst driving (and more worrying recently, tablets usage!) is a losing one until somebody comes out with a system that makes the handset itself obsolete.

Drummerboy08

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Don't get me started...the car I had years ago was rear ended THRICE at red lights by women applying makeup in the morning. Funny fact, all three times it was my dad driving it rather than me. And they're safer drivers according to insurances (note: in all three cases, if was then declared that it was their husband or dad driving the car, mind you).

The battle agains mobile phone usage whilst driving (and more worrying recently, tablets usage!) is a losing one until somebody comes out with a system that makes the handset itself obsolete.

How many times?!

ofcork

Well according to Leo Varadkar on the news today,penalty points are being upped for driving while holding a phone and not wearing seatbelts so that might make peopele cop on.

djimi

Penalty points are only effective if the law is enforced, which is where a good number of our traffic laws fall down...

bladespin

TBH It's a silly law and hard for the gardai to catch offenders bar they're completely silly, yes I know most are

corktina

It wasn't too hard for the cop on a bicycle to catch the woman in front of me t'other day who hadn't noticed the queue had moved on! He pulled over and banged on her window before she noticed!

bladespin

corktina wrote: »

It wasn't too hard for the cop on a bicycle to catch the woman in front of me t'other day who hadn't noticed the queue had moved on! He pulled over and banged on her window before she noticed!

Sitting in a queue it'd be harsh to apply the law to a stationary vehicle.

rameire

bladespin wrote: »

Sitting in a queue it'd be harsh to apply the law to a stationary vehicle.

their phones should be ripped from their hands and fcuked across the road under a moving truck

bladespin

rameire wrote: »

their phones should be ripped from their hands and fcuked across the road under a moving truck

Why? They do no harm.

rameire

bladespin wrote: »

Why? They do no harm.

I disagree.

bladespin

rameire wrote: »

I disagree.

Ok so, what harm do they do?

rameire

if they use their phone while sitting in a queue, which is illegal, they are likely to use their phones while moving, which is also illegal.
and these people are selfish and can cause harm due to their wreckless driving.

bladespin

rameire wrote: »

if they use their phone while sitting in a queue, which is illegal, they are likely to use their phones while moving, which is also illegal.
and these people are selfish and can cause harm due to their wreckless driving.

There's little or no proof to support that.

Also, is it illegal to use the phone while driving or while sitting in the driver's seat?

SniperSight

He said she didn't know the queue had moved on, shows how little attention she was paying to the road and traffic. Not harsh at all!

discombobulate

Thats just stupid! Their not parked up. Their in a queue of traffic. Queues of traffic generally tend to move maybe a bit slower than normal but its not like people make a call in the 20 seconds they are still in traffic and then hang up when the traffic moves

rameire

bladespin wrote: »

There's little or no proof to support that.

Also, is it illegal to use the phone while driving or while sitting in the driver's seat?

while driving.

bladespin

SniperSight wrote: »

He said she didn't know the queue had moved on, shows how little attention she was paying to the road and traffic. Not harsh at all!

True but she wasn't driving obviously so how could she have been using a mobile phone while driving? Sorry, just seems a bit of a contradiction.

rameire

bladespin wrote: »

True but she wasn't driving obviously so how could she have been using a mobile phone while driving? Sorry, just seems a bit of a contradiction.

I would say she is driving as she is "managing and controlling" the vehicle while stationary in a queue.

bladespin

rameire wrote: »

I would say she is driving as she is "managing and controlling" the vehicle while stationary in a queue.

Same goes for parking in the hard shoulder to make/take a call but the gardai seem to have no problem with that.

rameire

the Gardai are using their discretion then.

doesnt make it any less illegal.

bladespin

rameire wrote: »

the Gardai are using their discretion then.

doesnt make it any less illegal.

I'm not sure, I believe the car must be moving for the driver to be classified as 'driving'.

Anyway, she was obviously more of a nuisance than a danger, so there could be little justification in her getting points etc.

urajoke

bladespin wrote: »

Anyway, she was obviously more of a nuisance than a danger, so there could be little justification in her getting points etc.

Would you be saying that if she sat in front of you holding you up.

Having read your posts on this topic I'm not sure whether to take you seriously or not. If you are being serious then I'm sorry but I feel like banging my head against a wall.

OldmanMondeo

bladespin wrote: »

Same goes for parking in the hard shoulder to make/take a call but the gardai seem to have no problem with that.

Going by your logic, I can have a few beers and get done for drink driving. Because I have the keys in my hand and I am in control of the car? Don't think so. Gardai do have and use cop on. If you in control of a vehicle and are holding a mobile phone, you don't even have top be using it or even have it turned on, you can get a fine and points.

The people who use phones while driving are the type who smoke on a bus, in a pub, park where they want, skip ques etc all because they are more important than anyone else in the world and shouldn't have to conform to the laws cause their not real criminals.....

For Forks Sake

Tallon wrote: »

People with the call on speaker and they're holding up while driving

These people are too stupid to have a phone, let alone a car

Nearly got split in two by a dumb b1tch driving a brand new A6 doing precisely this going round a roundabout in Roscommon yesterday

bladespin

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

Going by your logic, I can have a few beers and get done for drink driving. Because I have the keys in my hand and I am in control of the car? Don't think so. Gardai do have and use cop on. If you in control of a vehicle and are holding a mobile phone, you don't even have top be using it or even have it turned on, you can get a fine and points.

Wasn't there a recent case about a crash where the driver couldn't be tried for DD as the car wasn't drivable?
Also, it's not my logic, just wondering exactly what the law is.

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

The people who use phones while driving are the type who smoke on a bus, in a pub, park where they want, skip ques etc all because they are more important than anyone else in the world and shouldn't have to conform to the laws cause their not real criminals.....

Lol, you sound you know it all already :rolleyes: Big chip per chance?

Tropheus

M50 today. Was in the middle lane overtaking a car in the inside lane and coincidentally passed a Golf in the outside lane. The guy in the Golf (in the outside lane just to reiterate the point) was driving under the speed limit and had a phone to his ear. This was at 5.20 p.m. between the Sandyford and Dundrum junctions. Some people just don't care. Maybe 4 penalty points will make a difference if enforced.

Del2005

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Don't get me started...the car I had years ago was rear ended THRICE at red lights by women applying makeup in the morning. Funny fact, all three times it was my dad driving it rather than me. And they're safer drivers according to insurances (note: in all three cases, if was then declared that it was their husband or dad driving the car, mind you).

Going OT, women aren't safer drivers than men. They crash more often, but at lower speeds so their claims are less. Hence they had a lower risk profile so paid less, till the EU decided they needed to pay more.

bladespin wrote: »

I'm not sure, I believe the car must be moving for the driver to be classified as 'driving'.

Anyway, she was obviously more of a nuisance than a danger, so there could be little justification in her getting points etc.

I supposes if you only consider driving as being in motion then she's legal, but what if you consider driving as being in control of a vehicle. When stopped on a hard shoulder you aren't in control while stopped at lights you are in control, the difference being that you've pulled off to the hard shoulder to make a call while at lights you're still in traffic and should maintain control of your vehicle.

djimi

bladespin wrote: »

I'm not sure, I believe the car must be moving for the driver to be classified as 'driving'.

Anyway, she was obviously more of a nuisance than a danger, so there could be little justification in her getting points etc.

To the best of my knowledge once you are in the drivers seat with the engine turned on (and not on private property obviously) then you are considered to be driving. The Gardai are entitled to use their discretion when assessing a situation (if someone is parked up while on the phone then they probably wont say anything, however if someone is parked up with the engine running while over the legal limit then chances are they are getting prosecuted), but in this case the Gardai actually saw first hand that this woman being on the phone was affecting her concentration and awareness of the situation, and the Garda rightly pulled her for it.

OldmanMondeo

bladespin wrote: »

Lol, you sound you know it all already :rolleyes: Big chip per chance?

Only with a burger...;)

bladespin

Just as dangerous behind the wheel then, no points for that though

blindside88

Anton savage was sitting in for Matt copper one evening during the week on today fm. He was talking about this subject and the studies suggest you are no more dangerous when driving while holding the phone than you are while using a hands free kit. It suggests that it's the conversation taking your mind off the road and not the holding of the phone that's the problem. If you think about it how often do you use both hands on the steering wheel. Just to make the point I use a hands free kit but found the argument interesting

Heroditas

blindside88 wrote: »

Anton savage was sitting in for Matt copper one evening during the week on today fm. He was talking about this subject and the studies suggest you are no more dangerous when driving while holding the phone than you are while using a hands free kit. It suggests that it's the conversation taking your mind off the road and not the holding of the phone that's the problem. If you think about it how often do you use both hands on the steering wheel. Just to make the point I use a hands free kit but found the argument interesting

True but you need two hands to change gears and hold the wheel.
Also, some people hold the phone in their left hand up to their right ear or ice versa, that affects the whole body posture and how you can control the car.

fasttalkerchat

I don't buy into handsfree kits. I have tried it a few times and always felt like it wasn't safe to drive while using it.

djimi

blindside88 wrote: »

Anton savage was sitting in for Matt copper one evening during the week on today fm. He was talking about this subject and the studies suggest you are no more dangerous when driving while holding the phone than you are while using a hands free kit. It suggests that it's the conversation taking your mind off the road and not the holding of the phone that's the problem. If you think about it how often do you use both hands on the steering wheel. Just to make the point I use a hands free kit but found the argument interesting

I dont buy into that study for one second. You cannot drive a car with one hand; aside from the fact that you cannot steer and change gear (or indicate) with one hand, if you need to make a manouevre quickly in an emergency situation where you need to react in an instant you will not do it with one hand on the wheel. I dont know what the basis of the study was, but its nonsense.

M cebee

i see the same people every morning driving with the phone held to their ear

a lot of delivery drivers too

M cebee

i see the same people every morning driving with the phone held to their ear

a lot of delivery drivers too

afaik it was determined that hands- free isn't safe either

corktina

M cebee wrote: »

i see the same people every morning driving with the phone held to their ear

a lot of delivery drivers too

afaik it was determined that hands- free isn't safe either

maybe maybe not...but they are legal, which is rather the point

bladespin

Heroditas wrote: »

True but you need two hands to change gears and hold the wheel.

I don't

dr.fuzzenstein

M cebee wrote: »

i see the same people every morning driving with the phone held to their ear

a lot of delivery drivers too

afaik it was determined that hands- free isn't safe either

I hear the "hands-free kit is just as dangerous" argument a lot, but isn't it still better than driving with a phone to your ear? And what is safe?
Talking to your passenger, listening intently to the radio (Cooper and Hook demand a certain level of attention), changing the radio station (if you don't have steering wheel controls), fiddling with a CD, eating or drinking, dropping something and retrieving it, scratching yourself (I'm serious), checking out an attractive person, gawking at the countryside rather than the road ahead, rifling through the glovebox, taking off your coat whilst driving, watching the brood in the back, pets, etc...
All those things can distract, IMO it would be a nuisance to ban them all and you'd have to if hands free kits where found to be just as dangerous.
In the UK you can be done for eating a chocolote bar, bit over the top methinks.
I do believe that holding a phone whilst driving is a distraction and texting is positively lethal, so on that level a hands free kit or headset makes sense.

Markwasp

My business partner is always on his phone and no matter what i say he still does it.
Tougher penalties are needed!

MIKEKC

Travelled 150 miles yesterday, counted 6 people on mobiles, god knows how many I missed ,crazy carry on