07-Dec-2006
Hands-free more dangerous than Drink Driving
Would you feel safe to drive after a couple of glasses of wine....the answer is probably no!Yet Britain has still to wake up and realise that research has shown that using a mobile phone, no matter whether it is hands-free or hand-held makes you a greater risk on the road than many drunk drivers. The table at the top is a flavour of an article at BBC News that is over 4 years old that talks to the risks in greater detail.
So why is it that on the 3rd anniversary of a UK law banning hand-held calling when driving, that so many people still choose to ignore it and consider it reasonable to drive at speed with a phone clamped to their ear? It is not completely safe to operate hands-free and I would support any legislation to outlaw it, but it gives around 20ft shorter reaction distance at 70mph to operate at least with hands-free kit.
Many countries have introduced absolute bans with heavy fines....see http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/ for a very recent list.
It is ridiculous that hands-free kits are marketed as a SAFE alternative. They are NOT SAFE as the above countries obviously agree. It is high time that the Police showed zero tolerance to mobile phone callers and they are treated to the same public humilation and potential penalties as drunk drivers are receiving, and slap them with a driving ban.
If you are guilty of making or receiving calls when driving I ask you to reflect.....would you feel that it wasn't the drivers fault if he didn't stop in time and you lost your son, daughter, partner, parent or other loved one and found out that he was engaged in a phone call at the time of the accident? As the table shows, it will need close to 50% greater stopping distance if someone is making a call when driving.
In those circumstances, I suspect that you would not find that charity in your heart, so please start by changing your own habits and switch off the phone when you are driving, lest you be the one seeking compassion from the bereaved.
With what I have told you here, you will never be able to argue it wasn't your fault and if you have any sense of decency you will be haunted forever by the "what if I hadn't made\taken that call".
Accidents are not usually chance events (maybe exceptions arising from the forces of nature); they are typically caused by someone's carelessness or not taking adequate preventative steps. All it takes for an accident is for one person not to adhere to the best safety practice even when not compelled by law, often with disastrous consequences to someone else.
Don't let yourself be that person saying "What if......." or "If only...".
Labels: driving, hand-held, hands-free, legislation, mobile ban
Link
17-Nov-2006
Road Safety & The Law
In the last week, I have seen multiple examples of poor Road Safety (& Courtesy).
1. Mobile Phone Usage
Does anyone actually observe the UK law regarding absolute prohibition of hand-held mobiles and that hands-free is the only way acceptable unnder UK law?
- I saw a young girl in my rear view mirror actually texting whilst driving in town
- I also saw a man driving a fancy Bentley with a phone strapped to his ear whilst driving at ~60-70mph - no reason why he couldn't afford an integrated hands-free phone.
These folks cannot be in control of their vehicles either physically or in terms of concentration.
2. Inconsiderate Parking
There are some lazy b**stards around that have forgotten how their legs work and create a danger for the rest of us - and I have seen all of this in the last week (on more than one occasion):
- People that park outside shops and create a blockage just to save themselves 1 minute to get to the cash point or nip in to buy a packet of cigarettes and leave others stewing trying to get in or out of a car park.
- The selfish b**stards that have no legitimate reason to use Disabled parking spaces other than the fact that they are lazy so and sos.
- The other selfish b**stards that can't be bothered to walk a few metres and instead park up in a cul-de-sac outside my house blocking the road and stopping myself and my neighbours from being able to get in and out of our homes. This has a more serious point because in those situations that I can't get in or out, then what hope does an Ambulance or Fire Engine have if we really need it.
Grrrrrrrr - I feel like I would like to take a sledgehammer to the cars of those idiots that think the world revolves around them.
3. Cyclists with no regard for Personal Safety
Have bicycles started to become equipped with some magical forcefield since I last rode a bike? Since the clocks changed in the UK and it gets dark around 4pm, I have really noticed how cyclists typically have no regard for their own personal safety - it isn't a generational thing either - it doesn't matter whether it is a teenager or a grannie, they have neither lights or personal safety equipment i.e. a helmet or reflective jacket or pads.
Of course, when they get run over it will obviously be the motorist at fault.........the stupid idiots!!
I don't profess to be the best driver in the world, and I try to be as observant as I can possibly be, but these habits are an accident waiting to happen and the Police are never around to do anything about it.
Can I make an appeal to those that are taking up these dangerous habits - Even if you don't care about the rest of the population, give a thought to the risks that you are creating for yourself and your own property and STOP THIS ANTISOCIAL AND UNSAFE BEHAVIOUR NOW!!
Labels: cyclists, hands-free, HSE, law, police, road
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