Texting While Driving - On the phone drivers!

It's control is in the hands of someone whose driving is effected to the same degree as being over the alcohol limit?

Thanks but that does not answer the question. Can you try reading?

This.

Also 'stationary' in a queue usually means the driver is riding the clutch so it can jump forwards very easily

The danger is looking at your telephone instead of the traffic, even if it going to take 5 minutes for the traffic to start moving.

I'm sure you have seen some drivers still looking at their phone while the traffic is moving, and end up getting into a panic trying to accelerate quickly to beat the light.

Not in an automatic. Stationary means foot on the brake. Again what danger is being posed?

Ed sure and that is stupidity but right now I am in the fast lane on a motorway and I haven't moved in ages. I don't even have the engine on so what danger do I pose by writing this?

The danger is getting into the habit of using your phone.

Thanks but that does not answer the question. Can you try reading?

The car is stationary, the driver's fiddling with a mobile, the lights change, driver doesn't notice. London isn't full of cars that are permanently stationary, even when stationary the distracted driver is in charge of the vehicle, that's why it's an offence. If the vehicle was not parked, stationary and engine off, it is being “used” as far as the law is concerned. This is particularly the case if you are in a queue of traffic waiting at lights etc.

Would you oppose the conviction of a drunk driver if he was stationary at the lights? Exact same thing, the distraction element is the same.

I think long term traffic jam is a bit different, I'd consider stuck with the engine off in traffic as parked.

Ed sure and that is stupidity but right now I am in the fast lane on a motorway and I haven't moved in ages. I don't even have the engine on so what danger do I pose by writing this?

Have a look to your left - it all started moving 5 minutes ago ..

True but still illegal as I am in a traffic lane so why am I as bad as a drink driver? Distraction whilst driving or when you should be driving (eg at lights) is completely different to distraction whilst stationary. What I am doing now is a bit extreme as this is a hell of a jam but checking a text while in a London jam without being absorbed and maintaining awareness of when you need to concentrate and move poses no more danger than I do now. I think I can confidently say that stationary vehicles do not run people over.

By the way I checked left and there is someone watching something on an iPad.

The problem as I said earlier, is getting into the habit of doing so.

edit - snot's otter said it better below.

I think it needs to be bad enough that engines are off, the problems arrise when people do little checks in small jams, which then end up as little checks at long light sequences, which then normalises phone use in cars. Also it's a lot easier to enforce (although it isn't actually enforced) with a cover-all rule for not using your phone in the car. Maybe it should include engine on/phone off and vice versa.

Isn't it just to make applying the law simpler - by banning use when stationary the police do not then have the burden of proving that the vehicle was moving?

What snotters said.

It's more about being the person in control of the vehicle than it is about "driving"

So I wasn't supposed to check my phone and crack a couple of beers as a driving instructor?

Ok but why do you (Ed) chastise every driver just because you see the glow of a screen. Going to such extremes as banging their car? How do you know their behaviour is habitual or at that moment distracting them. The problem with engine on phone off snotts is that my phone is my satnav. But I do agree in general with what you are saying.

are you seriously texting while sat behind the wheel of a car? i hope you get fucking nicked.

bulb.

By the way I checked left and there is someone watching something on an iPad.

Traffic alerts ?

It is distracting them, but if the car is off then that's OK, otherwise it's not.

Ha, well I hope they nick the guy behind, he looks like he's having a kip. The bloke to my left is watching a movie and several others are stretching their legs. Busy day for the police but I think they are occupied up ahead.

Looked for traffic alerts but this jam is not yet showing up. First world Sunday night problems.

Multi Use stuff like phone/satnav things is a bit different, it needs to be mounted really and should really be one or the other at the time, a lot of android phones have a car mode for this.

The "no phones whilst driving" law is a good example of what is wrong with the way that we try to sort out bad behaviour by traffic.

We had, before the phone legislation, and still have "driving without due care and attention".

If we had sufficient coppers to actually make a difference we could have simply enforced the existing legislation.

Making a specific offence of phone use is only useful if we are in the current mess- that of trying to enforce good behaviour by imposing fines-after-the-fact, of offences detected by camera and checked by someone in a contact centre.