Texting and driving

adraigh

Hi

Just wondering, if you're caught texting while driving, is it always an on-the-spot thing?

Or sometimes, do you hear about it after the fact - i.e. do you get notice of it afterwards, written notification re: fine and court summons.

Thanks.

Sam Kade

Did you get caught?

Flippyfloppy

Sam Kade wrote: »

Did you get caught?

Probably too busy texting to be sure!

Sam Kade

It should be an automatic ban, fairly stupid thing to be doing :mad:

adraigh

No I didn't. I was texting as there was a crisis at home, such a silly thing to do I know and very unlike me.

Was stopped at a traffic lights, looked up and saw two gardai across the road taking notes... wasn't sure was it on me or not they were noting tbh.

Just wondering will I be stung in the post?

If I am I deserve it obviously... just wondering what they do.

Atlantic Dawn

Might have been a bigger crisis at home if you went off the road in to a ditch

suchafunkymonke

Texting while driving should result in their licence being revoked and the car being crushed.

A disappointing amount of Irish drivers seem to think its ok to text and drive even though it is exceptionally stupid and dangerous. There are no excuses and its not something you can accidentally do.

If it was an emergency/family/work crisis, then pull over and use the phone. No urgent issue is ever dealt with by text message.

adraigh

Does anyone know if it's an on-the-spot thing or you get notification afterwards?

Atlantic Dawn

adraigh wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's an on-the-spot thing or you get notification afterwards?

Not too sure but with the figures they gave a while back of people been caught the numbers were so hign I don't think they could have stopped and issued on the spot fines it must have been done without the need to confront the driver.

Brasso

suchafunkymonke wrote: »

Texting while driving should result in their licence being revoked and the car being crushed.

Yeah but the Gardai don't even really need proof, they just say you were holding a phone and a judge takes their word for it. You couldn't really hand out bans on that basis. Anyway driving down the motorway the wrong way doesn't carry anything like a severe penalty so we're a long way from such zero tolerance policys in Ireland.

ironclaw

adraigh wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's an on-the-spot thing or you get notification afterwards?

The offence is against an individual, not the car. If they issued the fine to a reg number, the register owner may not have been driving or could lie if they were. Hence the case could be dismissed pretty sharpish.

You'll be stopped and given a grilling.

beertons

If you have to send a text, cop on and pull in. Would you read or type a text during your test? I think not.

ironclaw

beertons wrote: »

If you have to send a text, cop on and pull in. Would you read or type a text during your test? I think not.

Or a handsfree and call the person? Its infinitely faster.

That said, the US has 'Text Stop' (Rest Stops) pull in's off the high ways and Interstates. Ireland is terrible for places to pull in with no indication of distances or abundance. Either way you should not be doing it, but from a business perspective, there have been times when it would have been handy to know who far I had until I could pull in and check mail etc.

Boskowski

ironclaw wrote: »

The offence is against an individual, not the car. If they issued the fine to a reg number, the register owner may not have been driving or could lie if they were. Hence the case could be dismissed pretty sharpish.

You'll be stopped and given a grilling.

You could say that about any offence. When receiving a speeding fine I could also lie and say I wasn't driving. Why would it be different?

Del2005

Brasso wrote: »

Yeah but the Gardai don't even really need proof, they just say you were holding a phone and a judge takes their word for it. You couldn't really hand out bans on that basis. Anyway driving down the motorway the wrong way doesn't carry anything like a severe penalty so we're a long way from such zero tolerance policys in Ireland.

Since the offence is holding a mobile phone why would the Gardaí prosecute for anything else? The word of a Garda has gotten people convicted of much more serious offences than holding a mobile phone.

The other legislation they brought in makes it illegal to text but not email or viber etc once it's mounted to the vehicle!

ironclaw wrote: »

The offence is against an individual, not the car. If they issued the fine to a reg number, the register owner may not have been driving or could lie if they were. Hence the case could be dismissed pretty sharpish.

You'll be stopped and given a grilling.

They could do the same as speeding, letter to registered owner to nominate who was driving. But stopping and confiscation would be better.

Brasso

Del2005 wrote: »

Since the offence is holding a mobile phone why would the Gardaí prosecute for anything else? The word of a Garda has gotten people convicted of much more serious offences than holding a mobile phone.

Oh I wasn't suggesting they prosecute for anything else. It's just the poster suchafunkymonke was saying there should be a ban for texting while driving, I think in that hypothetical situation they would possibly have to prosecute specifically for texting if that offence was being singled out.

slimjimmc

Del2005 wrote: »

Since the offence is holding a mobile phone why would the Gardaí prosecute for anything else? The word of a Garda has gotten people convicted of much more serious offences than holding a mobile phone.

The other legislation they brought in makes it illegal to text but not email or viber etc once it's mounted to the vehicle!



They could do the same as speeding, letter to registered owner to nominate who was driving. But stopping and confiscation would be better.

I don't think that's entirely correct.
The 2014 regulations ban using a mobile phone to send or read a text message, including e-mails, while driving. It doesn't matter if you're holding the phone, the phone is cradled or you're using a factory/after-market car kit that relies on your mobile phone to transmit messages.

“text message” includes an SMS, an MMS message and an email.

A built-in system that's independent of your mobile phone doesn't conform to the legal definition of a mobile phone or a hands-free device so is unregulated. However, although you can't be charged with an texting offence you might get done for careless or dangerous driving.

In the 2006 Act the definition of a mobile phone excludes hands-free devices but only in respect to the ban on holding the device. In other words it's legal to hold a hands-free device (e.g. a bluetooth headset/earpiece) but it is illegal to use any hands-free device (e.g car kit) for text messages.

“ hands-free device ” means a device designed so that when used in conjunction with a mobile phone there is no need for the user to hold the phone by hand;
:
:
“ mobile phone ” means a portable communication device, other than a two-way radio, with which a person is capable of making or receiving a call or performing an interactive communication function, but for the purposes of subsection (1) does not include a hands-free device;

“ portable ” in relation to a mobile phone, means the phone is designed or adapted to be carried by a person;