Mobile Phone Hands Free Kits, Legal?

Spunog UIE

Mmmm,

just wonderin if these are legal now or what, i remember that law came out that said ya weren't allowed have a mobile on or around ur person. Did they review this yet or what. Tis all fluffy and up in the air law, but did it affect the hands free kit.

Got me car and wanted to get one for a Nokia 3310, so where be the best place to get them and how much should one be paying. Ahh i'll go look myself now, mainly interest in the legalities

Cheers,
Alo.

rymus

afaik they are legal, but theres something stupid slapped onto that like you have to pull over to the side of the road before you use your handsfree. I think if u use a handsfree while driving you might still be done for driving without due care or attention.

sceptre

Can't really add anything to the legalities that rymus hasn't said (currently they're legal but this may change) - with regard to buying one Carphone Warehouse are advertising some kind of "one fits all" at the moment.

Might be cheaper (it so often is with these things) to get one online. I'll poke through my bookmarks and see if I can find somewhere.

Bard

Did they review this yet or what.

It was never actually passed into law and it has been delayed until next year. As it stands (afaik), it's still legal to use a mobile phone in a car (hands free or not) because the law has simply not been updated here yet.

i.e.: You cannot currently be prosecuted for simply "using a mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle". You'd have to be charged with "dangerous driving" or "reckless endangerment" and it would have to be proved that you were driving dangerously without necessarily quoting the use of the phone as a cause of the dangerous driving.

I have a fundamental problem with those who actually hold mobile phones to their heads while driving. Use a bloody hands-free kit, ffs.

Spunog UIE

Hey, cool, just what i needed to know.

Thx,
Alo.

yop

Does a head piece qualify as a Handfree?

phone is not in my hands

highlight

It's got to be a fixed (i.e installed with microphones, aerials etc) type. A head piece or clip on hand free won't be enough.

Bard

Originally posted by highlight
It's got to be a fixed (i.e installed with microphones, aerials etc) type. A head piece or clip on hand free won't be enough.

says who? (i.e.: can you back this up with a reference)

a.f.a.i.k. there's nothing illegal yet about even using the phone without a hands-free kit (nevermind rules about what type of hands-free kit is or isn't allowed) as the legislation hasn't actually been passed into law yet and won't be until next year.

Mind you, I can't back that up, it's just something I'd heard on the radio news.

Can anyone give us some sort of (definitive) source reference as regards what is legal and what is not when it comes to the use of mobile phones in cars?

Atomic Pineapple

as far as i know it did come into legislation when it was all over the news but the garda haven't yet put it into practice because they haven't had time to review the full implications of the legislation.

full hands free kits are still legal, its illegal to have a mobile phone on its own swithed on in your hand, in your pocket or lying around the car.

I'm 95% sure thats right there