[LINK] Mobile phone use set to be banned in vehicles

David Boxall david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au
Mon Feb 7 16:00:46 AEDT 2011


On 7/02/2011 2:02 PM, Brenda Aynsley wrote:
> ...
> I'd have to say that in my case, mobile phones are a terrible
> distraction that I manage by not allowing my primary mission to be the
> phone call. ...
After nearly having an accident when a phone rang as I was entering a 
roundabout, my solution is to turn the damned thing off when I'm 
driving. Then, of course, I have to remember to turn it on again. :)

...
> So what should this mean for me and perhaps others? It means that the
> short 'yes I'll be there in a minute','what do you want from the shop',
> 'have you picked up the mail' type calls are fine but _conversations_
> should be 'banned'...
Can't agree with that. It only takes a split second to change - or end - 
a life.
> How?  Self imposition is the only way for me but I
> guess from a law makers point of view how can they be sure that we each
> will observe our own ban (clearly I don't always)?  They can't so it's
> inevitable that a ban on phone conversations in cars when driving will
> become an offence, irrespective of the hands free status as the
> statistics on traffic accidents bears out the causative factor that
> phones play.  After all its not the use of my hands that causes my
> distraction but the use of my head so lack of hands free is not the
> primary problem here.
> ...
Well said.

 From 
<http://smh.drive.com.au/states-urged-to-impose-total-ban-on-mobile-phone-use-in-cars-20110206-1aiez.html>:
> He called for more drastic intervention and tougher penalties. ''Vehicles could be manufactured with in-built blockers so drivers cannot receive phone reception when the car is turned on.''

My preferred option came from a former employer. They insisted that, 
when one of their vehicles was moving, there be no active (ie. turned 
on) mobile in the vehicle. The message was that, if an employee had an 
accident in one of their vehicles and that accident proved attributable 
to a mobile, then not only would the employee lose their job, but they'd 
be up for all costs (because insurance wouldn't cover it). Even then 
(several years ago) the concept left most young people gobsmacked.

-- 
David Boxall                    |  I have seen the past
                                |  And it worked.
http://david.boxall.id.au       |               --TJ Hooker



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