Penalty points would increase from three to four for persistent offenders and from three to six for drivers of larger vehicles, such as HGVs.
I do not have a problem with that but two issues are still not sorted - not enough traffic cops and hands free is still allowed
ROG:
Drivers using mobiles face bigger fines and more points - BBC NewsPenalty points would increase from three to four for persistent offenders and from three to six for drivers of larger vehicles, such as HGVs.
I do not have a problem with that but two issues are still not sorted - not enough traffic cops and hands free is still allowed
Nothing wrong with hands free.
Rather see offenders given a one month driving ban, effective within 24 hours of them being caught. I lose track of how many drivers I see trying to drive one handed (badly) around roundabouts with a phone perched up against their ears. Apart from the distraction of having to pick something up, and take their eyes off the road to press the receive button, you also have the fact that their arm up by their head is also substantially reducing their peripheral view. Great for taking out pedestrians or cyclists. Yep many of those clowns are driving HGV’s and PSV’s too. 
The wired handsfree earpieces for my smartphone were less than four quid with postage and my bluetooth headset less than a tenner, so it not like it a prohibitive cost to comply with the law.
LIBERTY_GUY:
Rather see offenders given a one month driving ban, effective within 24 hours of them being caught. I lose track of how many drivers I see trying to drive one handed (badly) around roundabouts with a phone perched up against their ears. Apart from the distraction of having to pick something up, and take their eyes off the road to press the receive button, you also have the fact that their arm up by their head is also substantially reducing their peripheral view. Great for taking out pedestrians or cyclists. Yep many of those clowns are driving HGV’s and PSV’s too.The wired handsfree earpieces for my smartphone were less than four quid with postage and my bluetooth headset less than a tenner, so it not like it a prohibitive cost to comply with the law.
+1
bobbya:
ROG:
Drivers using mobiles face bigger fines and more points - BBC NewsPenalty points would increase from three to four for persistent offenders and from three to six for drivers of larger vehicles, such as HGVs.
I do not have a problem with that but two issues are still not sorted - not enough traffic cops and hands free is still allowed
Nothing wrong with hands free.
this study shows otherwise … hands free is worse than drink driving!
source dailymail.co.uk/news/article … drugs.html
Bluey Circles:
bobbya:
ROG:
Drivers using mobiles face bigger fines and more points - BBC NewsPenalty points would increase from three to four for persistent offenders and from three to six for drivers of larger vehicles, such as HGVs.
I do not have a problem with that but two issues are still not sorted - not enough traffic cops and hands free is still allowed
Nothing wrong with hands free.
this study shows otherwise … hands free is worse than drink driving!
source dailymail.co.uk/news/article … drugs.html
I’m sorry but that’s a load of bollox if that’s the case then surely they would ban double manning or at least give you 6 points for talking to him whilst driving…it’s the same as talking hands free in the phone after all!
This has been discussed many times and hands free definitely has an effect on peoples driving depending on the level of conversation.
I have seen it first hand many times. It should and will become illegal.
Talking to someone can have the same effect as well. It drops the level of concentration without a doubt.
Let’s face it drivers lose concentration without talking so what chance have they got when doing it.
albion1971:
This has been discussed many times and hands free definitely has an effect on peoples driving depending on the level of conversation.
I have seen it first hand many times. It should and will become illegal.
Talking to someone can have the same effect as well. It drops the level of concentration without a doubt.
And so should double manning then…same difference
I’d take that ‘study’ with a ‘pinch of salt’. You can makes studies suggest whatever you want, by the way you load questions and by the methodology used. I am sure that if hands free was twice as dangerous as drink driving, which I truly don’t buy, then vehicle manufacturers would hardly be installing hands free technology into new cars and I’m sure insurers would be ‘loading’ premiums on lorries fitted with communications technology, or indeed telling hauliers they won’t insure them if they are fitted?
I use hands free, but my primary focus is on the traffic around me and will instantly focus 100 percent on the driving. I actually think those fuel monitoring programs on many vehicles are far more of a distraction, especially where the driver has a bonus related payment tied into them. Surprisingly, nobody suggests banning use of those.
I use hands free, but my primary focus is on the traffic around me and will instantly focus 100 percent on the driving
Unfortunately not all drivers think like that!
xichrisxi:
albion1971:
This has been discussed many times and hands free definitely has an effect on peoples driving depending on the level of conversation.
I have seen it first hand many times. It should and will become illegal.
Talking to someone can have the same effect as well. It drops the level of concentration without a doubt.And so should double manning then…same difference
Maybe so. It will all be irrelevant when vehicles become driverless and far safer. 
Does anyone imagine for just a moment that the required test to produce the above sensational bar chart wasn’t designed to give that exact result, reported in equally sensational terms no doubt by the useful idiots at the Daily Wail.
Phones are just the latest crusade, hands free will be banned next.
This is how they do things these days, propagandise the easily led into demanding ever more surveillance monitoring and banning of themselves, by the time they’ve realised whats going on its too late.
As for using a hand held phone, its a bit daft to be honest when earpieces of choice are so cheap, i won’t endorse parrots or other such fixed systems cos they’re not a patch on a good earpiece despite costing umpteen times more, but not to worry sooner than you think all such communication will be banned and you yourselves will be saying its for your own good.
Personally i reckon there are those who can drive naturally competently and are quite capable of having a phone conversation or eating a kitkat or whatever and still be a hundreds times more safe than some of the idiots we see every day whom if they solely concentrated 110% on their driving for every second would still be a menace on the road, but never let a chance to dumb things down to the lowest common denominator pass by eh.
Personally i reckon there are those who can drive naturally competently and are quite capable of having a phone conversation
That could be very true but there is nobody to judge that and you will sometimes find it is the ones that think they can have a conversation and still hold 100% concentration that are the worst.
It’s the same as the ones that think they are safe to speed etc.
I all for banning the use of mobiles and if you are caught with a phone to your ear tough…Though how would the police know you where on your hands free ■■? If it’s because they can see your mouth moving ,you could be singing along to the radio ,or will radios be banned next as they are a distraction…
You don’t have a conversation with the radio do you norb?
albion1971:
You don’t have a conversation with the radio do you norb?
i do…i often shout at jeremy vine
xichrisxi:
I’m sorry but that’s a load of bollox if that’s the case then surely they would ban double manning or at least give you 6 points for talking to him whilst driving…it’s the same as talking hands free in the phone after all!
I think the studies have shown that there are substantial differences between talking remotely to someone hands free as opposed to talking to someone else within the vehicle; for instance, the other person in the vehicle is less likely to be pressing for answers halfway around a busy roundabout.
the bit that puzzles me with the article I linked to above is the “Texting” not being as distracting as hand held us ■■? … for me Texting has to be the absolute No No.
xichrisxi You have totally missed the point
Talking to passengers is VERY different from talking on a phone as passengers have some idea of what is happening around them whereas the person on the other end of the phone does not -this has been proven in many reputable studies
Passengers in a car have an idea what’s going on around them…
What about two women in a car? Neither have any idea!
Only joking ladies.