To think phone drivers should receive an immediate 3 month ban

[JacquesHarlow]

That's it. That's the thread.

In seriousness, I am sick to the back teeth of seeing people where I live (Surrey, before everyone says "oh I don't see any phone drivers where I live, OP) using their mobile phone while driving.

It's endemic here, but I suspect it's the same anywhere in the UK.

I'll start from worst to most serious:

• WhatsApp gap People in traffic slowing down to a crawl. They take their phone out and glance at it on their lap and start texting. Then the car takes off in front of them seconds before the light changes. Do they move forward? Do they heck. Now this isn't necessarily as dangerous as the next few examples, but it's bloody irritating when you're behind them, you can't move, and then the lights change. They're essentially saying "My time is more important than yours".

• Slow urban texting People using phones during slow urban driving. I see it every day - they're on a 30 mph road, its a two lane carriageway in town. They glance down to type, then up to maintain their progress before the next set of lights. It's disgusting, but they get away with it because it's a big enough road and no one is crossing at that point.

• Pulling out without looking People on our school run who literally are holding their phone to their ear or texting, AS THEY PULL OUT of the space. So they're not even looking or paying attention in case a child darts out (and before people say it, yeah I see children dart out all the time. It's wrong, it's not my fault, but their parents are.... guess what, on their phones while walking). These folk then get really angry if I or anyone else points it out, as if I'm deliberately victimising them.

• Motorway driving This one really gets my goat because of the speed. I have driven in lane 1, gone to change lane safely after indicating, only to find the person in front has suddenly slowed down inexplicably. I slow down myself, I check my speed, move around safely to 3, then indicate back across 2 and into 1. While doing that, I glance over... OF COURSE SHE'S TEXTING. I've even seen someone holding their phone on a video call (Christ wept).

My point is, why do any of these people deserve the luxury of six points?

I think there should be a 3 month ban for these folk.

.I'd like to hear their usual self-centred 'hardship' stories in court "I have to drive around my 3 year old and work, how do I do this now, I can't afford cabs?!"

I cannot stand the self centredness, the myopic " I can multitask" bullshit that exists around driving in this country. We've all got way too comfortable in these massive things, wandering around with our phone addictions, knowing there's not enough police to stop this.

If you're a driver and you do this? Shame on you! Seriously. I can't stand it. If either of my DDs were injured or killed by someone using their phone, I would be apoplectic with the pointlessness of it.

AIBU? I can't wait to hear how much I am "too invested, OP" by the usual apologists for this kind of thing.

As should red light jumpers. Why all traffic lights don’t have a camera is beyond me, it would raise billions, if my area is anything to go by.

This reminds me of that horrific video of a lorry driver who was watching a film and didn’t notice the cars in front had stopped at a hold up. Ploughed into the back of them, killed about 4 people. The police released the video from inside his cab- it was awful. They interviewed him too and he said he had to live with it for the rest of his life (as he bloody should but all so pointless.)

Again, no argument from me.

I'd like to hear their usual self-centred 'hardship' stories in court "I have to drive around my 3 year old and work, how do I do this now, I can't afford cabs?!"

I think you’re right about them being given a ban.

Coincidently, I heard something on the radio today about convicted benefit cheats having their license taken away. My first thought was that might hamper them getting work.

Maybe when people have committed these crimes but genuinely do need to drive for work or child care, they could be tagged so they would only be able to drive for those necessities.

That actually isn't the best idea, best to just put to silent.
Modern cars (post 2018) automatically alert emergency services via your phone signal if you are involved in a crash where the airbags go off, and they use this signal to find out your location so can send help.
I never knew about this until I went on a 'naughty drivers course' for doing 23mph in a 20 zone, and the instructor told us.

I do agree about phone users, most things can be done hands free now anyway, so don't see why anyone wouod need to use their phone when driving

But police aren't interested in dealing with traffic offences these days unless it's caused a serious accident or they're engaged in some kind of "initiative". Pointless having more and more punishments if the existing laws aren't being enforced.

That could be doable, their car reg could be linked to anpr network and an alert go off if they use the car outside certain times/areas.

Trouble is that both driving without a licence and driving without insurance are already ever growing offences. We need better enforcement and policing.

People can turn their phones off before they get in the car. Phones can be set to Do Not Disturb. My phone knows when it’s in a moving vehicle and isn’t useable. Well I haven’t tried to use it when the driving notification comes up but I don’t think it is

People can turn their phones off before they get in the car.

They're often needed for SatNav.
But obviously they should be set up hands free and extraneous notifications turned off.

I couldn’t do that I am autistic it would be far more dangerous to drive with an alarm than press stop alarm. Not everything is black and white.

So make sure the alarms are turned off and phone put into silent mode before driving then.

A ban and a really high fine would be a good deterrent for a lot of people I think. But there are those (normally the ones driving uninsured/already banned etc) that would just be unbothered. Hard to know how to stop it, especially as mentioned it can be an actual addiction, as they don't tend to respond well to rational deterrents.

Yes. It's so obvious when people are doing it.

Not noticing lights change or a queue moving.
Face lighting up.
Constant bobbing of the head.

You're WhatsApp chat isn't more important than someone's life

You say we. Did the non deliver infirm the police?

why not turn the phone off when driving ?

Because I'm playing music/podcast through it.

A momentary glance at the phone to turn off an alarm isn't any worse than sorting the heating out or turning to shout at your kids to shut up.

Reducing the number of people using a handheld for a phone/video call, or texting is important. But the numbers of accidents caused by this is low compared to the number caused by poor driving generally.

Everyone here who is fixating on phone use, what have you done in the last 5 years to sharpen your driving skills? Because if you've done nothing, you're far more likely to kill someone than the person in front of you in a queue checking their phone.

Autism doesn’t put you above the law- fact. Your autism isn’t an excuse for dangerous driving. From what you have written here you should not be driving at all if you can’t manage to control phone use whilst at the wheel. You need to hand in your driving licence today. What if an alarm went off in your car for a mechanical problem? You couldn’t cope because of your autism. Please do not risk the lives of others and hand your driving licence in now.

Oh for god's sake, I knew we'd have this eventually.

Let's go point for point here:

A momentary glance at the phone to turn off an alarm isn't any worse than sorting the heating out or turning to shout at your kids to shut up.

The majority of heating controls (if they are a knob, a jog wheel or a button) are designed to be used without needing to take your eye off the road.

Yes in some cars in the last 5 years, this involves touching a screen or going into a sub menu. However this is LEGAL to do this. I still think it's a distraction too far, but it's legal.

What you are describing, however inconvenient it is to hear an alarm, is still illegal unless you pull over, and turn it off.

Everyone in these examples always "cannot pull over", but my point is, it is this kind of lax thinking which leads to it starting with the alarm, and ending with swiping on a phone call, or silencing a message. Every time you look down while the car is moving to touch your phone, you're taking your eyes off the road. The time it takes to travel in metres while you're doing that... FFS it's clear it's not good.

As for the 'shout at your kids to shut up", that's not mandatory either while driving! I have DCs, I don't turn my head to speak to them. I just speak - and they listen. I will not endanger them, and others, on the principle that somehow as a mother I "have to " turn my head to address them. It just isn't happening.

Reducing the number of people using a handheld for a phone/video call, or texting is important. But the numbers of accidents caused by this is low compared to the number caused by poor driving generally.

You have the stats on this @BoredZelda ? You sure?

In the US the National Safety Council reports approximately 1.6 million crashes are caused annually by drivers using cell phones and texting.

What do you count as "poor driving generally"? For me, number 1 on that list is distraction.

Everyone here who is fixating on phone use, what have you done in the last 5 years to sharpen your driving skills?

This is 'whatabouttery' of the finest order.

People don't need to 'do things to sharpen their driving skills'. They just need to stop doing the things which blunt their reaction times. That means putting down the fucking PHONE.

Because if you've done nothing, you're far more likely to kill someone than the person in front of you in a queue checking their phone.

This is so absurd that it doesn't even warrant a response. Just put your bloody phone down when you drive.

Actually I've just realised, this thread is pointless.

The people who have decided that a "bit of minor phone use is ok, and what about the people who speed and weave about they're the ones who cause all the accidents"... they won't be convinced otherwise.

The speeding is a tricky one because there's a huge difference between accidentally doing 33 in a 30 and 80 in a 40.

But on the whole I agree

Immediate ban if the car is moving but if your handbrake is engaged I think it's different. At the moment the law doesn't differentiate between the two

Right ok clearly missing the point about autism, maybe I should have clarified I also have ADHD. Must be great to live in a perfect world where you never forget you have an alarm. The reason I have alarms is because I forget things ffs.
As for silencing you do realise the vast majority of phones are also used as a sat nav,

Oh get a grip of yourself , hand in my licence. I find the noise of an alarm distracting taking my hand of the wheel to press a phone on my windscreen as it’s a sat nav is safer and takes less time that changing gear or turning on full beam for example. An alarm blaring away in a motorway until and exit was found would distract anyone. I just find it distressing also. I have been driving for two decades never had a single point, never made a phone call or sent a text whilst driving , I don’t speed, have any accidents, hog the middle lane. I do maybe twice a year press a button on my windscreen.

Yes this, I really wish they would crack down on it. How is there any excuse for it? What can be so important that can’t just wait for 10 minutes until you reach your destination or find a safe place to stop.

I agree. But I think the problem with this, as with so many other common offences, is that there are already laws in place that are rarely enforced.

More laws/harsher punishments won't work if nobody bothers to actually enforce them...