| A debate needs to be had over the continued | | | | Moreover, what was startling was that there was |
| use of mobile phones and other communicative | | | | no significant difference to the level of impairment |
| devices when driving. | | | | when the call was 'hands free' rather than 'hand |
| There are strong public interest grounds for | | | | held'. |
| making our roads safer, but on occasions | | | | Where bad driving occurs, the police will |
| over-zealous enforcement ('Stunned driver fined | | | | investigate and will seek advice from the Crown |
| for blowing his nose') have undermined this | | | | Prosecution Service (CPS) over appropriate |
| message. | | | | charges. The official line from CPS is 'The |
| When it comes to banning handheld mobile phones | | | | responses to our 2007 public consultation have |
| whilst driving, there does not appear to be much | | | | shown how seriously society views the potential |
| opposition to this. The public has accepted that to | | | | dangers of the use of mobile phones and other |
| drive whilst holding a handheld phone is wrong. | | | | hand-held devices, while driving. In cases where |
| One can rationalise this because it would involve | | | | the driver was avoidably and dangerously |
| removing one hand from the steering wheel. | | | | distracted by that use, a charge of dangerous |
| Surely that is the whole point of why phone calls | | | | driving will be the starting point for our charging |
| in the car should be hands free? | | | | decisions'. |
| Years ago, I was given a lift by a taxi driver who | | | | It is important to note that this guidance is not |
| only had one hand. He was driving an automatic | | | | just for handheld phone cases. In 2008 Marvyn |
| car and had the steering wheel adapted so that | | | | Richmond was jailed for four-and-a-half years for |
| he could turn it the full 360 degrees. He was a | | | | causing death by dangerous driving. He was using |
| perfectly safe driver. The act of driving requires | | | | a hands-free telephone at the time but was so |
| not only the physical skill to do so (and my taxi | | | | engrossed in a conversation that he failed to |
| driver had that), but it also requires the | | | | notice traffic ahead of him had come to a |
| appropriate level of concentration. | | | | standstill, and ploughed into the back of the queue, |
| It is being distracted from the task at hand that | | | | killing a passenger in a van. |
| can lead to devastating consequences. There is a | | | | During his summing up to the jury, the judge said |
| misconception amongst some members of the | | | | the fact that Mr Richmond probably had both |
| public that using a hands-free phone whilst driving | | | | hands on the wheel did not alter the fact that he |
| is not only 'legal' but also 'safe'. | | | | was severely distracted by talking on his |
| This is simply not true. The University of Utah | | | | Bluetooth headset. |
| undertook a three year investigation into the | | | | It is not alleged that to use a hands-free mobile |
| effects on drivers of talking on mobile phones. | | | | phone is per se illegal. It is not but your attention |
| The following headline said it all: 'Drivers on Cell | | | | must be focused on driving, just as it should be if |
| Phones Are as Bad as Drunks'. Talking on the | | | | you have the radio on or you have a Sat Nav or |
| phone affected 97.5% of all drivers tested. | | | | you have passengers in your vehicle. |