Like another poster in a Transcontinental. I used to do a night trunk, solo to Leeds pick up a drawbar trailer, drop and swap Dunstable. Back to Leeds and dump the drawbar. I have passed Leicester Forest and not noticed until I got to Woodall. That was nearly 40 years ago, no phones, no limiters, often no radio,
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.
He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Mr Fedex driver who is in court now was having a hands free conversation when he ploughed into the back of two other idiots. I think the short answer is some can cope with it and some can’t so a blanket ban is imposed. I have no issue with that.
If you ever do an advanced driving course you have to do a running commentary of everything you see and everything you do and the reasons why .
Many have real problems doing the commentary, there are various reasons for this , some react and do actions automatically and haven’t realised that they have done it , others are not capable of talking and doing other tasks , some just don’t see or react to hazards .
Some people can have phone conversations and drive or carry out other tasks safely some cannot .
We see police officers handling communication and giving commentary while driving .
We see rally drivers recieving instructions at high speed without problems .
Much like many drivers have perception and anticipate situations before they become critical some are only fixated on the 50mtrs in front of the bumper .
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GasGas:
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Have you a link to this guy in Sweden?
Anyone that says driving on auto pilot is harmless is talking absolute nonsense.
And what is worse is that you obviously believe him. 
GasGas:
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Sorry double post. Silly phone
Good post grumpy ken and all very true.
robroy:
The conversation ended just past Stoke, and it suddenlly dawned on me I had come right through the roadworks for around 30 mins or so, and could not remember it.
I had basically came through it, dealing with all the crap etc on full autopilot.
Nothing happened so I must have dealt with everything, but what if something had happened 20 mins or so into the conversation?
Ok, I’m a fairly well experienced driver, and that usually brings on more and more autopilot by it’s very nature, but would I have been on a due care and attention charge if it had gone ■■■■ up on that occasion.
I do remember one prick in an artic cutting in on me, so I must have dealt with what I did remember ok, but is that enough in a court of law scenario.
Nothing wrong with that. Your brain is wired to disregard unimportant information. Nothing happened, there was nothing of note so your brain disregarded it. Quite clearly you were paying attention hence your brain remembering the arctic that cut in on you, that was an event so you remembered it. You can experience exactly the same happening even if you’re in an old wagon without so much as a radio in let alone a mobile phone to have a conversation on.
You weren’t on autopilot at all. You were functioning like everyone else does.
Rick W:
GasGas:
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Have you a link to this guy in Sweden?
Anyone that says driving on auto pilot is harmless is talking absolute nonsense.And what is worse is that you obviously believe him.
To be perfectly honest Rick I’d be far more inclined to believe a bloke who investigates accidents for a living rather than a bloke off the internet who happens to not agree.
There have been many studies over this so called trance like state that humans succumb to when repeatedly performing the same task and time and time again they find although consciously a person may not remember specifics of an often repeated journey subconsciously they are performing at exactly the same level as they would if it was the first time they’d done it. If that makes sense? 
Edit; Conor beat me to it.
Conor:
robroy:
The conversation ended just past Stoke, and it suddenlly dawned on me I had come right through the roadworks for around 30 mins or so, and could not remember it.
I had basically came through it, dealing with all the crap etc on full autopilot.
Nothing happened so I must have dealt with everything, but what if something had happened 20 mins or so into the conversation?
Ok, I’m a fairly well experienced driver, and that usually brings on more and more autopilot by it’s very nature, but would I have been on a due care and attention charge if it had gone ■■■■ up on that occasion.
I do remember one prick in an artic cutting in on me, so I must have dealt with what I did remember ok, but is that enough in a court of law scenario.Nothing wrong with that. Your brain is wired to disregard unimportant information. Nothing happened, there was nothing of note so your brain disregarded it. Quite clearly you were paying attention hence your brain remembering the arctic that cut in on you, that was an event so you remembered it. You can experience exactly the same happening even if you’re in an old wagon without so much as a radio in let alone a mobile phone to have a conversation on.
You weren’t on autopilot at all. You were functioning like everyone else does.
Careful Conor you must be slipping…you almost complemented me there. 
Rick W:
Hate to say it but if you had been involved in an accident with that prick and you were on the phone and he was not, we all know who is getting into trouble and probably the blame.
The person who was at fault. Just because you were on the phone doesn’t make you at fault.
As we all know, Americans have a far poorer standard of driving than in the UK as can be seen by their accident rates. In the USA after 8pm all mobile phone networks give free voice calls. Carnegie Mellor and the London School of Economics did a study into the dangers of using mobile phones when driving and used this free call period. They examined the number of accidents in the hour before the free call period and the hour afterwards and found that there was absolutely no difference whatsoever even though the amount of mobile phone usage rocketed. Talking on your mobile phone whilst driving therefore doesn’t mean it is more dangerous.
Its like speeding. In 2008 the police were finally forced to admit that speeding was the cause of just 3% of accidents after Department of Transport figures were released.
the maoster:
Rick W:
GasGas:
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Have you a link to this guy in Sweden?
Anyone that says driving on auto pilot is harmless is talking absolute nonsense.And what is worse is that you obviously believe him.
To be perfectly honest Rick I’d be far more inclined to believe a bloke who investigates accidents for a living rather than a bloke off the internet who happens to not agree.
There have been many studies over this so called trance like state that humans succumb to when repeatedly performing the same task and time and time again they find although consciously a person may not remember specifics of an often repeated journey subconsciously they are performing at exactly the same level as they would if it was the first time they’d done it. If that makes sense?
Edit; Conor beat me to it.
So you do not think driving on auto pilot affects your concentration or your reactions?
Not in the slightest. Maybe yours, but certainly not mine.
Rick W:
GasGas:
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Have you a link to this guy in Sweden?
Anyone that says driving on auto pilot is harmless is talking absolute nonsense.And what is worse is that you obviously believe him.
His name is Carl Johan Almqvist. Google him and loads of interesting stuff comes up.
I have experienced one very strange ‘blank’ moment.
I was riding a nearly new BMW K75…which dates the story a little… back to the importers in Bracknell, from where I worked in Peterborough. I had a ‘moment’ on the M25 when I could not remember where I was going or why. Everything was fine…I just felt utterly dislocated from the goal of my journey.
the maoster:
Not in the slightest. Maybe yours, but certainly not mine.
Interesting answer!
I have no doubt had there been an accident at some point during the conversation some bugger, old bill, prosecution, the at fault third party’s defence barrister, would have tried to implicate that somehow you were little better than a bloody child molester for daring to use a phone quite legally.
They’ve got whole swathes of the public brainwashed on this, including many here.
The number one problem with our industry is the dumbing down, it has resulted and we have all seen this happening in one size fits all lowest common denominator rules, where because there are idiots doing the job we have to set the rules for them, Heaven forbid train the chimps up or if untrainable get rid …the powers that be (and some of our bosses) are blinkered, we know that no matter how simple and easy and automated our job becomes (AEBS etc) the numpties can and always will cause carnage because they should never have been allowed anywhere near a lorry in the first place and are accidents waiting to happen.
In the event of a serious prang that lowest common denominator rules will apply no matter what and even if we are completely blameless somehow doing anything bar staring bug eyed ahead gripping the wheel tight enough to crush it with both hands and doing nothing else will see us implicated in the blame.
Its no different to the AEBS scenario, if it comes on for no valid reason and causes a prang, the driver is still at fault (check your handbooks for the relevant weasel wording), if you switch it off and are involved in an accident not your fault, you’ll still be for the high jump, just wait and see.
GasGas:
Rick W:
GasGas:
There’s a bloke at Volvo Trucks who spends his working life studying truck accidents and driver behaviour. He investigates ever serious accident involving a Volvo truck in Sweden.He describes those memory blackouts as being mostly harmless…your subconscious brain is processing everything it needs to.
It has to be said that in Sweden they don’t seem to see mobile phone use as an issue…everyone seems to do it. so that’s their view.
But from a UK perspective, if a phone is involved…and the conversation is particularly protracted and engaging…then maybe it is a case of being distracted. There’s obviously a current court case so say no more…
Have you a link to this guy in Sweden?
Anyone that says driving on auto pilot is harmless is talking absolute nonsense.And what is worse is that you obviously believe him.
His name is Carl Johan Almqvist. Google him and loads of interesting stuff comes up.
I have experienced one very strange ‘blank’ moment.
I was riding a nearly new BMW K75…which dates the story a little… back to the importers in Bracknell, from where I worked in Peterborough. I had a ‘moment’ on the M25 when I could not remember where I was going or why. Everything was fine…I just felt utterly dislocated from the goal of my journey.
Cheers Gas Gas, I will read with great interest.
i had an accident while on hands free 2 weeks ago luckily it was minor only a broken mirror but i was definately distracted my fault entirely and its made me realise how stupid i was £500 lighter in the pocket to pay for repairs but just thankful nobody was hurt
Lordy Rob, the anti Bluetooth brigade will be along in a minute… 
Conor wasn’t concentrating … 