Drivers To Be Banned From Picking Up Mobile Phones (bbc.com) 163
It will become illegal for anyone in the UK to pick up and use their mobile phone while driving, under new legislation to be enacted next year. From a report: The change will end a loophole that can allow drivers to escape punishment for using a hand-held phone to take a photo or play a game. Mobiles will still be able to be used to pay for a drive-through takeaway. And drivers will still be able to use devices hands-free under the plans, the Department for Transport said. At present, making phone calls and sending text messages are banned while driving. Ministers have rejected calls to also ban the use of hands-free function, for example using a sat-nav in a phone cradle. Roads minister Baroness Vere said hand-held phone use behind the wheel was "distracting and dangerous" and that "for too long risky drivers have been able to escape punishment." The change in law would apply across the UK and is expected to come into effect early next year, depending on the outcome of the consultation.
Won't someone think of the phones? (Score:5, Funny)
What if the phones are not old enough to drive and there is no public transportation?
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What if the phones are not old enough to drive and there is no public transportation?
I saw the afternoon special about that. Stranger Danger!!!!
Re: Won't someone think of the phones? (Score:2)
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What if the phones are not old enough to drive and there is no public transportation?
Officer, can you show me on this phone where the driver was touching it?
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Consultation? (Score:2)
depending on the outcome of the consultation
What is this 'consultation' you speak of? Is it the thing we used to have here too? You guys actually still have that??
Legal or not? (Score:5, Insightful)
I can understand that politicians want to keep people from using their phones while driving motor vehicles, but I think they need to think things through properly before passing any laws. Here in Sweden it was, for a short time and thanks to idiot politicians, illegal for the driver of a police car to use the government-provided communications radio while driving!
Re:Legal or not? (Score:5, Informative)
You know what they're legislating isn't based on the evidence as soon as they tell you it's only hand-held devices being restricted. It's abundantly clear by now that the main risk of using a phone while driving is in the distraction rather than physically touching the device, and that excluding hands-free kits is just legalising and actively legitimising behaviour that in fact is almost as dangerous anyway.
Re:Legal or not? (Score:4, Informative)
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I don't know, at least using hands free I can still shift and steer at the same time. Tried taking a phone call when I first got a phone and swore never to do it again while moving.
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Sure. I'm not arguing (and neither does any of the experimental evidence I've seen) that there is no difference. Obviously being physically unable to handle the controls when you need to is a bad thing. But the thing that makes you drive like a drunk or someone falling asleep at the wheel appears to be the distraction effect, where someone in the car with you would instinctively know to shut up on approach to a hazard, but someone on the phone will just keep talking about the multi-million deal you've been
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I agree, that could have been a better approach. I have some sympathy for the idea that almost all driving laws should start from a few general principles like you shouldn't be dangerous or inconsiderate and then perhaps enumerate common actions that are considered to be violations, instead of having hundreds of overly specific offences defined and all the loopholes that brings. As usual with these ideas, the problems then become enforcement and fairness/uniformity.
The trouble in this case is that by explic
Re:Legal or not? (Score:4, Informative)
Just a general question to help dispel the "argument" here.
Were we legal and capable, of driving cars, before cellular phones were invented?
'Nuff said for the addicts out there. Enough with the excuses and exceptions, because there are between few and none reasons to justify using a phone while driving.
No, it's not old-fashioned thinking, addict. It's pointing out just how bad the addiction is. Sorry if you don't like it, addict. Why don't you put your fucking phone down and stop trying to text me a justification to not call you the junkie you are.
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You could have the passenger take the phone from your pocket. Perhaps there'd be a "is that a phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me" moment. More impressive if it's your jacket pocket. :-)
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...because these two examples, although specifically designed to test the edges of the law, are ...
That's the problem, somebody can always come up with "edge cases".
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You expect rational laws? Try this:
Driver gets ticket for taking a sip of water while stationary at traffic lights. [bbc.co.uk]
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and it would be illegal for me to take the phone out of my pocket and hand it to a passenger in the car, doing nothing else with it. If this is true, I think they need to rethink things
If you think this is a safe action maybe you're the one who needs to rethink things.
Australia was been doing this since 2019 (Score:3, Interesting)
Australia has been doing this since 2019 - I think it a great thing.
You should be driving - not using a device taking your eyes off the road.
https://roadsafety.transport.n... [nsw.gov.au]
https://www.qld.gov.au/transpo... [qld.gov.au]
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.a... [vic.gov.au]
There are too many dickheads driving around with headphones in there ears - lets ban that one next.
Re: Australia was been doing this since 2019 (Score:4, Informative)
Many parts of the USA have this law already too...
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There are too many dickheads driving around with headphones in there ears - lets ban that one next.
Will you ban deaf drivers too?
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Will you ban deaf drivers too?
As a pedestrian in a small city, I am convinced that a lot of drivers are deaf, dumb and blind . . .
. . . but sure play a mean pinball!
I actually googled on this and found:
One of the most common questions regarding deaf individuals is whether or not they can drive. In fact, this has led to the judgment of deaf drivers on their ability to drive safely. Being deaf does not prevent someone from driving. In fact, some argue that deaf people have an increased ability to drive safely.
https://hearingsolutions.ca/ca... [hearingsolutions.ca]
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Being deaf does not prevent someone from driving. In fact, some argue that deaf people have an increased ability to drive safely.
That's why everybody on the road knows how to sign "stupid driver!"
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Here it is only legal if you have one ear covered or earbud in it.
hurts uber but not the black cab (no gps for them) (Score:2)
hurts uber but not the black cab (no gps for them)
Why is this just restricted to phones? (Score:2)
The prohibition should apply to *anything* that is being picked up and held while driving.
A driver's hands should be exclusively occupied by the safe and normal operation of the vehicle anyways.. Creating weird special cases for things like mobile phones seems short sighted, if you ask me.
Re: Why is this just restricted to phones? (Score:2)
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Re: Why is this just restricted to phones? (Score:2, Funny)
Because otherwise the King of England could just pop in the passenger seat any time he wants and start shoving you around! Do you want that?
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Not news (Score:5, Interesting)
In italy is forbidden since years now.
They can seize your car and take your license if the catch you.
If.
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Today I learned that there are places where it is still legal to use a phone and drive.
Takeaway? (Score:2)
Mobiles will still be able to be used to pay for a drive-through takeaway.
If a "takeaway" is the same thing as an American "drivethrough" wouldn't that be on private property where the police wouldn't have jurisdiction?
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The police have jurisdiction on private land, but the laws about roads only apply to public roads. You can legally drive an uninsured, smoke spewing MOT-free deathtrap while shitfaced on your own land with impunity.
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You mis-spelled that, the American drive through is called a drive thru... lol
When do they ban driving with kids? (Score:5, Insightful)
When do they ban driving with kids? There is nothing more distracting than a car full of kids.
And crazy women. Ban driving with them in the car too.
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When do they ban driving with kids? There is nothing more distracting than a car full of kids.
And crazy women. Ban driving with them in the car too.
To clarify, you must mean we should ban driving with them in the passenger compartment.
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Used to be, the kids rode in the bed.
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And the dog rode in the trunk.
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The middle east had the latter covered until recently. Women were not able to drive.
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When do they ban driving with kids?
When they invent teleportation to beam the kids to their destination then we have an alternative to an otherwise *necessary* function of society.
There's nothing necessary someone in a car communicating with someone outside of a car using any method other than the horn and a middle finger.
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.c... [yourlogicalfallacyis.com]
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They should just ban driving!
freeeeeddddoommmm (Score:3, Insightful)
I still regularly see people driving and texting. From what I've read, simply picking up your cell phone is worse than driving drunk and we've gotten REALLY hard on drunk driving. This makes sense.
If you're the driver, you frikkin pay attention to the high-power, high-speed 3500 pound murder machine that you're piloting. And that's all you should be doing.
Yep, similar to Australia (Score:3)
I had always assumed this was the case. (Score:3, Insightful)
All you sociopaths, super selfish, libertarian, sovereign citizens and other idiots in the USA don't need to worry. You can still protect your "rights" to use your toys whilst driving. This type of law is for developed countries only.
I had always assumed that this was the case and am happy that fools can't get away with endangering me everyone else any longer.
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I wonder how carefully they define driving? (Score:2)
I know there are some DUI laws that have taken "driving" to mean having access to keys while in a vehicle. Others define it more akin to being in control of a moving vehicle.
The question is, if you have a need to use your phone, can you pull over to the side of the road? Or do you have to pull over and shut off the engine? Or get out of the car? If you're trying to find your way somewhere, is it more legal to pull out a paper map and start looking for your route whilst hurtling down the highway than to tap
But What About (Score:2)
I'm all for this, but what about the guy I witnessed weaving down the road at ~60mph using drumsticks on his steering wheel. I wish I hadn't been driving or I would have taken video.
Totally agree with this - but ... (Score:2)
This is an attempt to push the legislation further - but ultimately, it's down to common sense.
It's a proven fact that even talking to someone hands free is a large distraction from the most important task to hand - ensuring you are driving carefully and watching the road.
So, where do you draw the line here?
Ban any use of phones at all in a car? - good luck policing that.
Lets go further, ban talking to another occupant in the car.
Ban eating and drinking.
Ban turning on the radio?
Heck, ban listening to the ra
Re:Enforcement? (Score:5, Interesting)
While there are few that would dispute that looking at your phone rather than the road in front of you is a good thing, I am not exactly sure how this will be enforced. Will phones be required to report whenever they are touched inappropriately?
I've actually seen drivers on the highway, cars moving at speed: (1) reading a book, (2) reading a fold-out map, (3) putting on make-up. Are they going to ban that too? Obviously, I'm being sarcastic and people shouldn't do these things, but people do stupid things. Best advise is to put distance between you and them.
Re:Enforcement? (Score:5, Interesting)
These smartphone specific laws are really:
- to educate and create awareness in the public in no uncertain terms that this is not allowed.
- to give police a simple unambiguous infraction to cite; to simplify court arguments. the police don't need to 'prove you were distracted' or 'inattentive' in court, which is a tougher argument to make, they just have to prove you were holding a phone, which a simple photo will do.
As for the other issues you cited like reading a book etc; they can and will cite you for distracted driving or whatever the equivalent infraction is in your jurisdiction; if they see you doing it.
But you don't really need a specific law banning it, because it's already covered by existing laws AND its not the epidemic mobile phone use is.
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Don't forget the Tesla Driver in the USA that was fast asleep at the wheel. Sign of the times people, sign of the times.
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There was one in Canada, Alberta IIRC, sleeping at the wheel (and passenger) and when the cops got close, the car sped up from 140 to 150 km/h.
https://www.kamloopsthisweek.c... [kamloopsthisweek.com]
Re:Enforcement? (Score:4, Interesting)
I've actually seen drivers on the highway, cars moving at speed: (1) reading a book, (2) reading a fold-out map, (3) putting on make-up. Are they going to ban that too?
A brother of mine once worked as a Los Angeles freeway tow-truck operator. As he was on the side of the road hooking up a disabled car, a Real Estate Chick, that classic California type, plowed into the car being connected because she was poring through a printed binder of listing reports while driving. Although at that moment he was standing directly between his truck and the disabled car, he escaped without injury by being pushed between the forks of the lift mechanism as the car was driven over his head onto the top of the truck.
He quit the job that day.
Re: Enforcement? (Score:2)
Right after he washed his underwear right? Hell maybe he just threw it away because it might never get completely clean. I am envisioning the scene from Jaws right as he walks in saying -I think were going to need a bigger boat-
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I've actually seen drivers on the highway, cars moving at speed: (1) reading a book, (2) reading a fold-out map, (3) putting on make-up.
Yeah, I'd say you can do one or two of those things, but all three at the same time? That's too much.
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I've actually seen drivers on the highway, cars moving at speed: (1) reading a book, (2) reading a fold-out map, (3) putting on make-up.
Don't forget (4) shaving, (5) eating.
Yup. Seen all of those. I've also seen people talking on the phone. Lots of people talking on the phone. Lots and lots of people talking on the phone. If I had to say which of these I've seen the most, talking on the phone wins by a large margin. Probably eating would be a far second.
So it seems to be more of a widespread problem than people reading or putting on make-up.
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Around here, it's all covered by the distracted driving law, from eating to having your phone beside you.
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I know someone who mouthed off to a cop during a traffic stop. The cop came back with two tickets - one for the traffic stop and one for using a cell phone while driving.
He wasn't using the phone.
There's no way to stop this. People still use their phones, just now they're devoting more attention to watching for police. My idea: Require the driving test to be done while on the phone. Can't do it? Then you can't drive. There will always be distractions. Don't dumb down the experience, raise the expect
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This is enforced in Australia through the use of downward-pointing traffic cameras that can see you holding a phone in your hand. Other traffic cameras catch your number plates at the same time.
This is something that makes me rather uncomfortable, despite being in
Re:a day late and a dollar short... (Score:5, Insightful)
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I agree re: touchscreens in cars. I was going to say, how about if the car is not in motion? But then you get people who sit for 20 seconds playing with something and the traffic light goes back to red and people are held captive behind and traffic builds up.
I've driven many cars where the HVAC controls were not easy to change by feel- they're down low and have many many buttons with very tiny graphics. But a very weak defense is that they usually have a fully-automatic mode.
My main car has very simple co
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Stopped at a red light recently, 3 lanes including the left turn lane, left turn light turns green and the guy beside me goes right through the intersection. Luckily everyone was moving slow enough that there was no accident. Guess he saw the car beside him move out of the corner of his eye and thought his light was green.
Here, you have to pull over to use your phone or anything else that is considered distracting, at least legally.
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Yep, ban all Tesla Model 3's. At least the Model S & X had instruments in front of the driver.
Oh wait... If you ban screens then the HUD (Head Up Display) will also have to go. No way Jose.
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I remember my mom turning around to smack my brother in the back seat while driving down a winding country road. Not her most brilliant moment.
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The problem is a lot of people think they're responsible as they do stupid things.
Re:Act like a child (Score:5, Insightful)
Get treated like one. At the original nanny state, no surprise.
Says the slashdotter that comes from a country where they fined TV broadcasters $325,000 when Janet Jackson accidentally flashed a bit of nipple during the Superbowl. Meanwhile in the UK in the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony broadcast around the entire world Monty Python's "Always look on the bright side of life" was broadcast completely uncensored including the line "Life's a piece of shit". And you say we live in the nanny state?
Re:Act like a child (Score:5, Insightful)
the OP said the 'original nanny state'... not the only one
plenty of stupid to go around the world, feel free to point out the ones bothering you
my suggestion is to ignore others' stupid and focus on ourselves as there's plenty of stupid to be found there, too... with the added benefit that we can actually do something about our own stupid
this tends to piss folks off, though, since many believe self-improvement only applies to others, not themselves
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Use voice access or bluetooth, and contemplate on the stupidity of all the people that cause these half-assed laws to materialize.
Re: Act like a child (Score:3)
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I use the buttons on my steering wheel. I could also say "Hey Siri, nest song"
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Don't get up in arms, I live in the UK. On the other side of the pond it's a different story, and soon to be popcorn time. We'll have our own popcorn time too soon enough though.
Re: Act like a child (Score:2)
I think we can say shit on the air. After 8 you can say a whole slew of words that cannot happen before 8. That fine happened by a bunch of frigid old women who called in. I am no fan of cancel culture, and this is how it started. Call it an accident and be done with it. Its not like it was as staged as the Paris Hilton accident getting out of a Lamborghini. What happens is there are a lot of people that only tune in for the halftime show. Most kids dont care about sitting through an entire game. By the tim
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"Anyway, You could barely see a nipple, because the piercing was also a giant sun ornament covering up most of it. Sorta like pasties. I had to hit the net and see still images to see what the hubub was about."
I think everyone who was *shocked*, just *shocked* to see that nipple had to hit pause on their digital recordings and go back and view it several times to be sure what they were seeing... Talk about straining to be offended!
Re: Act like a child (Score:2)
Well I grew up when Janet made the video Nasty. So I had to see if she was still hot. Sadly in that department she was not. Kudos for not relying on bodywork though
Re: Act like a child (Score:2)
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First off, it was hardly accidental, and while I'm not against showing breasts (or porn for that matter) on TV, it shouldn't occur mid-day on a broadcast where there are children watching. At a minimum, parents should have the option to shield their children or not. It was totally inappropriate for the program. And as for nanny states, you have to admit, you've got just about everyone beat when it comes to monitoring the public with cameras.
And, FWIW, I love the UK :)
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First off, it was hardly accidental, and while I'm not against showing breasts (or porn for that matter) on TV, it shouldn't occur mid-day on a broadcast where there are children watching.
Why though? I don't recall Jesus saying anything in particular about keeping children from boobs.
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If you wish to allow your children to watch these things, so be it, but not everyone does you should respect their right as parents to limit it.
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Thank you for proving my point that no one takes responsibility for anything anymore. When confronted with the unfortunate truth, which is that your government treats your entire country like a bunch of wayward children that need a time-out, you attack another country and it's prudish broadcasters.
When I was learning to drive, the phrase "Distracted Driving" didn't exist. The offense was either "Reckless driving" (major infraction) or "failure to maintain control of your vehicle" (minor infraction).
If som
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Sadly, we still don't have time-limited driving licenses. Yet. We should - in the same way that drilling licenses, crane operating licenses, explosive use licenses, etc are issued for a (moderate) number of years, then need to be re-applied f
Re:Act like a child (Score:4, Insightful)
Get treated like one. At the original nanny state, no surprise.
Had a phone call (on a land-line) from some friends of ours. They had been driving past some roadworks when another car, upside down, passed over the top of their car removing their roof rack.
Fortunately the woman who was driving the flying car was uninjured. She has been charged, she was apparently not only using her phone but over the legal alcohol limit. Just another example of the nanny state.
Re:Act like a child (Score:4, Insightful)
But they probably never took away her license, and if they did, she'll be eligible to get it back in a year or two without proving [thetruthaboutcars.com] that she no longer has a drinking problem.
We're far, far too tolerant of idiot drivers here.
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that she no longer has a drinking problem.
Define drinking problem. Also define how you expect to prove negatives.
It sounds so easy to do what you say, until you actually need to do it.
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Quite a story. But just charged? Ban them from driving for life...
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Wow. Amazing story!
Good (Score:4, Interesting)
Just like Singapore banning chewing gum because too many people were spitting it in the streets. Too many people can't stay off their phones while driving. You're driving, put down your fucking phone. You don't need to check Instagram.
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It's unfortunate really that these things have to escalate to laws. The valid use cases get screwed over in these flat out bans.
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It's unfortunate really that these things have to escalate to laws. The valid use cases get screwed over in these flat out bans.
The valid use case here would be Bluetooothing the phone to your car, so that while it's still in your pocket you can pick up calls with your steering wheel controls, and tell Siri to make calls for you.
Re: Good (Score:2)
Fuck siri. She fucks up everything I tell her. She gets pronouns complete wrong. He become They. Her becomes Their. The scene from The Lego Movie when they said -shut down the shields- and it said -searching for Albanian restaurants in your area- is about right. Most of my placed calls are not in my address book. So i have someone text me the number. I look down long enough to click on the message. Then I look back up. Then I glance down to click the link the phone number made. Look back up. Then I look bac
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When I still drove to work I remember waiting for left-turning traffic to clear to get on the freeway and one woman crossed in front of me with a cigarette and Starbucks in one hand and the cellphone in the other (no idea how the hell she was steering). The next guy was shaving. The woman after him was putting on makeup in the rear view mirror.
Made me want to turn around and go home.
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"Fuck siri. She fucks up everything I tell her. "
She doesn't speak redneck :)
Re: Good (Score:2)
That must be it. Gotta work on my ghetto. Maybe when I gotz ta getz mines, siri gnna play
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It's unfortunate really that these things have to escalate to laws.
What do you mean these days? "laws" predate the damn legal system and date back to trial and punishment by village elders.
People have acted like flaming morons since before there have been people and punishing bad behaviour has been displayed even in animals.
Just be thankful we have laws rather than mob justice.
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Will it affect Notepads? If not, where's the threshold -- i.e. how big a phone do I have to have before THAT is now legal?
What about the huge touch-screen display that comes in many new cars? Are you banned from touching it?
What if you need to touch it to adjust the temperature?
What if it supports CarPlay? Can I touch it when it is displaying my phone screen?
I hate the nanny state. It's kind of funny that this nanny is a Baroness.
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I'm sure it's common to use a phone's GPS features while driving.
That too should not require picking up the phone.
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My least favorite item is finding food or gas on a navigation system while on a road trip while attempting to do it hands free. This is what I do hands free at 2 am while the copilot has zzzed away the state of Nebraska. Hell if I am waking her up, she can be woken up by the turn signal for the exit ramp.
Hurtling down the highway at 80mph for 4 hours on end with a city still 1200 miles away as the destination I inevitab