Government consultation on changes to the fixed penalty notice and penalty points for the use of a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. proposed tougher penalties for HGVs. If you want your say follow the link on the attached page and fill in the online form.
gov.uk/government/consultat … st-driving
They can make it a £1000 + 9 points as far as I’m concerned, but not that happy with the proposals to treat HGV drivers differently
It’s bs, there will always be accidents due to driver error, accept & move on!
Pimpdaddy:
It’s bs, there will always be accidents due to driver error, accept & move on!
tell that to the person who’s wife, husband, son or daughter has been killed by some twonk on his phone… at the wheel…
Radar19:
tell that to the person who’s wife, husband, son or daughter has been killed by some twonk on his phone… at the wheel…
Like I said, human error!!!
Pimpdaddy:
Radar19:
tell that to the person who’s wife, husband, son or daughter has been killed by some twonk on his phone… at the wheel…Like I said, human error!!!
Thats not “human error”…
Radar19:
Thats not “human error”…
Yes it is!
Pimpdaddy:
Radar19:
Thats not “human error”…Yes it is!
Go on then, explain how using a phone whilst driving is “human error”…
Radar19:
Go on then, explain how using a phone whilst driving is “human error”…
It is physically possibly to drive a vehicle & use a phone at the same time. Phone or no phone most accidents are down to human error & the standard of diving in the country is poor anyway. It’s inevitable there will always be accidents varying in seriousness unless you heavily automate the whole process of which we are not far from.
Think about it, it’s an easier excuse to ‘do people’ than tackle the true cause of poor driving hence creating laws. It’s also about the blame culture we live in these days-somebody has to be held responsible…
Exactly. Like speeding its not dangerous if done appropriately. There have been proper academic studies done by two world leading universities and they found no increase in the rate of accidents due to mobile phone use. Thats not to say there aren’t any but its not the problem it is made out to be and you often find that when there has been a big story about a crash and someone being on their mobile that it was minutes before the crash and had nothing to do with the accident at all.
If it was about safety then there would be no exemption for using 2 way radios with a hand mike but there is because it would mean the police couldn’t use their radios. If its safe for them to use a radio which is like a glorified mobile phone during a high speed chase then why is it not safe to use a mobile phone?
Just switch the bloody things off when you’ve got one in the cab with you.
Distractions lead to accidents - not the possession of a device.
The bit of the “distraction” legislation I don’t like is when they say that taking a bite of a choc bar or twiddling a radio knob - leads to the same penalties as answering a bloody phone whilst driving! 
By including those other two issues - any plod can suggest at any time that “you had that accident because” - meaning that if you didn’t get it on video that the idiot you just killed drove into YOU - then it was because “you were distracted” - six years my son. 
Conor:
Exactly. Like speeding its not dangerous if done appropriately. There have been proper academic studies done by two world leading universities and they found no increase in the rate of accidents due to mobile phone use. Thats not to say there aren’t any but its not the problem it is made out to be and you often find that when there has been a big story about a crash and someone being on their mobile that it was minutes before the crash and had nothing to do with the accident at all.If it was about safety then there would be no exemption for using 2 way radios with a hand mike but there is because it would mean the police couldn’t use their radios. If its safe for them to use a radio which is like a glorified mobile phone during a high speed chase then why is it not safe to use a mobile phone?
I do sort of agree, if used appropriately then I see little danger in their use … before it was illegal I often used to call the wife and say what time i would be home, would choose a quiet straight road, a couple of buttons from the speed dial, then a 30 second call, I don’t see the dangers. However others started taking the pish, entire journeys in busy built up areas with phone held to ear, it needed to be banned, and it now does need to be stamped out, especially texting!
But back to the government consultation in the OP. It is your chance to have a say on the matter before the changes are made, and they are proposing stiffer penalties if you’re in a lorry.
here is the link again
gov.uk/government/consultat … st-driving
I don’t see why it’s not across the board. We all know about how ‘professional’ drivers are meant to be more responsible, but as has often been said on here, you’re only professional when something goes wrong.
I’d like a dollar for evry time I’ve been behind some git that suddenly starts slowing down/speeding up and weaving because he/she is dialling or texting. How many of us are so bloody important that we need to use a phone while driving ?
I know that I personally cannot have a phone conversation (hand held or hands free) and drive as well as I should. I’m not bothered who takes the ■■■■ out of me for admitting that. Because of this I find it hard to accept others can do both but …we all know our abilities.
As for professional drivers - I think there is more chance of a professional driver feeling they ‘must’ use the phone. They will be phoned by the boss, customers, have to phone customers etc and just far more chance of using the phone AS WELL as their personal phone to the same degree a non-professional driver would. So there is much more chance of them being on the phone.
With regard to the OP … I agree the penalty should be raised but should be raised for all. My personal belief is the penalty should be the same as drink driving but that’s just my opinion and we all think differently.
Not just higher phone penalties for LGV drivers but for all professional drivers and I totally agree with that
NI is about to bring in lower drink limits for professional drivers for the same reason
Professional drivers should be at a higher standard and know better than the average driver
What I do not get is this - (CAVEAT = as long as vehicle is under control)
Drive one handed = legal
Drive one handed whilst on hand held mobile = illegal
Drive one handed on hands free mobile = legal
The distraction is the same whether using hands free or hand held = that is fact
As it must be the distraction which is the issue then why is one legal and the other not ? - or did I miss something ?
as Professional Drivers,surely we’re more capable of driving our vehicles safely whilst being on the 'phone…so the penalties should be lower? 
carryfast-yeti:
as Professional Drivers,surely we’re more capable of driving our vehicles safely whilst being on the 'phone…so the penalties should be lower?
What absolute rubbish. Tell me why you think just because we pass a basic test to drive a lorry that makes our concentration levels any better?
Apart from that as we all know deep down some LGV drivers cannot drive professionally whilst not using a phone so how will they cope on a phone?
Some obviously think they are capable of using a phone whilst driving and maybe they are in certain situations but if they gave the go ahead for drivers to use them on quiet roads etc how could it ever work?
Unfortunately we are not capable of making sound decisions by ourselvelves and that is why we have to have it done for us.
This is proved by what we see everyday on our roads.
albion1971:
carryfast-yeti:
as Professional Drivers,surely we’re more capable of driving our vehicles safely whilst being on the 'phone…so the penalties should be lower?What absolute rubbish. Tell me why you think just because we pass a basic test to drive a lorry that makes our concentration levels any better?
Apart from that as we all know deep down some LGV drivers cannot drive professionally whilst not using a phone so how will they cope on a phone?
Some obviously think they are capable of using a phone whilst driving and maybe they are in certain situations but if they gave the go ahead for drivers to use them on quiet roads etc how could it ever work?
Unfortunately we are not capable of making sound decisions by ourselvelves and that is why we have to have it done for us.
This is proved by what we see everyday on our roads.
lighten up you bell-end! didn’t you see the smiley at the end of my post? it was a joke ffs 
Yes I did see it but I thought I would give my opinion anyway. So sorry this offends you.
albion1971:
Yes I did see it but I thought I would give my opinion anyway. So sorry this offends you.
no problem '71…apology accepted 
Wonder how many people who are “for” increasing the punishment smoke,and is those same peopl would be “for” making it illegal to smoke altogether in ANY vehicle…it’s amazing how this is never spoke of by the powers that be,maybe it’s because they smoke themselves 
,how many times per ■■■ do people have to take their hand off the steering wheel,I can make,receive and take calls on my earpiece without my hands leaving the steering wheel once.