Penalties for using a mobile phone when driving to double

[adejo92]

I can't see a single bad point about increasing the number of points, especially when fatal collisions are increasing on Britain's roads. I don't know the ins and outs of the female who was on her hands free device but presume the courts deemed she was paying too much attention to speaking on the device than watching the road (Don't know how they would prove that)!.

 

I feel Britain's traffic law needs to be tightened in general. For example, you could be arrested for driving whilst drunk and blow triple the legal amount. You would be charged with the offence and given a court date. Upon release from the police station the following morning, there is nothing stopping you getting into a car and continuing to drive up until the court date where you are 'officially' proven guilty!.

 

I think driving whilst on your mobile phone is a very selfish act an one for which people should be punished if we want to start lowing the number of deaths on our roads.

[Strokes]

6 minutes ago, adejo92 said:

 

 

I feel Britain's traffic law needs to be tightened in general. For example, you could be arrested for driving whilst drunk and blow triple the legal amount. You would be charged with the offence and given a court date. Upon release from the police station the following morning, there is nothing stopping you getting into a car and continuing to drive up until the court date where you are 'officially' proven guilty!.

 

I dont follow why this is a big issue, they are only a danger if driving whilst drunk. Why is it a problem if they get an extra week before the punishment hits? Are you expecting them to do it again inbetween, if so, i doubt a ban would stop them.

[adejo92]

13 minutes ago, Strokes said:

I dont follow why this is a big issue, they are only a danger if driving whilst drunk. Why is it a problem if they get an extra week before the punishment hits? Are you expecting them to do it again inbetween, if so, i doubt a ban would stop them.

When you are driving whilst drunk you are completely ignorant in consideration to any other persons life. I personally feel it is insulting for that person to then be back on the roads the day after being charged with an offence even if sober. The difference is, court dates don't often come a week after being charged, they can come over a month after.

 

13 minutes ago, Strokes said:

Are you expecting them to do it again inbetween, if so, i doubt a ban would stop them.

I am fully expectant that if somebody can be so inconsiderate as to be able to do it in the first place, they are more than capable of doing it again. They should be banned from the moment they are charged with the offence and should they breach said ban, then prison. May seem harsh but i would hate for a loved one to be killed by somebody who was drink driving whilst awaiting their court date for a previous drink drive.

 

It's only my opinion however having had to actually attend fatal road collisions first hand, whereby innocent people have died through others inconsideration, maybe has something to do with my strong opinion.

[Strokes]

10 minutes ago, adejo92 said:

When you are driving whilst drunk you are completely ignorant in consideration to any other persons life. I personally feel it is insulting for that person to then be back on the roads the day after being charged with an offence even if sober. The difference is, court dates don't often come a week after being charged, they can come over a month after.

 

I am fully expectant that if somebody can be so inconsiderate as to be able to do it in the first place, they are more than capable of doing it again. They should be banned from the moment they are charged with the offence and should they breach said ban, then prison. May seem harsh but i would hate for a loved one to be killed by somebody who was drink driving whilst awaiting their court date for a previous drink drive.

 

It's only my opinion however having had to actually attend fatal road collisions first hand, whereby innocent people have died through others inconsideration, maybe has something to do with my strong opinion.

I dont really see an issue with continuing with an innocent until proven guilty policy in this crime. Unless maybe its not the first time for this offence, i see your point, i just dont agree with it.

[adejo92]

12 minutes ago, Strokes said:

I dont really see an issue with continuing with an innocent until proven guilty policy in this crime. Unless maybe its not the first time for this offence, i see your point, i just dont agree with it.

It's just my opinion drawn from personal experiences dealing with the aftermath of similar incidents. If everybody agreed with my opinions on law/legislation and punishments then there would be nobody left walking the streets (I am a bit of a grinch). On a serious note, i appreciate that some people do only do it once and spend the rest of their life regretting it and i would be wrong to presume that every person who drink drives will go on to do it again.

[Strokes]

1 minute ago, adejo92 said:

It's just my opinion drawn from personal experiences dealing with the aftermath of similar incidents. If everybody agreed with my opinions on law/legislation and punishments then there would be nobody left walking the streets (I am a bit of a grinch). On a serious note, i appreciate that some people do only do it once and spend the rest of their life regretting it and i would be wrong to presume that every person who drink drives will go on to do it again.

I'd wonder how many do it without even realising, for example the effects of the morning after.

Certainly in my younger years i would get up and drive at 6 in the morning having only got in at 1-2am and think nothing of the fact i felt groggy or hazy. It never occured to me that it was dangerous or illegal.

 

[adejo92]

Just now, Strokes said:

I'd wonder how many do it without even realising, for example the effects of the morning after.

Certainly in my younger years i would get up and drive at 6 in the morning having only got in at 1-2am and think nothing of the fact i felt groggy or hazy. It never occured to me that it was dangerous or illegal.

 

Completely agree, i don't suppose it would be uncommon for a few people to be driving around the morning after still with alcohol in their system.

 

To put it in perspective, i once did an experiment on similar machines to what the police use. 35 is the legal limit and i drank 3 pints of Carling. After 45 minutes i used the machine and blew 7 (Considering alcohol levels in the human body peak 50 minutes after your last drink). Just shows that you do need to drink a considerable amount to actually be over the legal limit. Spirits are different and will easily send you over the limit.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Instead of airbags, cars should have a foot long iron spike fitted in the centre of the steering wheel.

 

People would drive more carefully then.

 

More importantly it would stop those people who drive with the seats pulled as far forward as possible, so that they're almost driving with their shoulders. What's that all about?!

[TiffToff88]

I got 3 points and a £60 fine for using my phone whilst driving a few years ago, a punishment that i don't think fit the crime at the time: 

 

What actually happened was i was driving along and went over a speed bump, my phone flew out of its holder on the windscreen (i was using it as a satnav at the time) and landed in my footwell. There were lights up ahead so i waited until i stopped at the red light. picked up the phone and put it back (correctly this time) in its holder in plenty of time. Lights went to green, i drove off. a few meters down the road i saw a police car with sirens on behind me, so i pulled over to let it pass and couldn't believe it when he pulled up behind me. He got me out of my car, sat me in the back of his and told me i'd been pulled over for using my phone whilst driving.

 

He was driving the other way and saw me with it in my hand between picking it up and putting it back in its holder. AT A RED LIGHT! I argued that surely it was the safest thing to do as we were stationary and had i left it rolling around by my feet it could have got jammed under the brake pedal but he was having none of it.

 

I get that he was just doing his job and i shouldn't have been holding my phone at all, and to this day i leave my phone in my pocket whilst driving at all times now, but i still feel hard done by.

 

I have never used my phone for anything other than a satnav when I've been driving.

[foxy boxing]

rightly so, the only distraction a driver should have is keeping attention to the road, it only takes a split second for an accident to happen and can change lives forever. laws need to be kept up to date with the technology that we have

[DB11]

16 hours ago, Strokes said:

I dont really see an issue with continuing with an innocent until proven guilty policy in this crime. Unless maybe its not the first time for this offence, i see your point, i just dont agree with it.

But once the evidential procedure has been completed at the police station you are, essentially, proven guilty. The court date isn't for a trial it is for sentencing. 

[Strokes]

7 minutes ago, DB11 said:

But once the evidential procedure has been completed at the police station you are, essentially, proven guilty. The court date isn't for a trial it is for sentencing. 

No you can plead not guilty at the courts and have trial. That is completely incorrect.

[yorkie1999]

1 hour ago, TiffToff88 said:

I got 3 points and a £60 fine for using my phone whilst driving a few years ago, a punishment that i don't think fit the crime at the time: 

 

What actually happened was i was driving along and went over a speed bump, my phone flew out of its holder on the windscreen (i was using it as a satnav at the time) and landed in my footwell. There were lights up ahead so i waited until i stopped at the red light. picked up the phone and put it back (correctly this time) in its holder in plenty of time. Lights went to green, i drove off. a few meters down the road i saw a police car with sirens on behind me, so i pulled over to let it pass and couldn't believe it when he pulled up behind me. He got me out of my car, sat me in the back of his and told me i'd been pulled over for using my phone whilst driving.

 

He was driving the other way and saw me with it in my hand between picking it up and putting it back in its holder. AT A RED LIGHT! I argued that surely it was the safest thing to do as we were stationary and had i left it rolling around by my feet it could have got jammed under the brake pedal but he was having none of it.

 

I get that he was just doing his job and i shouldn't have been holding my phone at all, and to this day i leave my phone in my pocket whilst driving at all times now, but i still feel hard done by.

 

I have never used my phone for anything other than a satnav when I've been driving.

Why didn't you show him the recent call history?

[kingcarr21]

What happens though if you drive past a black cab and you all of a sudden feel the urge to get your phone out and put on Faketaxi for a crafty wrive (wank and a drive)

[TiffToff88]

9 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

Why didn't you show him the recent call history?

I did. I showed him my call and text history, he wasn't interested. he said he saw the phone in my hand and that was all he needed to see. The b*****d.

 

But as i said, he was just doing his job, and rules are rules. I was annoyed at the time because we were at lights and not moving but i'm over it. it was a few years ago now and the points have long gone off my licence.

 

Phone stays in my pocket now while i'm driving so lesson learnt.

[yorkie1999]

11 minutes ago, TiffToff88 said:

I did. I showed him my call and text history, he wasn't interested. he said he saw the phone in my hand and that was all he needed to see. The b*****d.

 

But as i said, he was just doing his job, and rules are rules. I was annoyed at the time because we were at lights and not moving but i'm over it. it was a few years ago now and the points have long gone off my licence.

 

Phone stays in my pocket now while i'm driving so lesson learnt.

It's not quite true though,the officer has to prove you were using it, not just holding it in your hand.

http://www.marymonson.co.uk/motoring-solicitors/caught-on-the-phone-while-driving/

[Bellend Sebastian]

17 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Instead of airbags, cars should have a foot long iron spike fitted in the centre of the steering wheel.

 

Before the invention of the collapsible steering column, this is pretty much what they had.  The designing out of stuff like this is one of the main reasons that the general trend over the years has been that driving has got safer despite the vast increases in numbers of vehicles on the road.

 

There was a documentary on years ago where they were going on about how in the 1950s people were dying in road traffic accidents at about 10 mph because the cars were so dangerous.  You'd get impaled on the steering column, and if you were lucky you'd get the mount for the rear view mirror driven into your skull and the key (which in days of yore was inserted forwards, rather than at an approximate right angle to you) would split your kneecap in half, and your legs would be smashed to bits by the rigid pedals.

That never happened in Grease

 

 

48 minutes ago, TiffToff88 said:

I did. I showed him my call and text history, he wasn't interested. he said he saw the phone in my hand and that was all he needed to see. The b*****d.

 

But as i said, he was just doing his job, and rules are rules. I was annoyed at the time because we were at lights and not moving but i'm over it. it was a few years ago now and the points have long gone off my licence.

 

Phone stays in my pocket now while i'm driving so lesson learnt.

I think you'd be INCREDIBLY unfortunate to be done for that now, but only because the few traffic coppers left can fill their time catching people playing Minecraft or whatever rather than those that have the phone in their hand for a nanosecond

[Jon the Hat]

3 hours ago, TiffToff88 said:

I got 3 points and a £60 fine for using my phone whilst driving a few years ago, a punishment that i don't think fit the crime at the time: 

 

What actually happened was i was driving along and went over a speed bump, my phone flew out of its holder on the windscreen (i was using it as a satnav at the time) and landed in my footwell. There were lights up ahead so i waited until i stopped at the red light. picked up the phone and put it back (correctly this time) in its holder in plenty of time. Lights went to green, i drove off. a few meters down the road i saw a police car with sirens on behind me, so i pulled over to let it pass and couldn't believe it when he pulled up behind me. He got me out of my car, sat me in the back of his and told me i'd been pulled over for using my phone whilst driving.

 

He was driving the other way and saw me with it in my hand between picking it up and putting it back in its holder. AT A RED LIGHT! I argued that surely it was the safest thing to do as we were stationary and had i left it rolling around by my feet it could have got jammed under the brake pedal but he was having none of it.

 

I get that he was just doing his job and i shouldn't have been holding my phone at all, and to this day i leave my phone in my pocket whilst driving at all times now, but i still feel hard done by.

 

I have never used my phone for anything other than a satnav when I've been driving.

 

The answer in that situation should always be "prove it".  Never accept punishment like this on the say so of a police officer.  

[covefox]

Don't think it's about getting results, it's about social attitude engineering. My grandparents bemoan seat belts and not being able to have a few pints and drive home. I think most under 50s would not see either of these stringent driving inconveniences an infringement on their rights as drivers. 

 

 

Mobile phone use will drop not with our generation bemoaning this new tuld, but the next week will grow up with it being normal not to use whilst driving. Play the long gane

[DB11]

2 hours ago, Strokes said:

No you can plead not guilty at the courts and have trial. That is completely incorrect.

Of  course you can plead not guilty that's why I said essentially. But the evidence has already been obtained. The only way you're getting off is on a technicality and in my eyes that means you're still guilty but that you've got off on a technicality ie. the case is dismissed not that you're found not guilty.

[Strokes]

1 hour ago, DB11 said:

Of  course you can plead not guilty that's why I said essentially. But the evidence has already been obtained. The only way you're getting off is on a technicality and in my eyes that means you're still guilty but that you've got off on a technicality ie. the case is dismissed not that you're found not guilty.

Of course you can be found not guilty, and there are no guarentees that any case is shut and dry. Im sure 95% of cases are a technicality but i doubt its all of them.

[DB11]

11 minutes ago, Strokes said:

Of course you can be found not guilty, and there are no guarentees that any case is shut and dry. Im sure 95% of cases are a technicality but i doubt its all of them.

Well I disagree - if you blow under on the evidential machine then you're not going to get to court in the first place. What other circumstances can you think of?

 

If you dispute being the driver then you'll be interviewed and so if it transpires you weren't driving you also won't be sent to court. 

[Strokes]

3 minutes ago, DB11 said:

Well I disagree - if you blow under on the evidential machine then you're not going to get to court in the first place. What other circumstances can you think of?

 

If you dispute being the driver then you'll be interviewed and so if it transpires you weren't driving you also won't be sent to court. 

Could be you arent stopped but a incident is reported after the event, you are at home drinking and the cops 'suspect' you were over the limit whilst driving. Not all cases are going to follow the same processes.

[grth2004]

On 18 September 2016 at 21:08, DB11 said:

Yeah, and I'm saying they can prosecute you for using hands free. The offence is driving without due care and attention.

Using hands-free devices when driving

You can use hands-free phones, sat navs and 2-way radios when you’re driving or riding. But if the police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle you could still get stopped and penalised.

thats from gov.uk and my point was I don't think a lot of people know that so be careful , and your right 

[DB11]

Just now, grth2004 said:

Using hands-free devices when driving

You can use hands-free phones, sat navs and 2-way radios when you’re driving or riding. But if the police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle you could still get stopped and penalised.

thats from gov.uk and my point was I don't think a lot of people know that so be careful , and your right 

Yes but the offence isn't using a handheld mobile device because, well, it's not handheld