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.

This is what the increased use of facial recognition, CCTV and AI is supposed to tackle. The less noticeable offences, but that can cause a fatal accident.

Life time bans please...

And hefty hefty fines that if you can't afford to pay, your car is sold and prison time at 1 year per £500 makes it he difference.

Same for speeding. Any more than 5mph over limit, life ban and hefty hefty, life destroying fines.

I agree.

I love how very restrictive inbuilt CarPlay etc systems are. However there seems to be a growth of knock off systems that allow YouTube and Netflix - I saw taxi drivers in Brighton with them at the weekend.

A longer ban, I would also have the phone company have to terminate the contract and not be allowed to provide one to the person for a period of time, and the phone number not be able to re-used.

Denying someone their phone number would be a great inconvenience to many people.

Dangerous drivers such as yourself think that they are above the law. Autism doesn’t give a magic law to interact with your phone on the motorway - yes you wrote it motorway!! Drivers such as yourself are a disgrace. No thought for the safety of others. There are simple solutions but you can’t be bothered and btw it’s a disgrace that you use disability as an excuse. No wonder people with autism get a bad name when people like yourself use this as an excuse for selfish dangerous to others behaviour.

I rather see an instant 2 week ban, the car being driven taken away at the drivers cost and given back when the 2 weeks is up

the reason for 2 weeks is

its just enough to use annual leave to get about and hopefully make someone value their licence and realise its a privelege to drive and not a right

subsequent times then 3 months and 6 months

same with speeding

what is really frustrating is their is technology to prevent phones being used int he drivers seat, the speeding technology is coming in now to cars - but why isn't the former just used but he manufactures

new cars won't do this though, you will need to purposely push the accelarator harder to break the speed limit

I rather see an instant 2 week ban, the car being driven taken away at the drivers cost and given back when the 2 weeks is up

Who said anything about giving it up ? Crush it or sell it.

If people can't use things properly, they don't deserve them. No one has any god given right to own a car or drive it on public land.

What the fuck is this batshittery?
Of course you shouldn't look at your phone if you're driving. But if you're stuck on the M8 for two hours or in a massive traffic queue, why shouldn't a person be able to glance at their phone without a massive ban and fine?

I would love to see certain MN mums arguing about their casual glance at their phone with a police officer, because it was all about the children.

What is frustrating is the technology for handsfree (which is another evil, but that's for another day) has been around since I first made a point of getting a bluetooth phone and headset in 2006 - 19 fucking years ago. So seeing some cunt whizzing past in 2025 with a phone clamped to their ear really does speak volumes.

Even in 2010, my phone had a "driving mode" which disabled it from ringing when paired with the cars bluetooth.

I’m concerned about anyone driving when they seem to have such anger issues. Chill champ chill.

If you think it’s such a problem write to your local MP about making the penalty harsher.

I do find it very bizarre how the law works though - Uber drivers for example can use their phone when it’s driving because it’s suction cupped to the window.

Min 6 months ban plus min £1000 fine. Lose your licence if it’s on a motorway. Those are the ONLY sort of penalties that will make people think twice.

Drink drive limit should be ZERO and drink driving offences should always get a prison sentence.

We are far, far too soft on all of these offences. I see people using phones whilst driving nearly every day (outer London), it’s an absolute disgrace.

Motorways are the safest roads to drive on I believe. Surely the penalty should be harsher in built up areas where there are likely to be pedestrians and cyclists to injure?

Drink drive limit of ZERO would see people banned for using cough syrup.

I do find it very bizarre how the law works though - Uber drivers for example can use their phone when it’s driving because it’s suction cupped to the window.

Phone ? You mean phones. One per exploitative mispelled platform ....

Where are these prisons coming from? Are they the fantasy drinky prisons?

Police were doing spot checks and pulling people over near me yesterday. The number of people up in arms about on our local Facebook page was astounding. One guy complained he had been pulled over for driving with maps open on his phone on his lap and looking down to check it as he was driving. He literally couldn’t understand the danger. The number of comments from people saying it was a waste of police time and they should be out solving crimes amazed me. It’s clearly prolific.

I see it all the time. When I used to be able to walk the school run it was awful. The number of times I didn’t know if I should cross or not because the driver wouldn’t have seen us. These drivers would be scrolling Facebook, watching TikTok videos. Just clueless as to what is going on.
Motorways and dual carriageway traffic seems to be the worst for it. All these bikes whizzing past.

people can’t put the blinking things down

appreciate I’m writing on mine, but I’m in living room with a cuppa

That’s not the point is it? You could say the same about all the rapists, burglars, fraudsters we need to jail, not enough cells for them either. That’s the government’s problem to solve. The point is that people won’t stop with this selfish, entitled fuckery until a few of them go to jail for it and it deters others.

OP. I live in Surrey and agree with all your points.

We must clamp down and clamp hard on careless and dangerous driving. I'm sick of it and the entitled fuckery around car use and endless complaints over sitting in traffic that abound on our local socials. You are the traffic!

I do drive, but will walk and use train if it is for shorter journeys to ease pressure on roads and parking.

I'd raise £££ if I was in charge of traffic management! Junction blickers, red light jumpers and phone users. You're on my list.

The only way to get selfish twats to mend their ways is through harsh penalties.

I think it will come, I only to reduce driver numbers

you've misunderstood - I didn't mean the phone - I meant the car

who owns the car?

I get massively pissed off when I drive past another driver who is looking at their phone. Or one that is looking at their phone during a 30-1min queue.
But it's stupid and pointless to shriek about people checking their phone in a massive, stagnant line of traffic or in a gridlock on a motorway.

I'd like cars to be seized during the ban period
Bans are regularly flouted

Very much agree with this, @Mojo; as you suggest it's one thing to ban someone and quite another to stop them driving

Personally I'd give a 2yr or lifetime ban. 10% of drivers are on their phones, I walk and spot them all the bloody time.

No one ever needs to check a phone while driving. Wait and pull over. Even life or death isn't a reason to do it.