General Chat

From today gone up to £100 - good - hope it goes up further

Still not enough,,,,,,,,,£500 plus 6 points might-----just might curb the offenders into thinking,nothing is that important it cant wait till they can safely stop.
:-)

Will destroy driving as we know it in my county. Fast as you can drive without crashing, phone in right hand, fag in left, turning steering wheel with knees, stopping in middle of road, holding up traffic whilst you chat to friends, and hooting continually 24/7.

I can see all of those being cash cows for police within a few years. ;-) Perhaps right there should be big fines, but I do wish they would take reduction of deaths and injuries seriously - it is not all about fines and punishments.

I think with the current three offences that Police concentrate on in their "purges" (speeding, seat belt and mobile phone) it is right to have major penalties.

However, I think we would all prefer a gradation of offence like seems to happen with cannabis smoking. First offence - a telling off (which should be recorded). Second - an official caution. Third - a fine. Fourth - prison.

Same with mobile phone whilst driving. 1. Official recorded caution 2. £100 and 3 points 3. £1000 and 6 points. Think many might be happier with that approach. Including police on the ground. It is surley about behavioural change, not just punishment.

Like drink driving people just don't think they will be caught so punishment is less of a threat.

Police need to be monitoring constantly not just "when they have time" as our local plod do.

Trouble is you got to catch them first

I often see idiots driving around with one hand on the steering wheel and a phone glued to their ear. Not always young folks either .

I would think that your insurance would be invalid while you were using a mobile phone at the wheel.

Being fined for tailgating and middle lane hogging comes into force today too I think.

I am certainly not condoning mobile phone use whilst driving but is it any more distracting than having a conversation with one of the vehicles other passengers or telling the noisy kids in the rear to keep quiet?

My thoughts are is that it is probably not.

I think it probably is more distracting because it is not possible to see the person on the other end. They are not aware of your situation at the time.

It just might stop all these pillocks that stay in the middle lane and wont move over.
They are the most dangerous.

George :-)

only by punishment will you get behavioural change and the punishment has to be greater in the case of mobile phones - as has been said - make it £1000, that'll stop it, cos surely a life lost through a mobile-phone-using car driver is worth more than £1000

Agree Ann plus perhaps a ban for 6 months.

Carol

In the days when we all survived without mobiles you had to supress the engine to get your radio to work.

I wouldn't think it would be very hard to get it so that a mobile won't work in a moving vehicle.

What confuses me is when you see those "Cops with cameras" programms on the TV the policeman following the bad guys at 70 through a built up area reaches up to his radio on his chest and while driving one handed gives a commentary of what's happening!

Who is going to nick him then?

Out of interest who would be fined? The person holding the middle lane or the person tailgating them, or both?

can I phone a friend :-D

Only if it's hands free :-D

:-D :-D :-D