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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

My colleague has been reported to school for using her mobile whilst driving?

126 replies

scottishegg · 21/05/2015 19:01

Hi all a teacher at my daughters local school was driving through the local town apparently on her phone when driving and has been reported to our headteacher by another parent the head has taken no further action but just informed her she was seen ( she hasn't yet confirmed or denied this) It was on a weekend in her own vehicle (no one else was in the car)

Who's being unreasonable? The parent for reporting it or the staff member for doing it?

OP posts:
meglet · 22/05/2015 12:53

jossie it's harder to tell if someone is speeding. but very easy to tell if someone is breaking the law on their phone.

or you can just holler at them them like me. I've called out neighbours driving off on their phones.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/05/2015 13:28

LazyLouLou - I absolutely agree that it is no-one's business, if a teacher stays up late drinking and dancing - I assume that, in this instance, it wasn't affecting how the teacher did her job. It would be different if a teacher was staying out late, getting drunk every night, and the subsequent hangovers and fatigue were affecting how they did their job - but I'd expect to get short shrift from a head teacher if I complained that Miss X or Mr Y was out late, partying on one occasion.

I can see the justification for contacting the head teacher in the example the OP gives - the police might not be able to do anything unless they witnessed the behaviour, whereas the head could say, 'Look - X alleges they have seen you on your phone whilst driving - if this is true, can I suggest that, as it is dangerous behaviour, you shouldn't do it again'.

And given how dangerous it is, to use your phone/text whilst driving, I wish there was something I could do, when I witness it - the same goes for all dangerous driving.

Drivers must be aware that they are in control of a deadly weapon. A lapse in concentration could be all it takes for them to mow down a cyclist, a motorcyclist or a pedestrian, or to drift out of their lane, causing another driver to have to swerve - maybe causing a multiple pile up. Which is worse - shopping someone to their employer/boss/the police, or them going on to kill or seriously injure someone?

We live in a world where mobile phones have become a vital part of every day life, and where cars have become much easier to drive - all of which has combined to make some people think it is OK - and safe enough - for them to use their phones whilst driving. But we also live in a world where cars are faster, and where there is so much more traffic, which means that driving requires a lot of concentration - and using your phone/texting reduces that concentration dangerously.

Jessica2point0 · 22/05/2015 13:39

I wouldn't think it was appropriate to report illegal activity to a person's manager unless the person was actually at work at the time.

If I saw the nurse from my GP surgery on the phone while driving I wouldn't think of reporting her to the practice manager.

Driving while on the phone is dangerous and illegal, but I'd only report someone to their manager if they were doing it while workings or on business premises.

sonjadog · 22/05/2015 13:50

The car was stationary? So the teacher was texting while sitting in a car that wasn't moving?

There is no complaint here to be made. I hope the HT told your busybody friend to mind her own business.

SoupDragon · 22/05/2015 13:52

It is illegal to use a phone even when the car is stationary.

SoupDragon · 22/05/2015 13:53

Stationary as in at a red light or in traffic, not when it's parked, obviously.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/05/2015 13:53

I an understand what you are saying, Jessica, but I can also understand why someone would want to do something, anything, about someone driving dangerously, but might not want to approach the person directly.

Is it more appropriate to turn a blind eye to dangerous driving, that could lead to someone being killed?

I don't think there is an easy answer, but I tend towards the opinion that doing something about such dangerous behaviour is better than doing nothing.

If I saw someone I knew driving whilst using their phone, I would rather do something, even if it was not necessarily appropriate, than to learn later on that they had caused an accident, and hurt or killed someone. I know that their dangerous behaviour is their responsibility, but I would still feel some guilt.

LazyLouLou · 22/05/2015 13:55

Why am I getting a lecture about something I have not remotely tried to defend? Weird!

PrettyInPinkPan · 22/05/2015 13:56

Stationary cars move eventually. With phones still in hot little hands. The car needs to be switched off and, I think, key (or card) removed to show it isn't under your control.

Miggsie · 22/05/2015 13:59

Using a mobile in a car is illegal and you can be prosecuted for it.
I was on my bike this morning and was nearly run over by a car driven by a woman who was looking down at her mobile and not at the road.

My company has an unbelievably fiercely worded policy about mobile use while driving - it is a disciplinary offence.

jossiesGiants1 · 22/05/2015 14:31

No-one is defending the teacher for being on the phone, but you simply cant go around telling tales on anyone you see breaking the law whilst driving.

People speed, jump Red lights, drive with no tax, no insurance, not wearing seatbelts, kids not wearing belts.. the list is endless, you cant go around picking on a teacher purely because you recognise the face.

angelos02 · 22/05/2015 14:43

What is she was drinking a can of lager while driving? That is how abhorrent I think using your mobile phone is while driving.

tiggytape · 22/05/2015 14:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LazyLouLou · 22/05/2015 14:51

It would have been fine, maybe should be thought of as mandatory, if she had been reported to the police.

It is just the mentality of "Oh, she is a teacher, I'll call her boss' that rankles.

tiggytape · 22/05/2015 14:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jossiesGiants1 · 22/05/2015 14:53

Angel -ill say it again as you obviously are not reading the whole thread.. No one is saying that using your phone while driving is a good thing, but you simply can't go around snitching on a teacher because you happen to recognise her. We don't even know if it was true or a parent being malicious

Jessica2point0 · 22/05/2015 14:55

genius, if the person who saw her knows who she is then speak to her directly. Snitching to her boss is pathetic really. Talk to the woman involved or, if you think it is serious enough, talk to the police. The only time it is appropriate to mention it to their boss is if it directly involves the person's job.

I don't actually agree that teachers should be held to some mythical 'higher standard'. Everyone should obey the law and nobody should drive dangerously. Teachers should have EXACTLY the same standards of behaviour as everyone else.

As I said, if you wouldn't report your nurse / fire-fighter / person who serves alcohol in the local co-op to their boss, then it is seriously unfair to report the teacher.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/05/2015 15:28

LazyLouLou - I am really sorry if you felt I was lecturing you - that was not my intention. I was thinking out loud, about the issue.

Jessica - I can understand why someone might not want to speak to the person directly - in case they are faced with aggression.

And I am not arguing that teachers should be held to a higher standard - but that everyone should be held to the same standards, when're safe driving is concerned.

As I said, I don't think there is an easy answer - I don't know for sure what I would do if I saw a teacher/firefighter/shop worker/whatever whom I knew, driving and texting/using their phone - because I have never been in that position. But what if I turned a blind eye, and did/said nothing, and the person caused an accident whilst texting? I don't know if I could live with that.

LazyLouLou · 22/05/2015 15:32

Smile Sorry. I deal with a lot of that at work and am probably typing here a polite version of what I would like to say to the next parent who rings asking about taking kids out early today as it is a bank holiday on Monday!

I wouldn't mind but it isn't really my job, but the department has "Information" in its title and many people just push our number on the automated system Smile

I really want to scream ODFOD... loudly, repeatedly... with hand gestures Blush

morethanpotatoprints · 22/05/2015 15:36

I don't know why she didn't report to the Police.
Obviously knew her name even if she didn't know the plate.
I know this is what I would do as it's unsafe and she could cause an accident or kill somebody.
Maybe she didn't want to get her into trouble but wanted it noted.

LurkingHusband · 22/05/2015 15:56

My company has an unbelievably fiercely worded policy about mobile use while driving - it is a disciplinary offence.

Life has an ever harsher penalty for mobile use while driving. It's called death.

Usually somebody elses Sad.

ladydepp · 22/05/2015 16:06

I can see both sides of this, but at least she will hopefully not do it again.

It makes me RAGE when I see people on their phones while driving, anything that will stop them doing it is a bonus.

A friend of mine saw another friend's nanny chatting on phone while driving and quite rightly (IMO) reported it to the parents (unsure whether kids were in the car or not). Nanny still working there but hopefully the parents gave her an earful.

Gabilan · 22/05/2015 19:55

"The car was stationary? So the teacher was texting while sitting in a car that wasn't moving?
There is no complaint here to be made"

It isn't a question of whether the car is moving or not. It's whether you are in charge of the car. If you're in it, with the keys, you're in charge of it. And it's fucking pain in the neck if someone is in charge of a car and isn't looking at what's going on around them. It's why so many idiots have accidents as they move off.

People make the same mistake about being drunk in charge of your car as well www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15675623

I don't know why people go on the roads without knowing the law or whether or not they're even breaking it.

alrayyan · 23/05/2015 10:01

I have just been told that to renew my istamara (like mot and tax) in 2016 I will need to have a blocker device installed in my car so no signal inside car. We already have to have an alarm that beeps constantly if you go above the speed limit. The traffic is hideous and bloody dangerous and the beeper haven't had a huge effect on the speeding. However the phone thing is a big deal, it's looked upon a bit like drink driving or parking in a disabled space and could be a huge fine and potential day in the police station so who knows, I will report back Smile

TiggyD · 23/05/2015 10:12

She may have been using her phone as a Dictaphone which is legal. (The Jimmy Carrr defence). Hope the woman can prove she was talking or texting on her phone, otherwise she might get sued.