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Over at PistonHeads forum, there's quite a head of steam built up for & against.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.a...&mid=0

IMHO using a mobile phone whilst driving is worse than many other offences. Some years ago when I used to regularly travel from Manchester to Reading, or to Glasgow and the driver was often on the phone (before the law was changed!!!) and regularly he would end a (eg) 20 minute call and realise that he'd no f ing idea what had been happening on the road for the past 20 minutes.

Whenever I tried it, I felt like I was no longer in the car but was VERY distracted from the driving and road conditions around me.

These days (& I don't want to make a general bigoted point but...) I mostly see women phoning whilst driving. It makes me bloody annoyed when I see a driver clearly not concentrating on controlling a ton and a half of metal at 70MPH...

Personally I think that penalties for using a mobile whilst driving should be VERY harsh.

... ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

Totally agree with you.

You will get away with it 99 times out of a hundred. The problem is the one time you won't is when you wipe out a stationary car at a junction and kill the kids in the rear seats of that car.
If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a serious injury crash the police will look at your phone data and will be able to say 100% if you were on a call, writing a text or surfing the net at the time. If you were then you face a charge of death by dangerous driving minimum 6 years and up to 14 years in prison.

IMO you are a moron if you use your phone while driving and the sentences should match drink driving, starting with a minimum 2 year ban. _________________
Gone - 2010 Rimini XS

I don't see a problem with it.
I can text & drive at the same time!


I've just spilt me pint in my lap, now I'm going to have to stop on the hard shoulder!

 _________________
Gone - 2010 Rimini XS

I echo the above opinions, most modern day cars have Bluetooth phone integration, there is no need to make a call while driving.

I drive for a living and see it too many times. I've had one close call while going around a bend a young female in a little black corsa to busy texting to realise she was on my side of the road, causing me to hit the verge. I can still see her face as she looked up from that all important text and saw a 13ton coach coming towards her.

Can it be classed as driving without due care and attention?

For me being a PCV driver it's a £2,500 fine and discretionary disqualification, not to mention instant dismissal. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

j77 wrote:

I echo the above opinions, most modern day cars have Bluetooth phone integration, there is no need to make a call while driving.

Can it be classed as driving without due care and attention?

And what about those twonks who instead of using a mobile while driving simply stop dead wherever they are when the phone rings. National speed limit roads or causing congestion by stopping in town it doesn't matter because there not breaking the law. WRONG. Everything is relative to my point of view

Not so long ago, I saw a twerp driving a brand new Bentley with his phone up to his ear. Too dim to use the bluetooth? 2013 RR Evoque Pure Tech
2012 TD4 GS Auto Orkney Grey - gone

Bugblatter wrote:

I saw a twerp driving a brand new Bentley with his phone up to his ear. Too dim to use the bluetooth?

That's not much better than the woman in America who put her motorhome into cruise control then popped into the back to make a coffee. IIRC she sued the manufacturer after the inevitable crash for not making the handbook clearer...and she won ! _________________
Gone - 2010 Rimini XS

For real style go to Milan, it's quite common to see some tiny Guuci-ed up babe zipping through the traffic on a Vespa texting one handed on a smart phone while while accelerating , steering and braking with the other, no wonder these ladies produce children like Valentino Rossi , it must be in the genes  2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

The cruise control story is one of those urban legends. I first heard of it about twenty years ago. There is a good web site for checking that sort of thing:

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/cruise.asp 2013 RR Evoque Pure Tech
2012 TD4 GS Auto Orkney Grey - gone

If they'd just paid another few £'s for their £100k Bently, they could have had the version with the seatbelts & the bluetooth  Poke it, Poke it, make it do it again!!

Gone - 2008 Freel2 HSE Santorini Black
Hello - 2010 RRS TDV6 3.0 HSE Santorini Black

Years ago, before mobiles were about, I can remember crapping myself when my Dad insisted on steering the car with his knees while he rolled fag. When I was about six, he let me take over the steering from the passenger seat.  Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

My mum was doing her lipstick whilst driving and she asked me to take control of the wheel! Then she complained when I curbed the wheel! (Don't worry, we were only doing 10mph!)