I was just wondering what everyone else’s take on this is. Personally I don’t think they’re that expensive & not that difficult to use but others on our roads don’t seem to agree. They drive around with a mobile phone pressed to their ear. Is the person really that important that they have to be contactable at all times of the day & night? If so buy a blue-tooth set! Simple.
Then there’s the other type of person who don’t want to get caught driving while on the phone so when their phone goes off they have to slam the breaks & pull over to the side of the road. Not giving a damn for the line of drivers behind them who then have to try to get around them – as happened to me today going down Taylors Hill.
This guys phone went off (he was a few cars ahead of me) so I seen what was happening & adjusted my driving accordingly. All of the drivers behind him waited to see what he would do. Eventually he just pulled in to the curb, on a bad corner, on a narrow stretch of the road & started yacking away! So what if us other drivers had to risk getting mowed down by drivers coming the other way. The call was too important to miss!
Why can’t people just get cheap blue-tooth systems? They’re not that hard to come by & as far as I know they are fitted in almost all new cars now. I know it is in my fathers & it’s quite a good 1!
What are other peoples views on this? Should blue-tooth systems be compulsory in all cars?
8 Comments
Did you know……A driver who is detected committing a mobile phone offence will have the option to pay a fixed charge of €60 within 28 days from date of issue by the Gardai of the Fixed Charge Notice, or €90 if paid within the next 28 day period and incur 2 penalty points instead of being prosecuted in Court. A driver who is convicted in Court of a mobile phone offence will have 4 penalty points endorsed on his or her driving licence record and will be liable to a fine of up to €2,000.
Kinda makes you think that BlueTooth is a little cheaper for all you doubters…
Most new phones will come with a wired handsfree kit (basically a seat of stereo headphones with a mic on them) – so okay, they're not wireless, they're not bluetooth, but they allow you to make handsfree calls.
Even if the phone doesn't come with such a set, they generally cost €20 – €30 to buy, with a good Bluetooth one being €50 – €60 or more depending on brand.
There are NO excuses for holding a phone to your head while driving.
My phone is usually on silent and I ignore it if I see or hear it buzzing away, I also have a bluetooth speakerphone clipped to the visor. But most times I can't be arsed to switch it on. Shows you how important I think phone calls are when I'm driving.
If I'm expecting a call or need to make myself available for any reason then I do switch on the bluetooth. I'd expect any driver to have the savvy of doing something similar.
Besides, what gardai are around to enforce this law?? I see plenty of muppets in my short commute to work with their phone glued to their ear. Have never seen a garda in the vicinity, nor passed a vehicle pulled over for said offence.
I have a bluetooth, it only cost €40 and its great, I actually end up using it a lot at home too as its a lot more comfortable to use than having a hot phone up to your ear!! As I said in a previous comment, I find it impossible to use my phone while driving anyway so the bluetooth is a godsend!! Another thing, the gardai won't enforce this law because half the time its them who have the phones up to their ears while driving squad cars!! I see it constantly around Carlow!! In saying that, I have heard of rare occasions here where the gardai have actually pulled people over for using mobiles while driving, but rare is the operative word!!
Wonder if any electrical store would be willing to do a "say you saw our offer on ShiteDrivers.com and we'll give you 20% off!" on Bluetooth headsets, etc. … heh…
Who needs a phone in his/her car? A FEW people with jobs upon which lives can depend and self important muppets. No-one else.
Nial: If you approached some stores with the idea, it may be worthwhile. You'll put a banner on the site for them, they'll give your referrers a discount.. Try it, the worst that'll happen is they'll say no..
You could have reported the guy for "parking a vehicle in a dangerous position". 5 points and a court appointed fine. Even worse than being caught whilst talking on the phone. Mind you, you'd have to be caught first. The only reason Gards seem to leave the station is to check out a new deli.
What good are all the shiny, new laws if no one enforces them? Tax, Insurance, Grand!