# Driving and Using a Mobile Phone



## roker (15 Jul 2011)

I was watching Police Stop on TV the other night, and there was a horrendous accident because a women turned right in to a filling station across the path of another car, resulting in the passenger of the other car, a 20 year girl having head and brain injuries, and a broken back.
The women that caused the accident had been on her mobile, and was OK.
I see people all of the time driving while on their mobiles, even professional truck drivers. I cannot understand how they are getting away with it. If the Garda stood on the corner in our town he would catch someone about every 15 minutes. It has been proved as dangerous as drinking and driving, plus they are driving with one hand.


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## Brendan Burgess (15 Jul 2011)

I think that the penalty needs to be much higher. 

Picking up a phone to make or to receive a call is a deliberate, conscious action. If the penalty was increased to confiscation of the car or at least a 6 month ban, the problem would be greatly reduced. 

Brendan


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## RonanC (15 Jul 2011)

The problem is detection, or lack of. I see so many people on mobile phones while driving and have only ever seen one person stopped or pulled over. When somebody on a phone spots a Garda car, the phone drops down, until the pass by and then the phone goes back up again. I agree, if the penalty was higher, it would put some people off, but some would continue as they are, due to lack of detection. 

I cannot understand why truck and taxi drivers, considered professional drivers, use their phones while driving. What is their problem? Why dont they invest in a hands free kit, they dont cost the world. They should be a requirement in all taxi's, vans and trucks with the possibility of making them compulsory for all drivers under legislation.


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## Marion (15 Jul 2011)

Is it any worse than parents talking to their children in the back seats through the mirror?

I admit to having been shocked by lorry drivers/other drivers on their phone but on occasion I have also been known to answer my phone while driving.

I think it always seems worse when somebody else does it.

Marion


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## horusd (15 Jul 2011)

Few things bug me (or sometimes scare me) more than this. It's bad enough talkin on the phone, but people texting is even worse. I regularly see  HGV drivers on mobiles around Dublin docks and connecting roads. It's so bad that someone not on the phone is the exception. It would pay the Gardai to send someone down there and dish out fines. Someone send a note to Mr Chopra, he'll do it !


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## shesells (15 Jul 2011)

I saw that episode too...scary.

Dublin Bus drivers are dreadful for it too...I have reported a few. Smoking on the buses as well.


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## roker (16 Jul 2011)

I believe the maximum a mobile will ring is 30 seconds, if you do want to answer, this does not give much time to pull in. From a safety point of view, mobile companies should increase the ringing time


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## RonanC (16 Jul 2011)

roker said:


> I believe the maximum a mobile will ring is 30 seconds, if you do want to answer, this does not give much time to pull in. From a safety point of view, mobile companies should increase the ringing time



Call them back


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## RMCF (16 Jul 2011)

I use a bluetooth handsfree kit in my car. The increase in the number of people using the phone whilst driving has been huge. You see them everywhere, so surely many should be getting fines from the Gardai.

And not trying to defend using a mobile, but whats the difference between picking up a ringing mobile to your ear, and for example, eating a banana whilst driving? Thats not illegal. Is chatting on a phone any more distracting that holding a piece of fruit? (as long as you aren't texting).


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## STEINER (16 Jul 2011)

I see drivers on their mobiles all the time, even negotiating busy roundabouts, coming out into junctions etc.  regularly we'd be stuck behind a very slow vehicle and the reason would be driver yapping on phone, held up to ear. It should of course be stamped out but everytime I am out in car there are lots of traffic violations of all types.  The amount of vehicles which break red lights is frightening and it is very prevalent at pedestrian crossings, I know some pedestrians run across traffic but a vehicle blatantly going through a red light is very bad.


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## Billo (16 Jul 2011)

I agree that it is awful and dangerous to see drivers on the phone while driving.

I think the only way to get around this is for the gardai to stop cars and if a mobile phone is found in the car a fine should be issued.

The driver could carry the phone in the boot, so they could look at it later if needed.


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## RonanC (16 Jul 2011)

Billo said:


> I agree that it is awful and dangerous to see drivers on the phone while driving.
> 
> I think the only way to get around this is for *the gardai to stop cars and if a mobile phone is found in the car a fine should be issued*.
> 
> *The driver could carry the phone in the boot*, so they could look at it later if needed.



This idea is totally unworkable and can be dangerous too. The law at present allows a driver to use their mobile phone while driving in emergencies only. A mobile phone is a distraction while driving, and can be dangerous if it is used while driving, but it can also help with the safety of a driver and those around them too. 

People applying makeup while driving, eating while driving, smoking while driving are all nearly or probably more dangerous than using a mobile phone. 

Mandatory hands free kits are the way forward in my opinion, making car manufacturers fit them as standard and when a driver gets into the car, the phone is recognised and connects automatically, meaning that they dont have to pick up the phone to accept or make calls.


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## Complainer (16 Jul 2011)

When cycling, I frequently find that the drivers who are drifting out of their lane towards my space are frequently those phoning or texting. I've come across drivers taking conference calls with the relevant paperwork spread around the car like a mobile office, who are greatly surprised when I interrupt the call to ask them to stay in lane. One time, I apologised to the folk on the call for the interruption.


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## onq (16 Jul 2011)

I find the whole "phones are dangerous" argument quite specious.
They are dangerous, but the argument misses the point.
People are dangerous.
Period.

There is no difference to me whether the hazard is someone making or receiving a call or one of the following -

- an incompetent driver
- a young reckless driver
- an older aggressive driver
- a driver with a car full of screaming kids
- an older driver with poor eyesight
- a couple arguing while driving
- a smoker with hot ash in their hand/crotch/face
- a drunk driver
- a hung-over driver
- a sick driver, especially one that's sneezing (!)
- a driver that is falling asleep at the wheel
- an inexperienced foreign driver
- an unaccompanied learner driver
- an habitually speeding driver
- a driver with a damaged car

All are potentially lethal, alone or in combination.

And that's just the range of ordinary car drivers before we even get on to truckers and bus drivers (!) with mobile phones, uninsured drivers, police drivers in unmarked cars.
While the rigid enforcement of speed limits a few years back earned some brownie points for traffic police it did little or nothing to reduce road accident statistics.
Mandatory driver re-testing every five years would be a start - you could include a multiple choice section about phones if it makes you feel better.

ONQ.


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## horusd (16 Jul 2011)

Complainer said:


> When cycling, I frequently find that the drivers who are drifting out of their lane towards my space are frequently those phoning or texting. I've come across drivers taking conference calls with the relevant paperwork spread around the car like a mobile office, who are greatly surprised when I interrupt the call to ask them to stay in lane. *One time, I apologised to the folk on the call for the interruption*.


 

Lol, what did they say?


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## Complainer (16 Jul 2011)

horusd said:


> Lol, what did they say?



I didn't wait around for their response. TBH, I've no idea if they heard me, but it left the driver a bit stunned.


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## roker (16 Jul 2011)

*RMCF: I use a bluetooth handsfree kit in my car*

Hands free are still dangerous because you are still concentrating on other thing and not your driving


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## onq (16 Jul 2011)

I'm not sure how bad the posters here are at driving.

Many people are terrible at driving because they are technically poor drivers and have no concentration.

Others are technically brilliant, see like sparrowhawks, and have 1/3 sec reflex, but they're even more dangerous because they are reckless.

That having been said, if you cannot either -
(i) use a bluetooth earpiece without thinking about it or
(ii) turn the mobile to "mute" and stick the mobile in the glove box​ - you shouldn't be driving any vehicle.

ONQ.


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## blueband (17 Jul 2011)

RMCF said:


> And not trying to defend using a mobile, but whats the difference between picking up a ringing mobile to your ear, and for example, eating a banana whilst driving? Thats not illegal. Is chatting on a phone any more distracting that holding a piece of fruit? (as long as you aren't texting).


 
none!


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## roker (20 Jul 2011)

You don't talk to a banana, the act of conversation takes your concentration from your driving.


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## RonanC (20 Jul 2011)

roker said:


> You don't talk to a banana.



Ah but how many hands does it take to peal a banana?


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## turtle77 (27 Jul 2011)

my comment doesn't add much to the conversation but...
.. I saw an elected TD on his phone whilst he was driving 3 weeks ago.


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## AlbacoreA (27 Jul 2011)

Similar to messing with the radio, or listening intently to something.


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## Mpsox (27 Jul 2011)

I do see most weeks one or 2 people convicted in the local newspaper but I think most people "take a chance" knowing they probably won't get caught.


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## Complainer (27 Jul 2011)

Not just phones that will be banned!
http://www.examiner.ie/breakingnews...s-outright-ban-on-smoking-in-cars-514336.html


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## JoeB (27 Jul 2011)

Smoking may be as dangerous as mobiling. Looking for the lighter, stretching for the 12V lighter, tipping ash,.. coughing, knocking the ash off into lap, that's definitely dangerous.


Eating a banana or applying makeup can be illegal,.. it's just the government doesn't think it's best to write down every little thing that might be dangerous.. so we have a catch all 'driving without due care' law, which worked for mobiles before mobiles became a specific offense.

Not joking about this, but couples playing around while driving,.. is that expressly outlawed? because it does happen.


In general all rules should be applied evenly and fairly.. the Irish though have aproblem with that, they expect to be let off with a wink and a nod.


We stil have silly people driving in the rightmost lane, at 80km, on the three lane M50,.. and I haven't seen the traffic police stop them, although I've been stopped for undertaking in that situation. (The Garda advised me to stay behind the slow driver, in the overtaking lane, while indicating right.. pretty useless advice as silly people don't look behind them). If I was a traffic cop I'd be issuing tickets for that.


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## rubyred (27 Jul 2011)

guys was reading this post earlyer, popped out for lunch heading to local cafe passed a garda car and guess what the gard was on his mobile great example to set eh!


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## Complainer (27 Jul 2011)

JoeBallantin said:


> We stil have silly people driving in the rightmost lane, at 80km, on the three lane M50,.. and I haven't seen the traffic police stop them, although I've been stopped for undertaking in that situation. (The Garda advised me to stay behind the slow driver, in the overtaking lane, while indicating right.. pretty useless advice as silly people don't look behind them). If I was a traffic cop I'd be issuing tickets for that.


I was a passenger in a car that was doing about 80kmph in the right hand lane in the port tunnel. A Garda pulled the car over after exiting the tunnel and lectured the driver to stay left.


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## Latrade (27 Jul 2011)

Complainer said:


> I was a passenger in a car that was doing about 80kmph in the right hand lane in the port tunnel. A Garda pulled the car over after exiting the tunnel and lectured the driver to stay left.


 
Um, isn't the tunnel 80km anyway?


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## demoivre (27 Jul 2011)

rubyred said:


> guys was reading this post earlyer, popped out for lunch heading to local cafe passed a garda car and guess what the gard was on his mobile great example to set eh!



Guards are exempt from the laws governing mobile phones and seat belts. I've never understood why mobile phones have been singled out for a separate law. As has already been pointed out smoking, eating food or fiddling with the radio are all equally if not more dangerous than using a mobile while driving. There's also no comparison, in terms of safety, between someone answering a call while driving an automatic car compared to someone texting while driving a manual car ! Speed is the number one killer and you would do more to save lives by mechanically capping the speed of cars for the high risk group than any mobile phone law or NCT test.


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## RonanC (27 Jul 2011)

Latrade said:


> Um, isn't the tunnel 80km anyway?


 
Doesnt matter what the speed limit is. Rules of the road say, stay left unless you are overtaking. You should not be sitting hogging a lane.


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## Complainer (27 Jul 2011)

Latrade said:


> Um, isn't the tunnel 80km anyway?


Yep!

Strange how if I use the satnav facility built into my phone while driving, I am committing an offence. But if I use the satnav on the dash, I'm not comitting an offence.


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## horusd (27 Jul 2011)

JoeBallantin said:


> ...
> *...couples playing around while driving,.. is that expressly outlawed? because it does happen.*
> 
> ....


 
They would probably ban voyeurism as well  Joe, just as distracting !


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## RonanC (27 Jul 2011)

demoivre said:


> Speed is the number one killer


 
While speed is a major factor in many crashes, dangerous driving cannot be ignored and either can people driving who are either not qualified to do so where they simply cannot operate a vehicle anymore through illness, age or whatever. 

Our motorways are built for the high speed movement of traffic and it can be argued that a competent driver could safely drive at speeds far in excess of the current speed limit. 

On a motorway (120kph limit) it is the driver up ahead who is driving in the outside, right hand lane (lane 2 or 3), travelling along at 90-100kph, while nothing on his or her inside, meaning the driver behind must slow down very quickly or change lanes in order to overtake depending on what lane they are driving in of course.


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## RonanC (27 Jul 2011)

Complainer said:


> Yep!
> 
> Strange how if I use the satnav facility built into my phone while driving, I am committing an offence. But if I use the satnav on the dash, I'm not comitting an offence.


 
You can still be prosecuted if the Gardai believe you were driving without due care or attention while operating the built in sat-nav system.


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## johnjoda (27 Jul 2011)

onq said:


> i find the whole "phones are dangerous" argument quite specious.
> They are dangerous, but the argument misses the point.
> People are dangerous.
> Period.
> ...


+1


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## Leo (28 Jul 2011)

Complainer said:


> I was a passenger in a car that was doing about 80kmph in the right hand lane in the port tunnel. A Garda pulled the car over after exiting the tunnel and lectured the driver to stay left.


 
Proper order unless the driver was in the act of overtaking. Otherwise they were breaking the law, so the Garda was correct.


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## Niallman (28 Jul 2011)

Leo said:


> Proper order unless the driver was in the act of overtaking. Otherwise they were breaking the law, so the Garda was correct.


 Absolutely. It drives me nuts the amount of people you see driving in the middle lane of the M50 or any other motorway for that matter. I join the M50 at the same spot every day and always find it bizarre how many cars flick on the indicator straight after merging and out they go into the middle lane leaving lane 1 empty. 

If I want to pass these drivers legally then I have to cross from lane 1 to 3 to overtake them and then back to 1.


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## horusd (28 Jul 2011)

I was stuck behind someone doing 60 km's on a 100km national road. Eventually overtook when compeltely safe to do so, and got blasted out of it by the car I passed. What gives? Slow driving is so annoying when the driver doesn't allow traffic to pass. I don't mind slow drivers  driving at what feels right to them, ie older people etc. But some people like above should have their licences revoked, or made resit a test.


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## RMCF (29 Jul 2011)

roker said:


> You don't talk to a banana, the act of conversation takes your concentration from your driving.



So are we going to ban drivers from talking now in cars?
They will be poor company for a single passenger.

As for your comment on bluetooth units, the only thing I have to do to use it is hit one button to accept a call and one more to end it. How is that any more dangerous than someone pressing vol up, or next track on their car stereo?

Are we going to ban music in cars too?


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## JoeB (29 Jul 2011)

People speaking to the driver in a moving car usually stop talking when the driver is obviously negotiating a corner or a tricky part etc. Someone on the phone isn't aware of that, and may be giving the most important info, just when the driver needs to concentrate fully on the road. So there can be a difference between speaking in the car, and speaking on the phone.


But yes, many things are more dangerous than the mobiles.. but the mobiles are so prevalent that a specific law is needed.

Incidentally the Garda don't have a blanket exception.. they can only use the phone on official business can't they? So no calls to the wife, or picking the kids up in the police car. The exemption makes sense, expecially if they have no radios!


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## T McGibney (29 Jul 2011)

JoeBallantin said:


> People speaking to the driver in a moving car usually stop talking when the driver is obviously negotiating a corner or a tricky part etc.



Not so sure Joe... Certainly not in respect of babies and small children.


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## Complainer (29 Jul 2011)

JoeBallantin said:


> Incidentally the Garda don't have a blanket exception.. they can only use the phone on official business can't they? So no calls to the wife, or picking the kids up in the police car. The exemption makes sense, expecially if they have no radios!


AFAIK, they have a blanket exemption from Road Traffic Acts while on official businesses. I don't think the exemption would be specific about what kind of calls they should make. Hence, the regular double parking outside the SPAR shop etc.


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