mobile phones etc.

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Barogerl

mobile phones etc.

Post by Barogerl »

whilst I can understand the concern about drivers( and cyclkists) using mobile phones whilst on the move, a greater danger arises from the use of these new fangled direction finders/maps, which show a picture, surely its illegal to watch TV from the drivers seat, yet these are being actively promoted
Elucasr

Re:mobile phones etc.

Post by Elucasr »

Good point, I hadn't thought of that one.
gar

Re:mobile phones etc.

Post by gar »

The problem with minor details which are
nonetheless potentially dangerous if everybody
were to do it, they only attract small fines,
as with seat belt which is ..what... £20 or £30?

I agree that eating pistachio from the husk while you are driving along a narrow country lane is potentially dangerous, but are you going to introduce a law to make it llegal?

With the new road charges set to come in in two years time, more people will (not eat pistachio)
be likely to use those TV style maps to avoid penal charges.

In the event of accident, the other party might say "Oh he was eating pistachio and lost control"
but this would be rejected as not contrary to the law and would not count against him, whereas
if it is illegal, even for £20, and even if it is not verifiable, might well count against the causer of the accident.

Going on an intetresting remark by Hermann
in another thread about driving being a "sem-conscious" activity, you might say that concentrating on the road ahead with a map device would at least help people remain entirely awake with more to do, like opening the window to chuck out the pistahio husks.

I really do think that interactive map and mobile phone are rather different in degree, mobile phone being used for something which is generally utterly and complete off the task that
you should be dealing with whereas Route finding up ahead is not. It is on topic not like pistachio off it, or utterly and completely off it, like the washing hanging on the line in the back garden.

Also a great many accidents are caused by inadequate supervision of one's OWN use of
the rear mirror of a motor vehicle (and I am refering to excessive use).

A driver should be looking forward 95% of the time not backwards or at her pretty face IN it.
A mapping device would require an askaunce look to the side about details up ahead, so
I can't see that it would be a cause of any more accidents, and if it were, the different kind of accident would become evident fairly soon (ie angle of impact and so on)

The use of them should indeed be of concern to cyclists as I and nearly every cyclist must recall only too well when they first came into use.
Drivers veered towards cyclists without any
apparent reason except that they were nattering on the mobile, saying when he would be home or similar. Again at least they are looking forward and towards the near side of the car in which direction cyclists are likely to be seen as well.

Ergonomics is the name of the scientific discipline which covers all these things in the interior design of the car and you may well find that there are a good many websites dedicated to the question and even with regard to the possible effect on the cyclist road user.

I shall look myself as you have raised an important point and there may be "psychological " factors of which i am entirely unaware , some of them spurious.

I hope everybody interested in policy will keep us informed of any incidents skirmishes that occur so that we may (I) forward them to the relevant department of state, which is always conscientious as far as it can be in moniotiing such things, even towards the poor misused cyclist.
gar

Re:mobile phones etc.

Post by gar »

in car automated navigation systems
is what they are known as
Car Navigation System with GPS and DVD
These car navigation Systems use a DVD ROM combined with a GPS (General positioning System) allowing the user to see a local road map as well as the vehicle's position on that map. They also feature multimedia entertainment systems/b.


I shudder to think how many accidents there would be if people started using televisual multimedia packages on the same screen.

That should be banned instantly.

forward mapping is not TV multimedia but part of driving the car but part of driving the car forward......

TV multimedia would be so dangerous for a driver to do as he is going along that it would be entirely impractical.
However there would still be some drivers who would try to drive slowly while doing this thing,
thence endangering the road edge cyclist.
In that sense it should be carefull examined by cycling campaigners to ensure that no such
action be done.

In both these threads it has become clear that it is while people blearn
to use the equipment
that the danger occurs to the cyclist,
and you are wise to raise the question so that we may avoid getting into harm's way of any sort,
whilst they do learn.

I shall put up one or two Ergonomic links in due course if they re sufficiently relevant
g
Elucasr

Re:mobile phones etc.

Post by Elucasr »

"I agree that eating pistachio from the husk while you are driving along a narrow country lane is potentially dangerous, but are you going to introduce a law to make it llegal?
"

It's already covered..........................Driving without due care!
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