Using a phone while driving

[caroline29woohooo]

The new law states that it's a £200 fine + six points. I would not use my phone while driving, however I often use the handy sat nav feature. Do you think this is classed as 'using a phone' while driving?

You are not supposed to program a satnav while driving. Mine clearly says that you must be parked to operate it. I always pull over if I have to press any buttons on it.

I don't think it is classed as using a phone though.

On the BBC this morning they said sat nav was OK so long as it was in a holder, you programmed it before setting off and didn't operate it while driving.

Oh good. Yeah I usually pre program it.

I think it should be a year disqualification and a fine of about 1k tbh, that will put them off.
I'm sure the rush hour at night would see just as many men doing this, but I was out early this morning and saw so many women doing this on the school run.
They have children in the car too, they should be ashamed of themselves.

Some phone sat navs can be programmed by voice:

"OK Google."
"Navigate home".

betanews.com/2016/09/30/google-maps-voice-commands/

Oooh! Very useful Lurking. I use Google maps as my satnav, it's always barking at me to speak up.

When I watch those police car chase sort of programmes, I am always struck by how lenient motoring offences seem to be punished.
I'm pleased to see this taken seriously.

and musnt use phone when stopped at lights etc

Does this apply to using factory-installed in-car satnavs too?

I often turn mine off a two-stage operation when I can navigate myself the rest of the way.

I once chaired a magistrates' court where we disqualified a "totter". Four lots of three points. All for using the bloody phone. The last to get the message?

How about using the radio?

Yeah good point re radio!

I doubt the new law will change anything
Enforcement is what is needed imho.

Agree, AveEldon

ANY sort of distraction while driving is dangerous. Even fiddling with radio/CD or looking away searching in your bag etc. I appreciate that it's relatively easy to catch people who are persistently using their mobiles, but we have to get the message across that the driver should be concentrating on the road.

Sorry but I know people who were killed in road accidents because they were hit by a vehicle whose driver was distracted.

That seems rather lenient to me.

However, seeing as driving is one of the few things DH and I rather often argue about... Maybe I'm just being precious.

I saw a woman here ,in Fr., she was pulling out of a dangerous junction with a fag in one hand and her mobile in the other ffs . Some people are soo stupid I couldn't help yelling\swearing at her. It's illegal here too. There are people who don't give a shxx.

No sympathy for anyone caught and fined or banned from driving for using a mobile phone. I only have sympathy for any victims who might be hit by a car because the driver was distracted while using it. It really isn't difficult to pull over to the side of a road to use a mobile phone or ignore the ringing. How did we manage before without them!

ppeatfruit I see your Frenchwoman and raise you with my Italian man - reversing out from a tiny side road, on a bend, into a very fast main road, yes, while talking on the bleedin phone.

Blimey Tarty did he live?

Though like quizqueen I only feel sorry for the innocent victims of such stupid behaviour. I still can't get over that family who were wiped out by a lorry driver txting fgs.

I think so -- much blaring of horns. But, hey, it was Italy!
I prefer to drive in almost any other country in Europe. Italian men seem to take a woman at the wheel of a (especially foreign) car as a personal affront, somehow.
it's a big generalisation I know -- but I've literally been open-mouthed at some of the things I've seen Italian drivers do. And driving while phoning is almost mandatory, it seems!

Blimey Tarty did he live?

In a recent discussion on another forum, one rather dim poster challenged another (a policeman) who had asserted that he knew of a definite example of using a mobile phone causing a death.

Apparently the motorists severed head had an imprint of a phone against the ear when the recovered it ..

I thougth driving in France was bad. Tarty I raise you a motorcyclist going past us on the peripherique not only with his feet up on the handlebars but his arms crossed behind his head!!!!! (surprisingly NOT on his mobile phone !!) We were going slowly in a jam and all the other drivers looked open mouthed like us.

There are some very odd crazy people driving about aren't there?

There are also people like that person Lurking who don't think that anything bad will happen to THEM, there are thousands of them in graveyards before their time.

ppeat Ah, the joys of the peripherique!
ok, I was saving this one as it's not strictly mobile related (altho the driver may well have been on his phone, it was in Italy after all )
We were going up a steep two-lane road in mountains and were stuck behind a pack of cyclists who were obviously doing a Tour d'Italie/Gyro type thing, professional looking and going quite fast.
It was very twisty as well but the driver behind us clearly could not wait any longer for the chickenshit English in their RHD car to get past the pack, so he overtook us AND the peloton, on a hairpin bend.
I screamed in terror as a car suddenly appeared coming the other way, the cyclists scattered, we hit the brakes and the twunt overtaking somehow squeezed through a tiny gap and shot off away up the mountain.
Wet knicker time.
But seriously, what an absolute arsehole - if there was any justice he'd have gone over the edge.

OMG it was lucky you lived to tell the story. Especially the vulnerable cyclists.

It's interesting that the french drivers actully treat cyclists with respect. We think it's because they all cycle themselves.

I HATE mountain roads with a passion. I refuse to go up them