to get very aggrannoyed at people who are STILL using mobile phones whilst driving ?

[vienna1981]

l saw two of them this afternoon within seconds of each other. Both age twenty-something. A young man steering round the roundabout one-handed with his phone clamped to his ear. Then a young woman busy texting, Facebooking while she trundled towards the traffic lights. BTW I WAS concentrating on my own driving.

It gets right up my nose. Do these selfish twats think the law doesn't apply to them ? Or do they think they're invincible ?

DP rather enjoys knocking on the window of people driving while talking or texting without a hands-free kit. Loads of slow moving traffic in our town during rush hour with people pissing around on their phone. A nice slow tap followed by pressing his warrant card up against the window. Tends to actually get a very sudden ashamed reaction and the phone put away (as opposed to anyone have a go at him) - I suspect it's because people are so tuned in to looking for officers in uniform, they don't like the realisation that in theory anyone could be an officer who could have a go at you for it.

It's a shame there's not enough time and police to hugely crack down on it. It's so ludicrously dangerous.

I'd be up for a change in the law so that a decent snap of an offender, with reg number, is enough for a fine, with 10% going to the snapper.

My dashcam could make money .

I think the fine should be 3 points and a huge £1000 or so - or you can turn up at the police station later showing them you have had a hands-free device fitted and avoid the £1000. Second offence - £1000+.

YANBU, dropping the kids off at school this morning I saw a woman in her car, parked half up on the pavement right next to entrance of school, on the phone whilst pulling out, the place was swarming with little dc and I felt so angry, though she didn't see me glaring because she wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her - stupid bitch.

I have friends and family who will all eschew the use of mobile phones and then happily spend as much time not looking at the road around them while they check/watch their satnav or play with the settings.

Give it 10 years.........

They should be charged with dangerous driving. Some people are so obsessed with their bloody phones they cannot be parted from them for 5 minutes. Even the thought that they could cause a serious accident doesn't deter them.

It irrates me beyond belief. There is NO excuse. Every time I'm in the car i see it, I've seen lorry drivers, bus drivers all sorts.

If you kill someone or injure them, chances are your doing time AND living with that forever. Why risk it, i just don't get it?

People shouldn't do it. (I don't for the avoidance of doubt)

However, the responses here are ridiculously over the top.

Using a phone in close to stationary traffic is not very dangerous. It should not face punishments at the dangerous driving level regardless of whether the driving was actually dangerous. If it was, then existing legislation is sufficient.

I support the existing 3pts level for mobile use with no aggravating circumstances - it seems proportionate to treat it at the same level as speeding.

The idea of casually accepting an East-German style Stasi system of reporting others for such a trivial offence is chilling.

No, yadnbu. It's fucks me right off. Was driving home down a busy 50mph road, twisty, prone to deer jumping out, cyclists. 3 people in a row on their mobiles, one hand on the wheel. I agree with pp that the punishment should be much more severe.

In the mags' courts we sometimes hear of people whose excuse was "I was only texting" - in my court the fine goes up 50%. Worse than talking. We can still only give three points, alas.

And I once had a totter with four lots of three points - all earned if that's the word by phoning while driving. The Last to Get the Message?

Can I just make the point that it's not always illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving, although in the vast majority of cases it is.

yanbu. I've yelled at neighbours who have tried to drive off on their phones.

This is one of my bugbears too. A couple of weeks back DH and I were in the car and the car in front of us was driving at 20 in a 40 zone and veering all over the place. We could see she was just looking in her lap. We passed and she had her phone in her hand and ear plugs in and was looking down at it. I gestured to her (not rudely, ... I put my hand up like a phone against my ear and mouthed 'get off the phone!') and she then proceeded to tailgate us all the way home and then abuse us in our driveway. So I called the police. two days later the nice cop called back and said they had spoken to her and she claimed ot NOT be using her phone but to be listening to music on her i-phone.

Like that makes a difference.

People who drink and drive or use their phones are stupid, selfish twats and deserve the book thrown at them IMO.

ANd to think I got flamed on here when I came on and asked if IWBU to have challenged a lad who followed me for 2 miles (negotiating 3 roundabouts and a left and right turn) and ended up at the same destination as me. I had politely suggested to him that he should invest in a hands free kit if he wished to use his phone whilst driving - only to get a mouthful of abuse off him and a load of "butt out and mind your own" off some Mumsnetters.

Using a phone in close to stationary traffic is not very dangerous
I think its incredibly dangerous when you are creeping along. The driver won't be paying attention, pedestrians could cross in front but the phone user doesn't notice, bikes roaring up, on motorways people changing lanes last minute. Admittedly a low speed crash tends to cause less damage, but why risk it?

I caught another clueless motorist once in the same spot as the stupid woman I mentioned previously. On this occasion our hero was negotiating his mouth around a Cornish pasty, phone tucked under his chin ( goodness knows what he sounded like to the person on the other end), driving slowly down the cobbles and not even wearing his seat belt. A prize knob if ever there was one.

Why is failure to wear a seat belt not an endorsable offence ?
Taxi and van drivers beware. And another thing. Why do some drivers set off and THEN put their bloody seat belt on ?

Why is failure to wear a seat belt not an endorsable offence?

I guess because it is an offence which can be committed by a non-driver in the passenger seat.

Thanks Andrew. I may be wrong but I believe the driver is at fault if the passengers fail to wear their seat belts.

Bunbaker - using bluetooth is legal for now so I wouldn't have a go at you for it but studies have shown that it is not the same as talking to a passenger, it is almost as dangerous as holding the phone.

Interestingly it becomes safer if the person you are talking to is watching video footage of the road around you and your face (and you know that they are doing so). The exact reason isn't known but it is thought that a driver feels able to ignore the person they are talking to and focus on something happening in the road if they don't need to explain why.

Study link

Drivers are only responsible for themselves and minors under 14, passengers over 14 are responsible for themselves legally.

"Incredibly dangerous"

Really? Someone not paying full attention at 2mph is "incredibly" dangerous?

It's not a good idea but is pretty mild compared to a lot of what I see on the road. The hyperbole really obscures the message.

Thankyou miniavenger. I rarely carry passengers but for the academic interest.

Handsoff7

Is it often a case of going along at a consistent 2mph for multiple minutes, though? If you're driving in town it's more likely to be a case of stop, start, perhaps getting up to 15-20mph, then slowing down for lights, pedestrians, cars turning etc. Personally I find it takes a lot more focus to deal with driving in a busy town at around 20mph than to drive on a big empty road at 60mph.