Using a phone cradle while driving - question?

FrStone

I notice that alot of taxi drivers use a phone cradle to hold their mobile phone so they can use Hailo apps etc.

Is this legal?

Seems strange that you can't hold a phone while driving, but put it in a cradle and you can use various apps etc.

Homer

As far as I am aware the legislation currently specifically mentions holding a phone in your hand so technically interacting with the phone whilst in a cradle may not be the safest thing to be doing while driving it is not illegal!

biko

It's actually mentioned here
http://www.rsa.ie/en/Utility/News/2014/New-penalties-for-texting-while-driving-come-into-force-on-Thursday/

me_irl

http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Campaigns/Mobile%20Phone/RSA_Mobile_DL.pdf

Using a hands-free kit with your phone is not
illegal, but it will stop you concentrating for a short
time when you use your mobile phone and this
puts other people using the road at risk. You could
be prosecuted for dangerous driving, careless
driving or driving without due care and attention
because of this. And you could also have your
licence endorsed or even lose your licence.

I think this law is "circumvented" by the device being on the dash.

The driver is still focusing on the road and has to make minimal interactions with it, as you would your radio.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Using a hands-free kit with your phone is not
illegal, but it will stop you concentrating for a short
time when you use your mobile phone and this
puts other people using the road at risk. You could
be prosecuted for dangerous driving, careless
driving or driving without due care and attention
because of this. And you could also have your
licence endorsed or even lose your licence.


Excuse my language but what an utter crock of shíte!

Entertainment/infotainment systems in modern cars are considerably more of a distraction. I was driving a friends 2013 Audi A4 recently and even changing the fan speed was a challenge and meant staring at that stupid screen to see what the hell was going on. A phone in a cradle on the dash is a considerably less distraction and at least the phone is on a plane with where you should be looking and so easier to glance at momentarily.

me_irl

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Excuse my language but what an utter crock of shíte!

Entertainment/infotainment systems in modern cars are considerably more of a distraction. I was driving a friends 2013 Audi A4 recently and even changing the fan speed was a challenge and meant staring at that stupid screen to see what the hell was going on. A phone in a cradle on the dash is a considerably less distraction and at least the phone is on a plane with where you should be looking and so easier to glance at momentarily.

Completely agree that newer car dashboards have more buttons than the bridge of the Enterprise and hence are more distracting.

I think the RSA documentation hasn't been updated to reflect this (if at all?). The less "bells and whistles" in the car the better.

Hang on... heated seats you say? Hmm..

biko

Well, the RSA can't say "you can't have a car with many buttons or a screen".
They can however say you can't be using or holding a mobile device while driving.

Apparently the old "keep your eyes on the road" doesn't work with people today.

As for texting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjSWDwJILs

ironclaw

Wasn't this law complemented by another, albeit later revised, that you couldn't send or recieve data from the device which effectively barred you from using it?

GM228

ironclaw wrote: »

Wasn't this law complemented by another, albeit later revised, that you couldn't send or recieve data from the device which effectively barred you from using it?

The law is as follows:-

1. You can't cradle a phone with any part of your body.

And the later laws:-

2. You can't send a SMS, MMS or e-mail.

3. You can't read a SMS, MMS or e-mail.


2 and especially 3 are difficult to enforce.

OldMrBrennan83

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TheDoc

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Was just going to say. I have my texts read out via the cars radio by my phone, and can dictate back by voice. Works surprisingly well now. When it first came out it was garbage mind you.

Don't have any major need for it, just handy if the misses asks me to pick something up for kids or in the shops on the way home.

Typically my phone interaction (held in a cradle) is swopping through playlists on spotify. As mentioned above though, practically unenforceable and you're probably awfully stupid or unlucky to ever get done by that law