howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
A step in the right direction but the chances of getting caught in the first place are remote, every day I see people chatting away whilst doing a right turn into the fast moving Folkestone Road.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35141387Guest 732- Registered: 8 Nov 2011
- Posts: 128
I think a good deterrent would be a £1000 fine and your car confiscated and crushed. I bet they wouldn't do it again.
Guest 1713 likes this
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,316
I shall never forget driving down Folkestone Road approaching the Elms Vale junction. White van man was coming towards me, he wasn't indicating but I gave way only to see that his left hand was holding a mobile phone to his ear while his right hand was holding a bread roll of some sort. He was turning the steering wheel with his elbow!
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
A few years back a bloke got nicked for eating a bowl of corn flakes whilst driving at 70 mph on a motorway, elbows used to steer of course.
Bob Whysman
- Registered: 23 Aug 2013
- Posts: 1,938
Vince Capon wrote:I think a good deterrent would be a £1000 fine and your car confiscated and crushed. I bet they wouldn't do it again.
Certainly not in the same car Vince!
The Bluetooth pairing facility (hands free) in modern cars makes receiving a call on the move just like talking to a passenger in the car.
Using a 'phone in any other way can be lethal and should attract a hefty fine and many points!
Do nothing and nothing happens.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
I think driving and using a phone is potentially more dangerous than the drink driver who is only slightly over the limit, so no penalty would be to high in my mind especially for the offending lorry drivers.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Certainly errant lorry drivers are a bigger risk when using a mobile and there have been numerous reports watching a dvd whilst driving!!
A couple of weeks ago I was standing outside the "Golden Lion" when a Salvatori driver chatting on his mobile hit the kerb in Worthington Street then swung out onto the roundabout turning right without indicating then accelerated in the direction of the town hall after going through a red pedestrian crossing light.
A few months a local scaffolding truck was coming along the pedestrian precinct at a reasonable speed so having right of way I started to walk toward the "Works". Luckily I had a quick glance and the driver was not only on his phone but facing his colleague in the passenger seat, I jumped back thus avoiding a trip to hospital.
Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,259
He was probably trying to shake off the migrants clinging to his axle!
Arte et Marte
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
This was from their domestic fleet Reg.
Andy B
- Location: dover
- Registered: 10 Nov 2012
- Posts: 1,820
All very well bringing in bigger penaltys but there just isnt enough ol bill around anymore to enforce these laws.
Guest 1621- Registered: 17 Dec 2015
- Posts: 32
It's not just talking on the phone, it's texting that really gets me annoyed. Not only are they distracted mentally but the eyes are darting between windscreen and phone screen. You can normally only spot this when driving behind someone texting and watching them in their rear view mirror because the phone is usually held out of view of any potential plod.
"All is flux, nothing stays still." - Heraclitus of Ephesus
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
They are increasing the penalty for the offence but not enough to deter serial offenders.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37389800Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,167
Jan Higgins likes this
"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I see this every day and without wishing to stereotype it seems to be young chaps in white vans mostly. Prosecutions of phone use are down but the RAC say that the offence is rising just that there are not enough police to catch them.
Button
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 3,065
When I got caught speeding at 28 mph across Tower Bridge (turns out the restriction is a smug 20 mph) my penalty came complete with a cute photo that showed it was me all right. Surprised you can't use CCTV to catch this more.
howard mcsweeney1 likes this
(Not my real name.)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Some clever IT bod needs to come up with an app that blocks mobile phones while a vehicles engine is running.
howard mcsweeney1 likes this
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Reginald Barrington- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,259
A waste of time though until the courts start giving out the maximum sentence, the average road killer out in less than four years!
Arte et Marte