Using a telephone whilst driving carries more than a £60 / 3 point penalty

[crockers]

Just read in autoexpress that according to the AA insures take a dim view if you are convicted of using a mobile whilst in charge of a vehicle - many will load the premium and one company will not offer cover.

Do you think that is overkill being punished twice or do you agree with that..

 

[Ratz]

I have to say that using the mobile phone without hands free is something that really irritates me, especially as it seems to be largely people in cars costing £50k+. However, I am rather sceptical of insurance companies doing anything like this as it just smacks of extortion.

 

[oldcro]

I assume you are referring to a handheld phone. In that case I fully agree as there are so many aftermarket kits available so hands free is very cheap and safer. Double the fine and crush the vehicle, equals no insurance to pay and safer roads from drivers with no concern for fellow road users or pedestrians.

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

Just read in autoexpress that according to the AA insures take a dim view if you are convicted of using a mobile whilst in charge of a vehicle - many will load the premium and one company will not offer cover.

Do you think that is overkill being punished twice or do you agree with that.

No-one is being punished twice.

If you accept a fixed penalty, you must accept that one consequence of this is that your insurers will take a different view of the risk you represent. After all, you have shown yourself to be irresponsible in committing the offence in the first place.

Perhaps if this was more widely known, more people would take a responsible attitude towards mobile phone use in their cars, as the law is not a sufficient deterrent on its own.

 

[A210AMG]

I agree

I see so many people texting on the motoway or holding a phone. Just NOT NEEDED nowadays with the phones / kits out there.

NO ONE IS THAT IMPORTANT they need to phone, for business users they should have handsfree anyway!!

Sometimes wonder what we did without phones...

 

[xpc316e]

Why is it that you guys seem to think that hands free is the answer to the problem? I know what the law states, but the real issue is the distraction caused by having a conversation. If the conversation is with my wife and about what I want for my evening meal, that's fine; if it's the office making me think about an upcoming appointment in my diary etc., then that is bad news even though it's hands free. All phones should be switched off when driving.

 

[ALFIE CONN]

Why is it that you guys seem to think that hands free is the answer to the problem? I know what the law states, but the real issue is the distraction caused by having a conversation. If the conversation is with my wife and about what I want for my evening meal, that's fine; if it's the office making me think about an upcoming appointment in my diary etc., then that is bad news even though it's hands free. All phones should be switched off when driving.

I suppose this is the way it should go BUT i dont want it to.

 

[barryj]

Where can I buy an aftermarket kit that shoves pasty in my mouth as I drive along? its a bugger to do when I am chatting on the phone

 

[A210AMG]

XPC

you are right, just switch them off. No offence then, ring people when you stop. Saves on ticking any options on your car also or buying aftermarket kits.


Job done

 

[hawk20]

Why is it that you guys seem to think that hands free is the answer to the problem? I know what the law states, but the real issue is the distraction caused by having a conversation. If the conversation is with my wife and about what I want for my evening meal, that's fine; if it's the office making me think about an upcoming appointment in my diary etc., then that is bad news even though it's hands free. All phones should be switched off when driving.

What about talking to a passenger? Should that be banned too?

 

[Donza]

Just read in autoexpress that according to the AA insures take a dim view if you are convicted of using a mobile whilst in charge of a vehicle - many will load the premium and one company will not offer cover.

Do you think that is overkill being punished twice or do you agree with that..

I dont want to be rude, but most of the individuals i see with phones glued to their ears are women. One pulled out with phone to her head and nearly side-swiped me a few days ago.

Just my opinion.

 

[evdok]

Insurance company's should insist on having a hands free kit fitted just like tracker on selected sort after cars.

 

[xpc316e]

No, talking with a passenger should not be banned: as a passenger I will consciously make a decision to stop talking to a driver when he/she is pulling out of a junction for example. I am aware of what is going on and will pick up body language, with the result that I am not distrubed if the driver stops talking to me while increasing their concentration momentarily to deal with a problem. A person on the other end of a phone will not be able to do this.

I don't know about you, but I will lower the volume of the radio, or mute it, if I have a tricky reverse to do because it helps my concentration.

 

[jaymanek]

Why dont we all just ban everything.. ban eating, ban talking to passengers, ban all stereos and in fact why dont we just take the bus... i mean we are all too stupid to drive obviously.

I have had two sets of points for being on the phone. Hold my hand up.

My phone rings all day long due to my business and I will NEVER turn it off. It can costs me thousands if my phone is off.

I have two phones, one work and one personal. I get into lots of different cars all day long and so fixed kits are out of the question.

Up until recently, no one had made a Bluetooth handsfree that could handle two phones at once. Now i have found one finally..

Anyway the point is that I am perfectly capable of driving whilst talking on the phone... its no different to eating... but of course i will adhere to this stupid law due to the fact that the government need to blame car crashes on something.. and of course due to the few numpties who really cant do two things at once..

I think the worst distraction in a car is having kids... lets ban THEM...

 

[ALFIE CONN]

What about talking to a passenger? Should that be banned too?

NO, but we should ban Wives nagging Husbands while we are driving so skilfully

 

[TomTanderson]

...many will load the premium and one company will not offer cover.

Do you think that is overkill being punished twice or do you agree with that..

Any points can lead to an increased premium - quite sensibly an insurance company will view a driver with a driving conviction as a greater risk, what do you expect?

 

[andy_k]

Anyway the point is that I am perfectly capable of driving whilst talking on the phone... its no different to eating

As far as I am aware, eating at the wheel is also illegal so I'm not quite sure that was the best analogy - you may as well say you can drink a beer at the same time without it affecting you



Andy

 

[timskemp]

Any points can lead to an increased premium - quite sensibly an insurance company will view a driver with a driving conviction as a greater risk, what do you expect?

It's a perfect example of double standards, after all you've been punished for the crime why should you be expected to re-commit the offence and therefore be a greater risk, if anything you're a reduced risk as you're more aware of the danger and 3 points closer to being disqualified.

Brokers amuse me, When you buy an investment you're told "past performance is not an indicator of future return" but when you buy car insurance you're asked for your last five years claims, accidents and convictions - when you tell them "past performance is not an indicator of future return" they look at you all blank.

 

[TomTanderson]

My phone rings all day long due to my business and I will NEVER turn it off. It can costs me thousands if my phone is off.

I have two phones, one work and one personal. I get into lots of different cars all day long and so fixed kits are out of the question.

Up until recently, no one had made a Bluetooth handsfree that could handle two phones at once. Now i have found one finally..

I admire your canodur but I think your excuse is BS

Even if you argue that your work phone is essential - I can't see how you can argue your personal one is and that you can't switch it off whilst driving and use a normal BT headset. If it is something really important (wife in labour etc) you can still be contacted on your work number.

We seem to have developed a mentality that it is impossible for us to live without being contactable 24 hours a day. The constant "noise" (and I'm not just talking about phones and texts) is one of the reasons we have such stressed out lives.

There is also a big difference between things like the radio and eating (although I've always thought eating was hardly the safest thing to do); YOU choose when to do it in your journey and things like radios get mentally tuned out if the road conditions demand it. You have no control when you receive a call and our natural tendency is not to hang up if road conditions worsen.

 

[TomTanderson]

It's a perfect example of double standards, after all you've been punished for the crime why should you be expected to re-commit the offence and therefore be a greater risk, if anything you're a reduced risk as you're more aware of the danger and 3 points closer to being disqualified.

You don't really believe that do you?!

My wife has never had a speeding conviction. I have had several. I know I am much more likely to get another because the convictions are a comment on my driving style.

Any criminal who has offended is much more likely to re-offend than somebody who has never been convicted of a crime.