Daily mail anti texting while driving campaign

[glasgowcyclist]

The Daily Mail actually doing a useful campaign for once

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20160915

They seem to be 'successful' in a lot of their campaigns, maybe they have gotten wind of something happening.

I suspect that is the case. Ministers have agreed now to change legislation so that texting drivers will receive 6 points per offence and fine doubled to £200. This will mean an instant licence revocation for younger drivers still within their probation period. Of course, the DM is now crowing about their success.

GC

 

[CanucksTraveller]

It's alright increasing the penalty, but it still relies on them being caught, and there's the rub. There's hardly any police on the roads now, and those that are, aren't going to be noticing too much texting going on while they're driving round in something covered in blue and yellow battenburg. People put their phones down when they see a police car.

I walked up to a zebra crossing this morning on my way to work, I stepped on to it and the next car just carried on through and almost run my toes over. You guessed it, she had her phone in her lap and was looking down at it AND typing on it while going through the crossing.

Cyclists, bus passengers and pedestrians see this every day because of the vantage points we have. Shame the police don't share these vantage points, and don't have the resources to properly focus on this. This is a problem we're stuck with for many decades.

 

[Inertia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-37391803

The mirror and mail both claiming responsibility. Cynical journalism Imo, no way this is a response to the mails 2 day old campaign.

 

[raleighnut]

Here's an idea. In the same way that drivers are breathalysed after an accident as a matter of routine why aren't mobile phones checked to see if the numpty was using them at the time of the incident and prosecuted to a similar level. I know it is shutting the stable door after the fact but it may be a start to a change in attitude to this, after all 40yrs ago no-one gave a hoot about drink-driving and anyone caught/fined was given sympathy by their mates. (with some of the worst offenders being Police Officers, Magistrates and Judges, I know cos I used to drink with em, often 'after hours' )

 

[summerdays]

Well calls received/made and texts are easy to see if the phone has been used. But presumably there are other logs of what the phone has been doing such as browsing the Internet or apps? How easy are they for the police to access at the road side. (And also logs of what has been recently deleted!)

 

[raleighnut]

Well calls received/made and texts are easy to see if the phone has been used. But presumably there are other logs of what the phone has been doing such as browsing the Internet or apps? How easy are they for the police to access at the road side. (And also logs of what has been recently deleted!)

With a phone number and IP address the details of what that device was doing at any particular time should be easy to ascertain, maybe not at the roadside by an average copper but by a dedicated team. The police have 'in-car' access as to whether a car is Taxed, Mot'd and Insured so it wouldn't be a massive leap in technology to bring phones into that system, GCHQ are watching most computer/internet usage already.

 

[AM1]

As others have mentioned who is going to enforce this? there is a distinct lack of police presence anywhere either on foot or in cars, I drove down to Milton Keynes yesterday in torrential rain and it's fair to say that it was probably the worst rain I have ever driven in on a motorway however these adverse conditions didn't seem to affect others who continued there journey at unabated speed,some with mobiles in hand quite happily tailgating others whilst making an important call

IMHO driving standards and people's behaviour behind the wheel seems to have significantly dropped in the last 10-15 years, tailgating, boy racers in there souped up Corsa's racing each other, mums in there Chelsea tractors on the school run getting there oh so precious offspring to school and oafs in Audi's, the list goes on and on

There is no deterrent, there are no police so the government can increase the punishment but the idiots perpetrating this madness know that they can get away with it, it's the attitude of 'Meh'

Here's a good idea though to combat one of my pet hates, idiots in cars passing to close either deliberately or because they just don't realise or are just plain thick, although I still don't know where they will find the manpower to carry it out though...

 

[mjr]

Good at the points being doubled but it is meaningless unless they also close the "exceptional hardship" loophole.

 

[summerdays]

[QUOTE 4471907, member: 45"]Of course they have. They wait for a sniff of a change in law, then pretend they're starting a campaign to bring that change.[/QUOTE]
But it does give publicity about the change to a group of their readers.... So at least it has one benefit!

 

[sheddy]

Will the Police confiscate the phone at the roadside ?

 

[Tin Pot]

Lets hope Mr Grayling replaces the 19,000 police officers lost over the last 5 years. Without someone to catch the villains it doesn't really matter at all what the law says on the subject.

Agree with you, but on the point of catching mobile phone use in cars...you know the powers to monitor the metadata, but not the content, of civilian communications..?

 

[AM1]

Will the Police confiscate the phone at the roadside ?

I doubt it because there are none which is one of the reasons it's become such a problem

 

[simongt]

Albeit I was driving at the time, but coming down the A.1 a while ago, passed a lass in a Ford Ka. She was cruising at about 60 and I noticed that she was looking down at her lap. Ahh, I though, texting. Nope, she was eating a pasta pot meal - !

 

[sheddy]

Can a texting offence (no crash) be charged under Careless Driving ? If not, why not ?
(I assume the penalty would be considerably higher than 6pts + £200 fine)

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

If the police went around in a red Suzuki Swift they'd see enough to halve the national debt and remove 50% of drivers from the roads in a day.

Well, probably exaggerating a bit but you get my drift ...