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Using a mobile phone while driving contributed to crashes in which 43 people died and 135 were seriously injured on Britain's roads in 2017, Department for Transport figures show.
But yeah, we need to crack down on hoodlums in lycra because that's where the real hazard is.
If only all of the revenue generating cameras could pick up on drink/drug/phone users then that would be a great help.
If only all of the revenue generating cameras…
Choosing to describe them as "revenue generating" is a bit like describing custody as "proactive hospitality", though. It's pretty easy to prevent them "generating" revenue.
Every time I cycle, or even in the car in a queue, I see folk 'nodding heads' looking at phone in thier lap or holding a phone. It's an epidemic.
I drive a van so can see down into cars as they pass on the motorway. The amount of folk with their phone in their hand is shocking. And what's with the idiots who have the phone in front of their face yelling at it whilst driving?
Yep, I still suspect the woman who managed to drive straight down the middle of the road and into a bloody great white T5 I was driving was texting at the time. Her phone was in the front footwell. The police weren't interested as she didn't manage to seriously kill me.
I see folk ‘nodding heads’ looking at phone in thier lap
Perhaps they are admiring their magnificent cock? Even the women.
And what’s with the idiots who have the phone in front of their face yelling at it whilst driving?
Those confuse me. I did wonder if it was pretending they werent on the phone (in some twisted logic) but see people doing it bimbling along on foot as well.
2 things for me- 1 there's absolutely no need for hand held phones in cars as most new models will have blue tooth - if you must phone use hands free and then only in emergency , so what is so important that it can't be left for the duration of a journey ? I've seen people facebooking at junctions .
2- you can have any fine or punishment you like .It only has an effect if its enforced otherwise its notional .
a car hit me whilst I suspect the driver was on the phone.
<And what’s with the idiots who have the phone in front of their face yelling at it whilst driving?>
Perhaps they think they are Jimmy Carr recording a joke?
Every time I cycle, or even in the car in a queue, I see folk ‘nodding heads’ looking at phone in thier lap or holding a phone. It’s an epidemic.
^^THIS^^ x1000
If I rode to/from work for a week with a helmet cam rolling, and the footage was considred appropriate evidence I'd be able to "generate revenue" from an easy dozen+ drivers....
The trouble is nobody takes the law seriously, even to some of my work colleagues its just a source of amusement that they have the odd "Sneaky glance" at their mobile even thought the "know they shouldn't"... The chances of detection are minimal, and if they get challenged by a member of the public (or irrate cyclist) they can just brazen it out.
The motoring organisation surveyed 1,800 drivers for its annual Report on Motoring.
So that's an extrapolated 10 million? the actual number doing it is much higher I reckon
I did notice the article attributing the behaviour more to drivers in the 25-34 range and again to 35-44, From my own observations that correlates...
What they didn't seem to comment on was any sort of gender split, again I think I see as many women as men yapping/texting.
Is that 10million instances or 10million drivers admitting it?
(Can’t be bothered to open link)
We should just accept phone use is part of modern day driving and be done with it 🤣🤷♂️
I don't see it so much in cars now as most in the last 5 years have Bluetooth handsfree as standard. Such a high percentage of transit-style van drivers though. I guess that they may not have bluetooth or because it is a pool van they are not set up to it.
To be honest I'm not sure that handsfree is much better than holding it. It's the concentration on the conversation that is a problem.
if they get challenged by a member of the public (or irrate cyclist) they can just brazen it out.
I tooted at a BMW driver who was messing about with his phone (while he had his child in the car) and the reaction I got was as if I'd run over his son. What an absolute bellend, and raising another bellend by the looks of it.
Its usually people typing on their phones that I notice. So I don't think handsfree is going to reduce the numbers by much.
If only all of the revenue generating cameras
Except there aren’t really any. Think how much money could be made if cameras on motorways enforced the limit.
I run and ride past slow moving traffic several days a week - roughly one in ten is looking at their phone. Lack of road police is the problem coupled with the unique attitude of invincibility people get in cars.
Every time I cycle, or even in the car in a queue, I see folk ‘nodding heads’ looking at phone in thier lap or holding a phone. It’s an epidemic.
Yup,but hey ...
You never know when you might need to take that selfie
It's a shame they can't transplant his legs onto Mrs Fleming.
There's no clear definition in the report (or on here) between people holding phones and people touching phones (only using a handheld phone presumably as opposed to one that is 'wired in/isolated' as a bluetooth connected one would be). This is because the law doesn't recognise the difference so all this talk of nodding/looking down/holding a phone is moot (despite it clearly being massively incompatible with driving) because the offence is just touching the phone. Messing with massively complex in-car infotainment systems is as yet, not illegal. The whole thing is definitely a use-case for ever improving voice activation though as the boundaries between a phone and other technology further blur. Me - possibly guilty of interacting with Google Maps on a dashboard mounted i-thingy whilst driving which as per the RAC report makes me one of the 10 million 'Using a handheld phone'.
The in-car systems are surely a looming problem.
I hired a Citroen C3 on holiday last year and (as a curious user experience professional) was genuinely shocked by how bad the control system was in terms of a human interface.
Pretty much everything other than the main driving controls (ie lighting etc) are handled by a single touchscreen interface, which has major flaws:
- there is obviously zero tactility, so (unlike with physical buttons and switches) it's essentially impossible to change any settings without visual distraction from the primary task (ie driving)
- also the interface is what we call "modal": at any given time, any given part of the interface could be assigned to any of a number of functions depending on what's happened up until now; which means that even if you've memorised the virtual layout, you still have the cognitive and visual distractions of determining whether the interface is in the right mode and then navigating to the correct mode
- controls also tended to be relative rather than absolute: so to set the aircon to 18 degrees would normally require multiple interactions, the number of which would depend on what the current temperature was (rather than a single interaction of turning a knob to an absolute position)
Genuinely, the simple task of making the air come out cooler was a hugely distracting task. A tablet-style interface is inherently, and significantly, flawed when it comes to car controls, and it's a bit of a concern that interfaces as bad as this are appearing with either no apparent HCI safety testing or having past tests that must be worryingly weak.
The air industry has spent a century learning these things in great detail. I suspect the auto industry has little appetite to incorporate that hard-won experience into products that are arguably evolving into mobile entertainment centres.
The in-car systems are surely a looming problem.
Without doubt.
The amount of drifters and swervers that you see on the roads will have as much to do with folk trying to scroll through menus as it does with mobile use.
It's always frightening to see them on the motorways,particularly the HGVs .
arguably evolving into mobile entertainment centres.
These features sell cars as much as the Carlos Fandango wheels and the badge. Many car adverts will boast the size of the touch screen and presumably there's a correlation between the screen 'presence' and the amount of stuff you can / must do with it.
I was following an Audi A3 the other day, well I say following, it flew past me on the dual-carriageway and I caught up in the queue on the slip road roundabout. Woman driving has having a full on rant over the mobile at her cheek. Brazen as you like. I passed them (she did the roundabout change lane thing my instructor taught me not to) and she had a PASSENGER! Sat there like a pathetic lemon. Incredible.
Anyway ref the in-car system, mine (old Passat) is no more distracting than changing the radio station and singing along with Phil Collins. Like I do, natch. Absolutely nothing like holding your phone to your ear and having a rant. Passes the time quite well.
Wife caught on mobile yesterday. 6 points and a £200 fine. I have been going on at her for ages. My colleagues have lost count of the number of times I have just ended the conversation and hung up when it becomes apparent she is on the handheld mobile whilst driving. I am sick of warning her.
I'm furious. Totally avoidable. There is an inevitable effect on insurance premiums and a possible loss of licence. Just stupid.
If she loses her licence, she won't be able to get to work, she'll lose her job, and we won't be able to pay the mortgage. Fantastic. I'm still raging.
To be honest I’m not sure that handsfree is much better than holding it. It’s the concentration on the conversation that is a problem.
It's a lot better than texting/Facebooking etc though which is more of an issue I reckon these days.
Cars are too easy to drive these dayd. I have a classic mini and if I looked down for a split second it'll try and kill me.
I've been guilty in the past but now the phone lives in the arm rest and doesn't get touched.
Built in sat nav and Bluetooth for music removes any temptation.