Using mobile phone when driving

[40andnotsofabulous]

Hoping I can get some advice. I received letter this morning asking me to confirm if I was driver earlier this week on set road at set time as I had apparently been using my mobile phone.

It was definitely me driving and I was on phone at that time- checked records and I was on a works teams call. However, my phone set up is blue tooth to come through car, and as it was a phone call I can’t see why I would have been touching my phone at all (it sits in the central bit of car). I don’t play with phone in car, but even still I have double-checked messages etc and as I expected there is nothing sent. Am a bit confused- unless I literally moved the phone, but even the am not sure why I would.

The letter doesn’t give other details or say what the evidence is. I don’t want to dispute if it’s true, but I also don’t want to say I am guilty without checking it.

has anyone been in this situation? Do they send the photo or evidence after you confirm you are driver?

Posting in AIBU for traffic. Fully appreciate if using phone while driving then it is unreaonable behaviour and so makes sense to get the fine, but this is not what I am disputing! Thanks in advance.

If you've never touched your phone while driving, you'll know you're in the clear.

So it doesn't really matter.

You wont remember every little touch of the phone, perhaps it went wonky and you straightened it, perhaps you wanted a different screen on if you were using it as a sat nav so tapped it, could be any number of things

I refuse to use a phone in the car, dont have blue tooth, dont have hands free. Dont use it as sat nav

It's just asking you to confirm that you were the driver, which you were, so you need to confirm that (which is not the same thing as admitting you are guilty). Then they'll send you the evidence.

Edited to add: I've never been in this situation but that's how it worked when I was caught on a speed camera.

You probably tapped the screen or adjusted something on the phone without realising.

Thanks- useful to know. I have filled in the form already to confirm I was driver at that time, I just need to send tomorrow.

Good to know they send you the evidence, at least then I ca understand as I have no recollection of using phone at all

We're on autopilot when we drive, thats the problem. Its completely normal just to lean forward and tap it, straighten it, move it, whatever.

Probably right, just very frustrating

I don't drive, but I will answer DHs phone for him, so how would they know ?

Presumably they would be able to see if there was a passenger.

Often it will be a unmarked police car or HGV cab that can see into cars

If your work is obliging you to be on a Teams call when you are driving, I think they are failing in their health and safety responsibilities. Especially if driving is part of the working day.

A teams video call? With info on a screen etc? Or just talking which would be no more different than taking a hand free phone call

My work doesn’t oblige me to, but sometimes I just don’t have enough time to fit in all the Teams call I have to be in.

Normal call- no different to usual phone call. Video and screen share have to be activated and I don’t that when driving, I just press accept on my steering wheel and then drive and talk.

To the person saying not to take calls when driving, that’s very difficult to avoid when I also have duties as a parent for school drop off and I work different time zones. It’s very common for people to be on calls during commutes

It’s one thing to make a quick call using Bluetooth or Apple CarPlay to say your on your way home or to work or whatever but surely a Teams call for a work meeting means you can’t fully concentrate on driving safely, no wonder you don’t remember if you touched your phone or not. Does your employer know you join meetings while driving?

Of course my employer knows. Taking calls, be it to your husband or your girlfriends for a chat, or for work makes no difference. It’s over Bluetooth and legal. I also think when you see people driving, a huge number of people are talking on phone.

If this was a video call, or looking on screens then I completely agree with your point, but a call where you are talking and listening… how is that different to a personal call?

I think most people don't take long personal calls either

I remember sending an email at work once about this and about how I will refuse to have hands free and I linked to some research showing how the risk of accidents increase using a hands free phone in line with alcohol use (cant remember the level of alcohol use)

Im viewed as awkward and inconvenient. This is front line public sector statutory work, so people have to squeeze in 16 hours work into 8. Driving to and from a visit? Never mind you can use the travel time to dial into this or that meeting.

The problem is, its also inconvenient to me given that no one gives a toss if 4 hours of my working day is on the road but I still have this or that phone call/meeting/discussion/interview with a client to do.

AI says this, cant be bothered to find links

Using a hands-free phone while driving is as dangerous as—or potentially more dangerous than—drink driving. Research indicates that hands-free phone conversations cause significant cognitive distraction, leading to slower reaction times, reduced situational awareness, and higher crash risks compared to driving under the influence of alcohol at the legal limit.

Key Findings on Risks:

• Reaction Times: Hands-free users have slower reaction times (up to 30% slower) than those driving at the legal alcohol limit.
• Collision Risk: Using a hands-free device increases crash risk by four times, a similar hazard level to driving at the legal alcohol limit.
• Cognitive Distraction: Even with eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, conversations take mental resources away from driving (inattention blindness), causing drivers to miss up to 50% of information in their environment.
• Delayed Reactions: Similar to drunk driving, hands-free users exhibit slower braking and poor speed control.
• Impairment Duration: The cognitive distraction effect, particularly from complex conversations, can continue for up to five minutes after the call ends.

Hands-Free vs. Alcohol Breakdown:

• Reaction Times: Hands-free users are significantly slower to react to hazards than those over the 0.08 BAC limit, as found in some simulators.
• Driving Behavior: While alcohol-impaired drivers tend to drive faster, hands-free users often slow down but struggle with maintaining lane position and reaction times.
• Severity: Some studies suggest that hands-free phone use can lead to higher cognitive impairment than driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08.

Despite the perception that hands-free is safer, studies confirm that cognitive load—not just holding the phone—is the primary cause of distraction, making phone conversations highly dangerous

It's worth understanding that the offence is "using and holding", you're allowed to use and touch a phone whilst driving (provided it's not distracting etc).

I would confirm you were driving, but not to any charge that may follow.

Whilst I’m sure this is true, the fact remains that taking a phone call while driving is legal if you use hands free, and therefore if the OP didn’t touch the phone I can’t see how she can be in trouble with the police.

OP I now put my phone inside the centre console so I’m not tempted to even pick it up at traffic lights or whatever. I got pulled over for something else and the course I went on put the fear of god in to me! It’s made me a much safer driver.

I didnt say it wasnt, I was commenting on my post before where I set out for my employer why I wont use hands free. That was in response to people asking OP why she is using her phone during driving and having meetings. Some of us dont want to do that

In any case legal or not, its not safe in my view. Lots of things are legal which shouldnt be.

Owning and driving a vehicle sounds like such a ball ache but financially and emotionally.

I drive, but having started on motorcycles, (where a simple mistake can end badly) I can't imagine why anyone would think it's a good idea to take a phone call while driving,
I see the evidence every day with drivers yapping away oblivious to how distracted they are, it's a whole new level of selfishness.

This........ I am exactly the same.👍
My phone is in my bag or jacket pocket, it would never be anywhere within easy reach.

It would be almost impossible to remember if you inadvertently touched the phone especially as the PP suggests, it was just a natural, unconscious action.
If they send evidence (which I presume would be in the manner of a photo) then it will show what you did...... whether you were aware of it or not.