In legal terms, the illegality of using your phone is spelled out in Rule 149 of that long-forgotten publication, The Highway Code. It states "you MUST exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times. You MUST NOT use a hand-held mobile phone, or similar device, when driving or when supervising a learner driver, except to call 999 in a genuine emergency when it is unsafe or impractical to stop. Never use a hand-held microphone when driving. Using hands-free equipment is also likely to distract your attention from the road. It is far safer not to use any telephone while you are driving or riding - find a safe place to stop first or use the voicemail facility and listen to messages later". Now I didn't make this up and in fact it forms part of the Road Traffic Act of 1988 which is what you'd be prosecuted against if caught.
The first mystery for me is why so many people think this law doesn't apply to them. The worst offenders are probably nice respectable people who would never drop litter or piss in the street yet somehow for them, using their phones whilst driving is acceptable. It makes perfect sense to me - if you are in charge of a ton of metal, i.e. a car, surely you'd want to be in full control of that without any distractions? There are now an increasing number of collisions and injuries to pedestrians caused by the use of mobiles being used when driving yet the usage continues unabated.
The second thing that I find odd is what are these people talking/texting about? How important must these conversations and messages be that they are prepared to risk a £90 fine and 3 points on their licences? Are these life and death conversations? Or are they just trivial bollocks? Have we become so immersed in the use of phones that we can't leave them alone for any length of time, including whilst driving? Is it a sense of self-importance? Whatever the reason it genuinely concerns me that people are prepared to risk prosecution and potentially injure themselves and others just for the sake of some call or message which could probably wait. Thankfully NY Police are now fairly proactive in prosecuting drivers and long may this continue until the message gets through. The odd thing is that everyone knows it's wrong and on the several occasions where I've challenged people they've looked very sheepish and guilty and stopped using the device at once. However, I've also been told to fuck off and mind my own business but as you probably know I love a good debate.
This is not one of my usual light-hearted rants - it is something which I feel really strongly about. I have been unfortunate enough to witness a fatal road collision and had to give evidence at the ensuing coroner's inquest - I can tell you that the impact road-related deaths have on families is beyond devastating. Everyone thinks, it's only a few seconds but those few seconds are time enough for a child to run into the road, for the car in front to stop suddenly or the cyclist to pull out in front of you at a junction. So, next time you feel tempted to pick up that mobile phone whilst behind the wheel or your car/van/truck/mobility scooter or cycle, ask yourself.....is my reason for making this call or sending this text a genuine emergency? If not, put it down and sing along to the radio instead, take some deep breaths, and ask yourself, what did I do before I had an iphone? Don't do it people, you know it makes sense.
