Cycling UK Forum

Easy deterrent would be immediate confiscation of the offending phone. Keep it for x days/weeks and for second offence destroy it.

Since they keep equating the seriousness of this to drunk driving, the obvious thing to me would be a mandatory 12 months driving ban.

Psamathe wrote:..... The change the Police are heralding as getting really tough is that you now get points & fine and no option to do driver awareness curse instead.

Ian

It should be points+fine+driver awareness course(which the driver should pay for).I don't see anything wrong with spending time frightening the living daylights out drivers by showing them graphic images for what their dangerous driving can cause
The sooner the country gets tough with morons who choose to partake in criminal activity whilst driving the safer everyone will be,as it is the country can't even supply enough police to do the job,let alone hammering the criminals if they do get caught

thirdcrank wrote:Since they keep equating the seriousness of this to drunk driving, the obvious thing to me would be a mandatory 12 months driving ban.

Best suggestion so far,and a 5 year ban for a second offence.
BTW,I've seen fines as small as £200 for D&D

Grandad wrote:Easy deterrent would be immediate confiscation of the offending phone. Keep it for x days/weeks and for second offence destroy it.

There needs to be enforcement as well as penalties. The truck method was an interesting way of doing this.

MikeF wrote:

reohn2 wrote:Although I dearly like to see the penalty raised to £200+six points,I still think it's the threat of being caught that deters offenders,and so needs constant pressure so the motorist won't risk it.
I'd also like to see a minimum £1000+ a 6 month ban for a second offence,causing injury or death should result in the key being thorn away

If you are caught within two years of passing your test, then 6 points could mean your licence is revoked and obtaining a provisional licence and a complete driving test again.https://www.gov.uk/penalty-points-endorsements/new-drivers
Inconvenience to people is far better punishment than fines. £1000 might be "peanuts" to some. Also drivers who are close to the maximum points tend to become more cautious eg speed limits. 9 points would be better. There also shouldn't be any "hardship" mitigation. A cyclist was killed on the A31 because of this.http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/driver-who-hit-killed-cyclist-11849698

I think we're singing from the same hymn sheet.

Psamathe wrote:

MikeF wrote:

Psamathe wrote:Local regional news this evening said that drivers caught using a mobile are no longer being offered the option to do a driver awareness course and get the "£100 and 3 points".

Do they really think that is going to deter anybody who know that there is virtually no enforcement.

Ian

There shouldn't be an option not to do the awareness course. Fine + points +course is what's needed.

My impression is that previously those caught could have done EITHER the drivers awareness course OR points and fine. So get away without points and fine by doing the Driver Awareness Course. The change the Police are heralding as getting really tough is that you now get points & fine and no option to do driver awareness curse instead.

Ian

If they are then that is good news. I think the same should apply for those caught speeding. I know one or two people who have paid the fine rather than have the hassle of attending a speed awareness course.

MikeF wrote:

Psamathe wrote:

MikeF wrote:There shouldn't be an option not to do the awareness course. Fine + points +course is what's needed.

My impression is that previously those caught could have done EITHER the drivers awareness course OR points and fine. So get away without points and fine by doing the Driver Awareness Course. The change the Police are heralding as getting really tough is that you now get points & fine and no option to do driver awareness curse instead.

Ian

If they are then that is good news. I think the same should apply for those caught speeding. I know one or two people who have paid the fine rather than have the hassle of attending a speed awareness course.

It was on the local news last night (so probably a local region thing).

A step in the right direction but a very very small step. Best thing about is might be the item on the local news getting the message out there a bit more.

Ian

Psamathe wrote:

MikeF wrote:

Psamathe wrote:My impression is that previously those caught could have done EITHER the drivers awareness course OR points and fine. So get away without points and fine by doing the Driver Awareness Course. The change the Police are heralding as getting really tough is that you now get points & fine and no option to do driver awareness curse instead.

Ian

If they are then that is good news. I think the same should apply for those caught speeding. I know one or two people who have paid the fine rather than have the hassle of attending a speed awareness course.

It was on the local news last night (so probably a local region thing).

A step in the right direction but a very very small step. Best thing about is might be the item on the local news getting the message out there a bit more.

Ian

And the good news is that the same local news has another report on mobile phone use whilst driving. today covering the plain clothed police (motor) bikes where officer has a helmet cam and presses a button which saves the previous 30 seconds of video and then a following marked full Police bike pulls driver over and (s)he's done. Apparently they have 2 such bikes. Report (probably on iPlayer within 30 mins) is Look East (broadcast 15 Nov 18:30-19:00 report starts shortly after 18:40, 10 mins in).

And critical as I always am about the BBC, another report demonstrating a bit of enforcement is really encouraging - so well done BBC Eastern Region.

Ian

I watched that, but what's bizarre is that the "punishment" depends on which county the driver is in. In Cambridgeshire Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire or Northamptonshire he/she is offered an awareness course, but in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, or Thames Valley he/she will have an automatic £100 fine and 3points. Surely there needs to be consistency?

No distraction during driving.

No mobile phones.
No hands free blue tooth connections.
No programmable sat navs without the engine switched off.
No radio programming without the engine switched off.
No cd selection without the engine switched off.

Oh .. that will be an Isuzu pick up truck.
Like mine.

Lets just roll it out to all your cars .... ...
Because after all the rhetoric .. 99% of you have one ....

landsurfer wrote:Because after all the rhetoric .. 99% of you have one ....

1. What rhetoric?
2. More like 80% if I remember the stats and forum participants are typical of cyclists in general.

I have, in the past, entered into discussions on here with a certain member of the "i don't have a car" brigade.
And they didn't, never had ....
But their wife has ...........

landsurfer wrote:No distraction during driving.

No mobile phones.
No hands free blue tooth connections.
No programmable sat navs without the engine switched off.
No radio programming without the engine switched off.
No cd selection without the engine switched off.

Oh .. that will be an Isuzu pick up truck.
Like mine.

Lets just roll it out to all your cars .... ...

And whilst we're all waiting can we have more traffic police to catch those committing crime whilst driving.

Because after all the rhetoric .. 99% of you have one ....

I don't know what you mean by rhetoric,I have a car and use the self restraint technique rather effectively

Hi,
I can see cars driving past my house from my seat in the lounge whilst I watch TV.
Saturday, white van man creeps up and down the road (looking for something) drives off on mobile, and I don't think a seatbelt either.
Monday roofer comes up to inspect leaks that were not fixed by his last visit (parks on pavement), gets in van whilst on mobile (wipers on and engine running, I presume) gets in drives off instantly whilst still on mobile, no seatbelt.

I always say that aperson that has no thought for their own safety cant have much for anyone else...........................