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Nicebiscuit

Phone ban - watch out...

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If your head unit supports hands free calls, you'll interact with the head unit which is legal... unless it distracts you of course 

 

I suppose that's partly why this legislation is silly. A lot of in car interfaces are so complex now as to be distracting. Touch screens are intrinsically a bad idea in a car. For example to change temperature with conventional dials you reach for a knob that feels the right shape and often don't have to look. Touch screens mean eyes off road. Always.

 

But they can hardly ban using your car whilst driving - hence this rather silly legal situation.

 

If I had my way there'd be much tougher standards on in car UI design...

 

GT86 better than most due to being so dated. The touch screen doesn't do much!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Perfectly understandable that you can't touch your phone - otherwise people could easily claim they were answering a call or doing something with the navigation to avoid admitting to texting or updating their Facebook status.

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That's entirely why the law exists, "driving without due care and attention" would cover using a phone while driving but they wanted a blanket ban on it so it became illegal to use one at all.

 

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Tempted to now look again at a Parrot  H/U and transfer my Co-Pilot licence onto that... Then again I suspect they will eventually make it illegal to take your hands off the wheel at all.

I use my phone for Sat-nav and it's usually in the brodit holder safe and sound - guess that's now going to be an iffy one to have.

Lost count of how many high end cars I see where drivers are using their phones 'manually' despite their £60k+ car having full bluetooth integration.

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Frustrating but reassuring at the same time. You have got to cover those grey areas unfortunately and minimise the loopholes/excuses. People will always complain and nit pick around this, yeah some of it does seem ridiculous but you got to see what its trying to achieve and how it could ultimately protect you and your loved ones. I've been rear ended twice in 18 months by morons on their phone, both of them young drivers, its about time things were cranked up on this. I've seen those traffic cop programs where some poor girl had both her legs shattered in an accident where the other driver was on their phone (and walked away unscathed). I've seen people with ipads in their laps, someone taking selfies... Its ridiculous.
 

 

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I know it's the Daily Mail but I wanted to laugh at people's stupidity knowing the police would be out checking people for the first week or so... but on http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4271246/Drivers-caught-using-mobile-phones-wheel-again.html?ito=social-facebook there's a quote that could be entirely wrong (because Daily Mail) but...

Paul Dancer, who was driving a VW pick-up truck, said: 'I was aware of the new laws. I have a hands free but it was in my gear stick hand by my gear stick.

'I have just been told because it wasn't in a cradle I have now got six points. If it's in a cradle that's fine, that's what I don't understand

Kinda confuses things if different police forces say different things...

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When I drove to work this morning I didn't do anything differently. Got in the car on my driveway, turned on the engine and let it idle while in neutral with handbrake on, put phone in cradle, set set nav and spotify playlist, then drove to work. Adjusted volume and skipped track a couple of times using the head unit. Didn't touch my phone at all.

If any of that is illegal then the new law is an ass.

If you're texting or have your phone in your hand or on your lap while in the car driving along I have zero sympathy and 6 points is the least you deserve.

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Well there goes playing Pokemon Go while stuck in traffic, suppose I better get back to rubbernecking at attractive ladies and car accidents.

If your car is fitted with start/stop tech is it now legal to use your phone while stopped at a junction because your engine isn't running?

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1 minute ago, Steeps said:

Well there goes playing Pokemon Go while stuck in traffic, suppose I better get back to rubbernecking at attractive ladies and car accidents.

If your car is fitted with start/stop tech is it now legal to use your phone while stopped at a junction because your engine isn't running?

Ignition is still on so it's illegal I believe.

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Had a quick look - I can't see any changes to the actual legislation, just the penalties. That means using a phone in a cradle is still legal; it becomes illegal if you pick it up or if you are distracted. The distraction argument works for any device, built-in or otherwise.

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Maybe changing head unit to an aftermarket one is the way forward!! They do head units with apple car play and android equivalents where most of your phones apps will appear on your head unit like Maps, messages etc!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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1 minute ago, Gary p said:

Maybe changing head unit to an aftermarket one is the way forward!! They do head units with apple car play and android equivalents where most of your phones apps will appear on your head unit like Maps, messages etc!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is what I did with mine, still waiting on Waze to come to android auto though, they've been saying "soon" for the past 6 months. 

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Hooked my Android up to the BRZs subaru starlink system ... useless. Playback of audio tracks is awful so will delete it from phone asap.

The basic Bluetooth connection on standard hu though is fine and being an MY17 I have steering wheel controls so once connected that's it really. Phone sits in a neat slot in cup holder tray between seats. 

Geting the satnav upgrade when it is available over here. Hopefully late March/early April.

 

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Yeah, there's a lot of panic regarding these new laws but they're not really new, they've just adjusted the penalties, the question is if they are able to enforce them more.  Luckily with Waze, once you set your destination, there's very little interaction, most commands have a timed default.  One of the key features is reporting accidents, traffic etc. which again can all be done by voice too so no really need to worry personally (note, you can start voice command by waving your hand past the light sensor next to your ear piece so again, no touching of the phone).

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Yep, that's it, Keith. It's just the penalties that have changed so people are trying to get their heads around a law that is anything but new. Just shows they should have paid attention the first time round. Still, I guess it may have the desired affect! 

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People are paying attention to it more because for a chunk of drivers, it means losing their license - it's like how a lot of people will happily speed because 3 points isn't a lot but will keep it under 100mph to avoid an instant ban. 

Because of the potential for a lot of people to lose their license, people are now pointing out the stupid scenarios it applies to... for example...

Note: The law applies, but enforced? Very unlikely...

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Saw 2 people driving with phone against their heads today. 1 the day before and I think 1 earlier in the week too, and those are just the ones I see while driving/walking. 

When are google releasing their google glasses, I can snap a shot of them while walking. 

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29 minutes ago, Cerastes said:

Saw 2 people driving with phone against their heads today. 1 the day before and I think 1 earlier in the week too, and those are just the ones I see while driving/walking. 

When are google releasing their google glasses, I can snap a shot of them while walking. 

they have been released (2013) and subsequently discontinued (2015)

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Just read this thread and there seems to be a huge misconception by many people.

As long as your phone is in a cradle, then it is not regarded as a "handheld device" under the law and (provided that it does not affect your driving) you can do whatever you want with it - answer calls, change your satnav, etc. You can treat it as you would a built-in satnav or stereo and you can press as many buttons as you wish.

If the phone is not in a cradle, then it is a "handheld device" according to the law, and you cannot interact with it in any way while driving.

(As people have said, none of this is new; it's only the penalties that have changed).

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Philip - I think you might be wrong. Certainly our local plod clarified that it doesn't matter if it's in a cradle or not - you're not allowed to operate the touch screen. But built in ones are fine. Silly - but there it is.

 

That does make sense because you've always had to have proper 'hands free' - it's not enough to just stick the phone in a cradle and answer it on speakerphone...

 

So be careful

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I'm afraid that your local plod is incorrect (he's not the only one) - if you were to challenge him to show where the law says this, he wouldn't be able to. The restrictions on touching a screen related purely to hand-held devices - once it is in a cradle, a phone is no longer regarded by the law as hand-held, and the same rules apply as if you were interacting with a built-in stereo or satnav.

For example, the Government's own web site says:

  • It's illegal to use a handheld mobile when driving. This includes using your phone to follow a map, read a text or check social media. This applies even if you’re stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic.
  • It is also illegal to use a handheld phone or similar device when supervising a learner driver.
  • You can only use a handheld phone if you are safely parked or need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop.
  • If you’re caught using a handheld phone while driving, you’ll get 6 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £200. Points on your licence will result in higher insurance costs.
  • If you get just 6 points in the first two years after passing your test, you will lose your licence.
  • Using hands free (e.g. for navigation) is not illegal. However, if this distracts you and affects your ability to drive safely, you can still be prosecuted by the police.

You'll note that these all of these (apart from the last one) relate to hand-held devices rather than hands-free.

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003 at Regulation 2(6)(a) say: a mobile telephone or other device is to be treated as hand-held if it is, or must be, held at some point during the course of making or receiving a call or performing any other interactive communication function.

The BBC web site also has some advice on this, including:

Can I use my phone's sat nav?

Yes - as long as the phone is mounted in a hands-free holder. If it's in your hands, it's illegal.

What counts as hands-free?

A dashboard holder or cradle, earphones or a Bluetooth connection.

So, as I said above:

As long as your phone is in a cradle, then it is not regarded as a "hand-held device" under the law and (provided that it does not affect your driving) you can do whatever you want with it - answer calls, change your satnav, etc. You can treat it as you would a built-in satnav or stereo and you can press as many buttons as you wish.

If the phone is not in a cradle, then it is a "hand-held device" according to the law, and you cannot interact with it in any way while driving.

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