Lonan3 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I'm doing a bit of copycatting with this one - taking a UK story FROM HERE and asking a 'local' question. More than 246 drivers a day in Scotland and England have been fined for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving since laws were toughened a month ago. A total of 6,891 people north and south of the border were fined £60 and had three points added to their licence. I believe we may have introduced this kind of law much earlier than the UK did, yet we rarely hear of anyone being prosecuted even though we see many breaking it So, the question is, does anyone have figures to show how many local people have been prosecuted/fined for what is definitely a dangerous practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripoff Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Have to say that people do seem to blatantly disregard the law on this one. Within the last two days have seen one driver on the 'phone going through a junction with traffic lights and one going round a roundabout!! The number of people driving heavy goods vehicles on the 'phone as well is disturbing. I often wonder though what is more dangerous - quickly answering the 'phone and saying ' I'll call you back' or suddenly slamming on the brakes in the most dangerous and bizarre places (saw someone stopped opposite double white lines on the blackboards corner a few months ago on the phone) The right action of course is to just ignore it until you have finished the journey! Here is another one then - what are peoples views on smoking and driving. In my mind it is much more dangerous to drop a lit fag on your lap when driving or trying to light one up going around a roundabout! And as for people throwing lit fags out of the car window....don't get me going on that one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modey Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Anybody see traffic cops on bbc1 the other week? It involved a a lorry driver causing the death of a woman because he was using his mobile phone when driving and slammed into the back of her stationary car at 60mph. After seing the state of the car it certainly makes you think about using a phone when driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 It was also on about 3 months ago, The worst bit was when he had to go and tell the family what had happened , Then when he was on his way back to the accident scene, He caught one person on there mobile phone and another using the hard shoulder to try and gain a few places in the traffic que (and while telling that driver off, the camera shows a van doing the same thing, although the copper doesn't spot it) I couldn't believe how badly crushed the car was/is, Its almost what you'd expect to come out of a scrap yard, Although being hit between a 7.5 ton lorry tanking along at at least 50mph, Hardly any braking (they showed the tachograph) and the rear end of a 4x4 you aren't going to come out well, Poor woman was just on her way to a job interview to. But i don't see how using a hands free headset is any different, The conversation is still a distraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Merton Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 This has to be one of my biggest gripes. I cannot believe how irresponsible people can be, despite the publicity. What would happen if I reported someone? Can they be prosecuted? Surely it could be proved that they were using the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cret Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 After seing the state of the car it certainly makes you think about using a phone when driving. To be honest, it certainly makes me think about NOT using one! Even though I don't anyway. I wonder if you happen to snap a picture on your phone of these tossers doing this and email it to the police if they could use it? Easier said than done of course as you'd need their number plate in shot too I suppose. Does really annoy me though. I find it odd that people who on occasion might drive quite fast when there is a safe (and legal!) opportunity to do so seem to get lambasted more than people blatantly disregarding laws like this which I would say is easily if not more dangerous than driving fast. Sometimes it seems as if the drivers of taxis/white vans/BMWs believe they are exempt from this law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celt Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I saw the programe and was in shock at the state off the car and also watching the Firemen franticly checking the vehicle, after finding a women driver, they were checking for kids in the back seats. The scenes of the Policeman driving up to the young womens house to inform them off the death was harrowing. The way that the young womens life was snuffed out in such a violent and destructive manner was so sad. It effected so many lives off the familes and also the Emergency Services who have to deal with these totally unnecessary deaths. To the people who still use their phones whilst driving, the truck driver got 4 1/2 years in prison. Yet his actions, and so could yours, took the life of a young woman starting out on a new adventure and sentenced a family to a lifetime of grief and pain. Think about it. I personally think, after seeing that programme, if you get caught using a mobile whilst driving, you should be banned and heavily fined. The reason for this is that, imo, it's not driving without due care and attention. It's about being selfish and not giving a flying fuck about anyone else on the road as long you get to answer a damm phone. It only take a couple of mins to pull over. Take the time to do it or you might find yourself having many mins to think about it care of Mr Moyle and you haven't gave another family a lifetime to think either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 People driving with mobile phones clamped to their ears annoy me. Some daft bint nearly swerved her fecking big Merc into me because she couldn't turn a junction turn tight enough with one hand. Do I remember right that Dudley Butt admitted a year ago that nobody had been issued with a fixed penalty ticket since they introduced the law? Shit, stand at Quarterbridge all day and you'd make a fortune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccm Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Speak to your MHK. Ask them to raise the issue during Keys/Tynwald questions. Ask the Minister for Home Affairs why there are no prosecutions/if there are any prosecutions. Will it take the death of somebody due to mobile phones while driving to tighten things up. That usually is the case in the Isle of Man. Don't just type away on here moaning about it. If you feel strongly about something then take positive action regardless of the issue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxman27 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 A woman crashed in to me a couple of years ago. A day or so after I had given my statement to the police, I started to piece together a few things that led me to believe that she must have been on the phone at the time, and since she was saying the accident was my fault I told the police that I thought she was on the phone, they said it costs them £200 to get the records of MT to be able to prove if there were any calls made at the time of the accident. I didn't hear anything more about the accident except for a chase up call from an insurance company and a personal injury claim form from a UK based company, I told them to go and swing, but I was still a bit shocked to find that the police wouldn't look in to if she was on the phone or not. We managed perfectly well before we had mobile phones, so why do people think that it is so important to make a call or answer the phone while driving. Worse than drivers with mobile phones are mothers with a car full of kids, where she spends all her time looking in the rear view mirror and shouting and trying to smack children, I've been stopped at traffic lights a few times and worried that the out of control mother was about to crash in to the back of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamplemousse Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 The worst thing is people pulling up abruptly to answer their phones. Legally the 'right' thing to do, but a downright bloody dangerous idea in the hands of idiots. Double yellows, brow of a hill, approaching junctions and crossings...there is no end to the silly places people decide that their phonecall is more important than other people's lives.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Shit, stand at Quarterbridge all day and you'd make a fortune. Won't need all day - too many people still doing it... Just two random ones from the way to the shop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Just two random ones from the way to the shop... The Mini looks OK to me, it looks like the passenger on the phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copycat Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Have to say that people do seem to blatantly disregard the law on this one. Within the last two days have seen one driver on the 'phone going through a junction with traffic lights and one going round a roundabout!! The number of people driving heavy goods vehicles on the 'phone as well is disturbing. I often wonder though what is more dangerous - quickly answering the 'phone and saying ' I'll call you back' or suddenly slamming on the brakes in the most dangerous and bizarre places (saw someone stopped opposite double white lines on the blackboards corner a few months ago on the phone) The right action of course is to just ignore it until you have finished the journey! Here is another one then - what are peoples views on smoking and driving. In my mind it is much more dangerous to drop a lit fag on your lap when driving or trying to light one up going around a roundabout! And as for people throwing lit fags out of the car window....don't get me going on that one!! hear hear as for the photos guess there aren't too many grey Minis with a black roof R plate and pink dangly thing fronm the rear-view mirror driving about ( also out of interest if you block the number out is that an obstruction of justice??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahc Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 The Mini driver's got both hands on the wheel, TOG is correct. Edit: The Mini driver's got a hand on the wheel and one on the gearstick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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