Driving while on phone

madmac187

madmac187 wrote: »

Hello all, I wasn’t driving while on the phone but had phone in hand as it fell on floor of van at lights, just a question, to get fined by guards do they have to stop you? Guarda van pulled up beside me, just wondered is all.

I was curious about this myself recently so went digging. You can't interact with your phone whatsoever while driving. Even while stopped in traffic. The gardaí can fine you for using it while at a red light. Even if it is mounted. Whatever you need to do with it (satnav, taxi app, start a call) should be done before you have set off. You can use the hands-free to talk on the phone, but you mustn't interact with the phone to take the call unless you are pulled in. You can take off again once the call has started. I'm not arsed finding the source again but that's the conclusion I came to.

begbysback

It used to be seen as “On the phone whilst driving” now it seems we spend so much time on the phone it’s considered “Driving whilst on the phone”

Sent from iPhone

kirving

Alun wrote: »

There's been plenty of research done on this in the UK, using driving simulators and eye monitoring to prove how distracting it is. No need for the RSA to duplicate this when TRL, the UK's Transport Research Lab has already done it.

Agreed, of course there's no need to duplicate it.

I meant more generally in the second part of my post. We should absolutely be challenging the introduction of legislation (on any topic) without satisfactory evidence. Some politicians and quangos mistake more regulation for progress.

ie: lowering drink driving limits catches people the following morning and boots detection rates. It doesn't solve the problem of young lads rolling a car with 4 of their makes at 3am on a backroad.


Equally, "holding a mobile phone" and the rule on texting is a fudge of a law that lets people scroll Facebook in a holder, but can catch people who lift a ringing phone to silence it.

Comhrá

OSI wrote: »

They should never be allowed speed, run red lights or break any traffics laws either. I'm sure all the people that are waiting on the Garda to respond to a crime in progress will understand it's for the greater good of avoiding hypocrisy that they had to wait while the Gard's were stuck in traffic.

Not sure what point you're trying to make. A garda driving a car with one hand on the wheel and a phone to his/her ear while trying to conduct their business has to be creating as much of a hazard due to distraction as anyone else.

wonski

Comhra wrote: »

Not sure what point you're trying to make. A garda driving a car with one hand on the wheel and a phone to his/her ear while trying to conduct their business has to be creating as much of a hazard due to distraction as anyone else.

Yet all the drivers I pass that are on the phone are not Garda, strange. Mostly van drivers, truck drivers, women, men.... Pretty much everyone.

Usually driving all over the place and at random speeds. I don't mine the fines, the more the better

bucketybuck

Kevin Irving wrote: »

We don't need to wait for people to die to prove it's dangerous.

Except that according to post #9, its seems we actually do.