Should hands-free mobile phones be banned "at the wheel"?

[Zetetic]

Some of you are quite progressive about the death penalty, and accept that deterrents don't work and it's the likelihood of being caught that motivates a crime, then go on to make completely mad calls to authority like this.

Likelihood is a significant mediator, you're right, but the bigger issue with the death penalty is that it was targeted at crimes where evaluations of risk of being caught weren't particularly relevant anyway ("of passion" if we're being generous).

For something like talking-and-driving, we should aim to combine both improved enforcement and punishment of a form that can't easily be integrated into any sort of cost-benefit tradeoff. Fines or confiscation of minor privileges (e.g. license to drive) can be too easily compared with the convenience of taking phone calls.

[Icehaven]

I just got Mr. Haven a GPS for his motorbike as a birthday present, and luddite that I am I hadn't realised the headset with it can also be used with a phone to answer calls. I think that's a terrible idea given if you don't want to die you need to have your wits about you ten times as much on a motorbike as you do in a car, but he thinks it's fine. So yeah ban them immediately please.   

[gmoney]

I don't use hands free function on the phone while driving because of safety concerns, I genuinely think it affects my concentration. That, and I've rigged up an old PS2 in glove-box and a portable telly on the dashboard, and I like to play SingStar Motown while bombing down B roads.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Likelihood is a significant mediator, you're right, but the bigger issue with the death penalty is that it was targeted at crimes where evaluations of risk of being caught weren't particularly relevant anyway ("of passion" if we're being generous).

For something like talking-and-driving, we should aim to combine both improved enforcement and punishment of a form that can't easily be integrated into any sort of cost-benefit tradeoff. Fines or confiscation of minor privileges (e.g. license to drive) can be too easily compared with the convenience of taking phone calls.

Apart from its very difficult to detect and enforce, 4g and Bluetooth is everywhere now and there's no guarantee the presence of either is a phone call, let alone the phone call of the driver. Moving lips in an empty car aren't either.

The police often check phone records in a crash, which can change whether you're done for due care and attention. I'd worry that increasing these powers would open them to abuse and essentially give the police an excuse to stop anyone they feel like especially minority groups, in the exact same way stop and search is

[Cuellar]

Lead lined cars, blanket ban on bluetooth technology. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.

[sponk]

I've driven while on the phone loads of times, never crashed. A friend had two crashes while not using their phone. This is a load of bollocks.

[Cuellar]

I've driven drunk and never crashed. Friend of mine never rode his motorbike drunk and he's now dead.

Load of rubbish.

[oy vey]

Absolutely any use of a phone or mobile device should be banned, along with adjusting your seat, fiddling with aircon controls, switch on or off the sound system, changing gears at a rate of more than once per minute, picking your nose, scratching your ear, having a sneaky tug, sucking your own cock, sucking someone else's...

Receiving a blow job should be allowed obviously.

[MiddleRabbit]

Seeing as most drivers can't really do roundabouts, corners, speeding up, slowing down, parking and indicating seems like lifting one finger too many for the majority - and it is the majority of drivers - yeah, any distractions should probably banned but, as nobody'll enforce it, why bother paying lip service to it?

[Sebastian Cobb]

If you can't make a rollup while negotiating a traffic island you shouldn't be on the fucking road.

[The Boston Crab]

I drive an automatic so that I can still use my left hand to text and flick through Twitter. Maybe just get rid of manual cars.

[Pinball]

This country is fascistic. Ban everything. Ban driving, it's dangerous.

Why bother with 5G? What the flying fuck do the dicks who fake running the country think it will be used for?

Ban it all. Make suicide mandatory. Quiet, peaceful, dead. Just like the UK likes it.

[Dex Sawash]

I just got Mr. Haven a GPS for his motorbike as a birthday present, and luddite that I am I hadn't realised the headset with it can also be used with a phone to answer calls. I think that's a terrible idea given if you don't want to die you need to have your wits about you ten times as much on a motorbike as you do in a car, but he thinks it's fine. So yeah ban them immediately please.

I have a helmet with a Bluetooth setup. In practice, the caller can tell you to hurry home with another box of wine or that they are having a crisis. You can then shut down somewhere when convenient and talk it over or use the capability inherent in 2 wheel transportation to rush home with the wine box.

[Zetetic]

Ban everything. Ban driving

Yes, these are the same.