Michael Hopkins wrote:

"Colin Rosenstiel" wrote in message
...
I seem to remember some reasonably high profile prosecutions when the
compulsory wearing of seatbelts came in. Nowadays nearly everyone seems to
think of that as second nature.

Where I live - hackney?islington - I'd say about 1 in 5 at least don't wear
belts.

M.

"Richard J." wrote in message
.uk...

when landing my plane I controlled it with my left hand
on the control column, because my right hand had to be on the
throttle, so I didn't really think that steering with one hand for
a short distance in the slow lane was that risky (or words to that
effect).

Remind me, is a runway as full of unpredictable nutters as the M25?

The runway is not the problem, it's getting to the runway from where you
are, and a gusty crosswind provides the unpredictability.

Ah, more like the M25 than I thought then.

:-)
--
Brian

I pointed out to him, that as the holder of a Private Pilot's Licence,
when landing my plane I controlled it with my left hand on the control
column, because my right hand had to be on the throttle, so I didn't
really think that steering with one hand for a short distance in the
slow lane was that risky (or words to that effect). Half way through
this, I wondered if I should have kept quiet, but he mumbled general
cautionary phrases and went off. Phew!

Yeah, I was pulled over by an unmarked car 6 years ago, they had a tape
of me doing 87mph too. Gave me a £20 fine.

I rarely speak in the car, even with hand free.

As for the original point, they bad guy in "Marian, again", on ITV
recently, was pulled oevr for using a mobile phone.

In message , Michael Hopkins
writes

I am of the opinion that a number of high profile, well publiscised,
prosecutions for mobile phone use while driving would help to stamp it out.
I see people using non-handsfree mobiles while driving everyday.

It's not the numbers using mobiles while driving, but the numbers I see
having accidents as a result. I have a neighbour who demolished her own
garage door because she was actually using a mobile while reversing
(probably saying "I'm just coming down the drive now").

Just a few weeks ago a guy was waiting to turn left out of a side road,
looking for a gap, while yapping on his mobile. He decided he could just
about shoot out in front of me, which he did, accelerating hard. Too
late - he had been so busy on the phone that he had failed to notice the
traffic island immediately to his left, and with only one hand free and
concentration impaired, did not have time to steer past it.

Front tyre hit the kerb of the island at speed and exploded. Back wheel
did exactly the same and, judging from the angle of the wheel, he also
wrecked the axle and probably the suspension, too. New BMW. Such a
shame.

--
Paul Terry

On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 20:29:21 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote:

Martin J wrote:
Just out of interest has anyone ever seen a driver talking on a non
hands free mobile get pulled over the police?

Not directly relevant to the new law, but I seem to be in a nostalgic
mood here tonight, so here goes ...

I was pulled over years ago before the new law came into effect. I was
on the M25, and tried to take a call on my hands-free, but had to use
the handset because of poor quality sound. (The call was from a
particularly demanding director, so I didn't want to miss it.) When the
call ended, I was signalled on to the hard shoulder by the police patrol
who had been shadowing me during the call, and advised that I wasn't in
full control of the car, having only one hand on the wheel.

I pointed out to him, that as the holder of a Private Pilot's Licence,
when landing my plane I controlled it with my left hand on the control
column, because my right hand had to be on the throttle, so I didn't
really think that steering with one hand for a short distance in the
slow lane was that risky (or words to that effect). Half way through
this, I wondered if I should have kept quiet, but he mumbled general
cautionary phrases and went off. Phew!

The real risk was that I was so engrossed in the call that I didn't
notice the police car on my right! I support the new law.

Precisely - if mobile phones were just blocks of plastic there
wouldn't be much of a problem with people holding them to their heads
while driving. It's the amount of attention you have to give the
bloody things that makes them so dangerous, why is why I think
hands-free phones are almost as bad...

Charlie

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Paul Terry wrote:

It's not the numbers using mobiles while driving, but the numbers I see
having accidents as a result. I have a neighbour who demolished her own
garage door because she was actually using a mobile while reversing
(probably saying "I'm just coming down the drive now").

At Edinburgh Waverley, the other day, I observed a young woman come onto
the platform, stop, get her mobile phone out and call someone. She was
close enough for me to hear her say, "I'm just about to get on the train
and I'll be home in...", at which point she stopped, because the train
doors closed and off it went, leaving her looking rather flustered.

Maybe it really is true that mobile phone transmissions cook the brain.
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p10934304.html
(A "Mont Blanc Express" train at Martigny, Switzerland in 1997)