mimo2005

Drivers who smoke at the wheel could face prosecution

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...o?ito=newsnow&

pharoah

whew they are cracking down on smokers over there.

Deleted090308

I misread the title and thought what the .... until I realised my mistake:

It is now illegal to smoke while diving in UK

TheAtheist

i totally support this, you need to be concentrating fully when driving and the time taken to light a cigarete and so forth could distract you. The only time you will ever hear this from me: i support the goverment on this one!!

carsey

PMSL. Good idea. But nobody here in the UK has been told about this.

Deleted090308

On the other hand - nicotine actually makes smokers more able to concentrate.

carsey

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7017543.stm


Also, they can only charge you if you are driving without due care and attention. Does this mean if someone goes into the back of you they can be fined??

Also, in the BBC article the loud music and passengers is totally stupid. They can serve a section 59 for you for having your music on loud. Get another and they can crush your car. Its totally stupid. Anyone could drive out in the car and be driving without due care and attention, even if they were not smoking, had passengers or their music on full.

The police and the government here overabuse their powers, especially on the young. Ive read many many examples of stupid tickets on car owners clubs just for listening music and this was before 11pm. Also seen people pulled for having 3 mates in the car.

They really need to get things right. Such as a retest for people over 60 (not being offensive to those who are) because they ARE the worst drivers on the road. I can link to many threads about where people have nearly been killed because of them. One guy even rolled into someone at a roundabout, totally overshooting the stop place and into a car. He got out and the 106 guy started shouting at him, his wife comes out and says stop shouting because he has a weak heart.

HOW CAN PEOPLE BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE IF THEY HAVE A WEAK HEART. Its totally stupid.

Also, a guy got his car kicked in a car park by some stupid guys who had stolen a escort. He chased after then and caught them 40yards down the road. he blocked the drivers door and got out and threatened them with a huge plank of wood. He couldnt do anything because the real criminals would get away free, and he would be the one in prison if he had smashed the life out of him.

Its just so twisted this country, things like you cant attack a burgular in your OWN HOME. What do the police expect you to say...'Go on, you can take the laptop and tele aswell whilst I sit on the couch and watch you do it'

I OFFICIALLY HATE THIS COUNTRY.

kinbard

Are they going to make the other things like eating, changing a cd etc illegal? Looking in the rear view mirror is taking your concentration from the road at that moment...

TheAtheist

Thats just stupid, it isnt taken to that extreme, as looking in your mirrors is consistent with a safe driving manner, its nessecary. All these laws say is that you shouldnt be doing things unnessecarily. If you didnt use your mirrors for example, and you crashed, you would be the one at fault, driving without due care and attention.

ebackhus

Yes, uhm, what about those folks who talk on their ruddy cell phones while driving? Pisses me off, that's for sure!

Deleted090308

I think kinbard has got a point - most people are looking in the rear view mirror to check on what's going on in the backseat...

kinbard

"It joins eating and drinking, "inserting a cassette or CD or tuning a radio", "arguing with your passengers or other road users", trying to read maps, and - even playing loud music - most, if not all, of which have featured in successful prosecutions."
Yeah, won't take it far. Work on your communication skills, friend.

TheAtheist

But you can glance at it, it doesnt require your full concentration, you can still see forward in your perphrial vision.

Deleted090308

What's your point? Quite a lot of accidents are caused by arguments in the car: front- or backseat.

kinbard

Some of my closest calls have been looking in the review mirror, and someone braking in front of me.

EnglishPaul

Yep, I had an accident that way: I heard an ambulance, looked in my mirrors to see if I needed to pull over, and at the same time the guy in front did an emergency stop because the ambulance was actually in front, hidden from me by a bus.

Incidently Carsey, Jack Straw (bloke responsible for such things) was on this mornings 'Today' program on Radio 4 saying how the law should be amended to protect those acting in self defence.

Personally, I think that is a good idea for all drivers to have 5yearly retests: it would highlight medical conditions; force drivers not to fall into bad habits; and keep people current with the highway code. I would hate it, but I think it is the only way to make the roads safer.

Glaswegian

I personally agree with EB - the polis should be cracking down on those driving while using a mobile - I still see far too many people doing that. However, I do believe this is political correctness gone daft. This Government is determined to have every citizen under surveillance, doing only what they are told to do and only when they are told to do it. A government obsessed with control.