Using a mobile phone while driving

You are allowed to smoke in company cars chaps, I know, I do

You cannot uninvent mobile phones, people expect to be able to contact me most of the time, and I lose work if I don't play !

As for smoking, I've noticed many factories are now ignoring the ban, and after the initial fuss, I now see loads of van drivers openly smoking in company vans, I even saw a schol bus this morning, in Worcester, no passengers on board, and the driver had a fag hanging out of the window.

I have never stopped smoking in my workshop, taiters to em

Fancy a drive over easter pittsy ?

Nigel wrote: I still think you all worry to much. Concentrate on your own driving, leave others alone I've had a phone in my car for over 20 years now, I've smoked whilst driving for over 30 years. Here's an offer for you, this smoking phone using driver will happily give any of you a demonstration of my driving, how many of you would submit to an assessed drive, assessed by me, lets see how good those moaning about others are. Any takers ?..... Pittsy your local ! We'll post the results of what we think of each others driving, it should be good for a laugh if nothing else.

Nigel, don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking EVERYONE who has ever used a mobile phone while driving and I like to think of myself as a sensible driver. I have had no driving convictions or accidents and not even a parking fine since I passed my test, in fact, I have never even been pulled over. OK, I have only been driving 12 years which may only be half what you guys have done but I make a conscious effort to always use my mirrors, indicators and carefully asses every road user and situation as I drive, but as soon as I couple this with using my phone (which as mentioned, I did a number of years ago and nearly came unstuck) I feel as though even obvious things pass me by and you don't always realise until it's too late.

I once saw a woman on the opposite side of the road drive straight through a red light on a pedestrian crossing which I had stopped at to let the pedestrians accross when she was on her phone. Even after she drove on, only missing one of the pedestrians by about 6 inches as they were about to walk in her path, she still didn't even clock that she'd passed a crossing and continued to drive while on her phone.

I'm sure most of you remember the young girl who was killed on the M3 about 3 years ago by a lorry driver who didn't even realise it was her car he hit because he'd squashed it smaller than a third of it's size and didn't realise he'd hit her until he got out of his lorry. It was on road wars about a year ago. The lorry driver had his phone still in the hands free holder and was searching through menu's on the phone while driving at over 60 mph when he hit the Peugeot 106 and squashed it into 3 other cars. THAT is the type of driver I am trying to say are the ones the law needs to be tougher for.  OK, so this guy went to prison for death caused by careless driving but if the law had been tougher in the first place, he may not have risked what he was doing and she may still be alive. Laws are there as prevention. The lorry driver was an experienced lorry driver with no previous convictions and he was a family man, he didn't set out that morning to kill someone but it was his lack of thought that brought it all about, a thought that may have been stronger in his mind if the law was much tougher. That is all I'm trying to say. It only happened about 10 miles from where I lived at the time and I know one of the guys who works for the highways agency who had to help clear up the mess and when you hear something like that has happened it really brings it home to you like "what if that was my child"

Anyway, off my soapbox now! nuff said.

As a side note, Nigel, I'd love to take you up on your offer and I honestly believe I'd be a good driver! I have always said I'd like to do the advanced driving course but never got off my butt to do it. Maybe one day!

Mike

There is no excuse to use the phone hand held. Kits for hands free can be had for a few pounds - strange that so many expensive car drivers seem unable to afford a hands free kit for their Merc/Range Rover/BMW/Jaguar etc etc.

ANY bus driver smoking in a cab is an offence and I thought all company cars were classed at work places and therefore no smoking areas. Certainly all ours are and have to carry all the stickers to comply with the law.

I still do see truck drivers using hand helds. They are likely to lose their vocational licence if caught. The Traffic Commisioners take a dim view of so called professional drivers using hand helds.

I have blue tooth through the car and can dial and receive calls from the steering wheel controls. BUT driving is first followed by conversation - just like if I was talking to someone in the vehicle.

Peter Fenwick wrote: hennabm wrote: ANY bus driver smoking in a cab is an offence and I thought all company cars were classed at work places and therefore no smoking areas. Certainly all ours are and have to carry all the stickers to comply with the law. This is true, Nigel's just a criminal

Taiters to the non smoking gits .

The law  is supposed to be about protecting peoples heath, once the smoke is gone, there is no risk to health.

Nobody has to ride in or drive my car, there are plenty of busses about.

Peter Fenwick wrote: Nigel wrote: The law  is supposed to be about protecting peoples heath The law is about controlling us, public perception, winning votes and politics. If it was about protedcting peoples health then why is canabis a class B drug and alcohol legal? When was the last time someone was attacked by a stoned youth?

A good point well made Peter!

Mike