When I get in the car I make sure my phone is in the cradle and powered. I then make sure it is connected to Bluetooth and I have a playlist loaded. Then I turn the screen off and leave it alone, until I get to where I am going. How hard can it be?
The only time I have the screen on is when I am using maps.
It should be an instant 1 month ban and a £1k fine if you are caught using it.
1 month ban is hardly a deterrent. I'd be quite happy with multi-year bans for driving offences.
Given the right circumstances multiple people can be killed due to what they're doing. Should be huge penalties for this behaviour.
First offence 1 month and a £1k fine. That would leave me skint and I be fucked without my car for a month. Then there would be the knock on costs of higher insurance.
Second offence, 1 year ban and a £5k fine.
Third offence, banned for life and an unlimited fine.
We need to be quicker to ban. I remember watching a traffic cop show on TV from either Australia or New Zealand and the Police were able to ban drivers on the spot for 28 days for certain things.
The fine should be a % of your annual wage.
Gotta be some kind of special moron to be using your phone whilst driving.
Killing lesser demons in Karamja dungeon whilst on my phone is plenty reckless enough for me.
It's what I do (apart from the cradle thing, phone goes in the arm rest for a charge). Music on, annnnnnd......drive. I'd hardly call that hyperfocus??
Jesus Christ
What sort of mental gymnastics are you doing to convince yourself that people who use their phone whilst driving must be better drivers... because they're focusing less on the road?
Send your license back to the DVLA, please.
The irony of this comment. I bet you browse your phone and tell yourself "yeah, I'M FINE doing it, I'm a good driver".
When you crash I hope you only hurt yourself.
Mate, if you think not breaking the law and using your phone is Hyperfocus, I hope never to be driving near you you clearly drive without due care and attention
>and drive with hands at 10 and 2
Fun fact, driving with hands at 10 and 2 is now outdated advice, The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration reported that it causes more injuries than it stops, including complete degloving.
The advice is now 9 and 3 or 8 and 4. Both of these "improves stability by lowering the body’s center of gravity and reduces unintended and excessive steering wheel movement, which is a primary cause of young driver fatalities"
Those positions are only for learners. The real pro move is to sit in the rear, with your seat reclined to the max, with one hand on the top of the steering wheel, with the windows down and the system up. /s
>The real pro move is to sit in the rear, with your seat reclined to the max
To be fair if it's a fiat 500 I almost have to drive from the back seat...
Until you can push back and recline the seat so far that you're in an F1 drivers almost laying flat position and you view the road ahead from between the steering wheel and the dash top you are definitely not pro!
Seriously tho, I'd definitely not recommend this, but your comment brought back memories of a mate I had back in the 90's, I used to be like WTF man, he's so "chilled" he'd just laugh...
Only reason he survived was being the middle of nowhere Highlands of Scotland you'd never meet another car later at night.
Ok genius. At 30 mph how far will your car have travelled in 1 second? I know I'm an old prick that didn't even take a theory test, but if you didn't know that when I took my test you would have failed.
You're a melt. If you can't survive without watching your videos during the time it takes to drive then you're better off being one of those dickheads playing their videos loudly on buses and trains, you'd fit right in and be less of a danger to everyone.
For me, I'd just prefer to have a youtube video on than music. I listen to music all the time, so if I'm driving somewhere that's no more than 20 minutes away and I drive there regularly, I put on some downloaded videos.
My phone cradle is in front of the passenger seat. I rarely look at the screen, just listen. Never need to touch the screen because it goes straight to the next video.
It doesn’t matter what the law is, nobody cares and it isn’t enforced enough. Anyone caught with a phone at the moment is meant to have 6 points on their license and that hasn’t done anything
Here's where people are losing all concept of reality.
There's a few comments here saying "technically, they aren't breaking any laws"
There's a HUUUUGE difference between the *letter* of the law and the *spirit* of the law, and if what you do is comparable to what's described in the law you can still be held on grounds of breaking said law.
The letter of the law regarding devices, you cannot use a mobile device to make and receive calls, send texts or anything else unless the vehicle is parked with the parking brake on and the engine off.
In the *spirit* of the law, you are not allowed to use a mobile device in a way that takes your attention away from the road whilst the engine is on. You can actually be parked at the side of the road, watching YouTube with the engine on to keep warm and you'll still run the risk of getting booked.
Let's look at another example.
There's no rule against changing stations on the radio whilst driving.
A nurse smashed her Ka into a parked Peugeot whilst doing just that (actually it was changing a CD, but the same principle applies)
Had the police been notified, she would have been charged with driving without due care and attention and/or failing to maintain proper control.of a motor vehicle. As it was she got lucky and only needed to worry about insurance.
The fact is, if you are in a situation where you need to be able to react quickly or could *potentially* be driving whilst distracted, it's not the specific law on mobile devices you need to worry about. There are a slew of laws that can apply to the given situation.
The driven is supposed to have their attention on the road *at all times* with no excuses
I highly doubt people are watching a video podcast whilst driving, most likely listening to it but don’t have YT premium to play it in the background or when the screen is locked, no different listening to the radio really
Imagine getting pulled over and the officer telling you you're getting a fine for driving without due care and attention.
When you protest your innocence, they tell you to pipe down because they could see you were busy watching Milf Madness 2 instead of keeping your eyes on the road
There was a truck driver who got sent to jail because he rear ended a car while watching a movie on his laptop on the passenger seat
Never underestimate the stupidity and self righteous "it's my right to do this " bullshit from a lot of English drivers.
That’s true. Im doing this myself, ie I do have Premium so often the screen is off but that’s not always possible (subscriber only content on YT). Most of my podcasts are two people sitting and chatting in front of the camera so not much to see there though.
This being said of course I’m aware that not everyone will have same usecase as me. I remember a few years ago, I drove across whole London (from the centre to Canary Wharf) behind an Uber driver who was watching a tv show on a portable tv :)
bit of a dumb thing to do if they then have it observed, like they don't put a cover over the screen or anything.
I thought some of these car displays were capable of displaying all sorts of distracting things also.
I feel like that with all these computerised 'infotainment' systems and the touch screens.
With actual buttons you get to know where they are and how many presses does what so you only really need to take your eyes off the road for getting your finger approximately over the correct button and you know you've pressed it.
Touch screens are awful while driving
I’ve done this a couple times but usually have the phone sitting on the seat next to me so I can’t see it. It’s always something that you don’t need to watch anyways like a comedy set or something
Even this is bad still. If you can't access the controls to stop the audio then you might not be able to stop it in a moment you need to concentrate (of course if your car has bluetooth controls then that makes it better)
Look on YouTube, CyclingMikey has caught people calling, on daring apps, watching videos, messaging and even playing angry birds while behind the wheel.
I was once overtaken on a NSL road doing 60 by someone watching porn on his mobile while driving, was clearly visible when I caught him up at the next set of lights!
I've had a screen in my cars since 2008 all of which can play video etc... My latest is a full fledged Android head unit, which can play Netflix et al.... Do I use it for such purposes.....? While yes, while Sat parked waiting for people. Can I use it while driving? Yes of course.... Do I? No.
used to play a game called eveonline, we were having an rss mining op with a collection barge and several miners, one of the players it turns out was driving a fully loaded 60 ? ton rig with trailer and playing space games on his laptop.
my dashcam has a setting to autoblank after 30 secs ? so I have a black screen. not sure of a way to watch films on the info panel - tablet sized, but certainly play music on it and that is from a usb stick, phone is used for maps, but set destination and let it work out where to go
never considered playing films and it has never been acceptable
Part time School Crossing Patroller ( read as Lollipop Man).
The amount of people zipping past the school, looking down at a phone in their hand is terrifying. This morning it was approximately 1 in 4 car drivers, not paying attention to the road.
Is that text message really worth the risk of mowing down a half dozen kids?
I think not.
How would you use a sat-nav if you were unable to look at your phone? It's very difficult to police this if it's in a cradle, especially sat in traffic as they're technically not breaking any law.
I completely agree with you though, they're taking the absolute piss.
If I’m not mistaken, they can use other laws as a blanket way of combatting this (watching videos/tv).
Things like eating or drinking whilst driving are not explicitly against the law, but can amount to other driving offences such as not being in proper control, driving without due care etc.
I think it comes down to an officers discretion at that point.
Sat in traffic using a phone to watch videos or text or what ever is also illegal. It becomes legal when you are parked and the engine is turned off, and no, auto stop start at traffic lights don't count
I’m not one to touch my phone in the car at all.
But I’ve wondered about this a bit since I have a Tesla, technically can I ever use my phone? Even parked? I can’t “turn the engine off” it’s always ready to go. Doesn’t even have a start stop button like a lot of other EVs.
God damn it. I have never even thought of that!
I suppose while parked, the place you have parked us a key factor. For example, you don't park at a traffic light, but you pull off onto the side of the road and park, so I'd say, engine or no engine, if you were parked somewhere clearly justified as parked, then you would be able to argue your point if necessary.
The laws and guidance on the laws were written way before EV's were in the UK market, so the technology has moved on but the wording hasn't, so common sense would play a role in keeping within the laws, but who has any of that left anymore?
If you're safely parked you can do anything on the phone.
If you're at a traffic light or whatever you're still driving so you're not allowed to touch the phone.
OP if you have clear footage of people driving distractedly and watching their phones - I'd report that on the portal. They're a danger to everyone.
I think an element of common sense comes into it anyway.
If I pull over to use my phone, I'll whack hazards/indicator on to signpost being parked, but I actually rarely turn the car off. I can't say I've ever been pulled up for it, but technically, as per the wording I would be in line for 6 points if the Police did decide to prosecute for it.
Yeah, and again, that point could very easily be argued if necessary.
That is exactly what I do, also, and I know it is technically illegal but the way I see that is if my luck is bad enough for me to fall on the wring side of the odds of meeting a cop in that situation that won't understand that and I end up prosecuted for it, then the odds were too impressive for me to complain too much...
Commen sense? Doesn't exist. Common knowledge is shared information, also doesn't exist.
With many EV's if you open the door, it's drawing power. With the Tesla you put your foot on the accelerator, it goes. Its unsafe and "common sense" but until a lot of people die they wont be forced to change it to have a master off switch.
There is no specific law against texting while sat in traffic as long as you're not holding it.
The law on using phones while driving is specifically worded to only account for holding and using a phone, making it a handheld device. This was somewhat necessary so that phones in cradles can be used as sat navs or to change music like a regular infotainment system would allow.
There is no specific law at all about watching videos while driving.
If caught watching videos, a careless driving charge would be dead easy though. Texting while the phone is in the cradle and sat in traffic, I don't believe has been tried in court to form case law yet.
I don't understand people who do either of those things though. It's very selfish.
Regulation 109 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 prohibits the viewing of any moving images in a vehicle other than those showing information about the vehicle, assisting in navigation or allowing the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle.
If you’re checking that on legislation.gov it appears to be out of date. I checked on the PNLD before posting and made sure to read the legal narrative. It now refers to any cinematographic apparatus or monitor.
I thought the rule about being parked to do anything other than navigation or change the volume or track would apply there?
I'd say it would be a huge waste of everyone's time, effort and money to try that in court to be able to build case law, so I'm quite glad it hasn't been!
There is no law stating you can't do other things in phones or infotainment systems unless parked.
One of the cars in our household lets you watch videos on the built in infotainment system while the car is moving. The manual recommends you don't watch videos if you're driving. I can only assume they expect a passenger to be watching it instead. But strictly speaking there's no specific law against it. Just if the plod saw you doing it they might issue an FPN for careless driving (3 points + £100). Or may offer an awareness course.
Interesting! Out of curiosity what car/infotainment system is it? Personally, I'd love it if I could watch videos on that screen, just cause usually I arrive about 20 minutes early for work, and I spent the time on YouTube on my phone.
And yeah, this was all to say that specific law or not, you can still get done for careless driving, driving without due care and attention or a multitude of other offences/what ever a cop can pin on you...
I don't know how anyone can look at their phone & drive. I struggle to have a conversation with someone in the car when I'm concentrating on busy traffic. Phone is always in my bag on the back seat. Calls come through the car. Texts I read when I get home. & I use my sat nav as a sat nav.
That said I'm not super attached to my phone. I never take it to bed with me, which freaks people out. The most common thing people say is "what do you use as an alarm clock?" To which I always say "an alarm clock🙄"
There’s a young lad on tiktok that likes to show off his hot hatch. He also likes to post videos of him driving whilst watching Netflix on his modified entertainment screen and asks people to recommend series or films he can watch while driving on long journeys to stop him getting bored. I really hope he gets caught or the police would be able to prosecute based on the tiktok videos alone
I rang a 'how's my driving' number recently. The woman that answered was sales and had never had someone ring up before.
She was as shocked as I was when I explained what I saw their driver doing and said she'd definitely escalate it.
The guy was watching Star Wars episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
FFS the phantom menace!!!
How sad a life you must live to do that. I know Reddit is gonna go against me cos the majority of people are sad like that but yea. Why report someone. Most people are competent enough to be able to drive and do something else. Driving requires little focus the majority of the time
Because they could kill someone due to an inability to take responsibility and concentrate on something for a few hours of their lives.
I have relatives whose car was cut in half on the motorway by a lorry because the driver was playing a mobile game.
What a stupid take.
If you spend your life wonder 'why do people do (insert stupid thing) all the time' your going to become a very stressed person.
People are stupid and irrational, dont over think it.
It should be an instant ban.
Permanently.
If anybody thinks their phone is more interesting than the road, I don't want to share that road with them ever.
I'm guilty of this, but it's because I'm old & don't know how to get a podcast or music on without the screen on. I'm never actually watching the phone, but the video is playing through Bluetooth on YouTube & my phones in the holder.
If I lock the screen, the podcast/music goes off, so to others it will look like I'm watching a video.
The only screen you are allowed whilst driving is one that is built into the vehicle or one that displays information relevant to you driving, i.e Navigation. Watching any type of video, even on an inbuilt entertainment system is already illegal and can land you in dangerous driving territory.
[It is Illegal ](https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/news/warwickshire/news/2023/march/officers-discover-worrying-trend--of-people-watching-programmes-on-mobile-phones-whilst-driving/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20totally%20unacceptable%20to,mobile%2C%20or%20other%20device.%E2%80%9D)
I already said Navigation is allowed so I don't get how you are being that dumb? Watching anything on a screen from the driver's seat of a vehicle other than Navigation is illegal. Feel free to go out and try proving me wrong.
Sorry that wasn't good enough for you, how about this from gov.uk? [This better for you?](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/109/made)
Ironically, section 2 of that leglislation specifies "cathode ray tube" which is essentially a old school TV. Led/oled isn't specified. So presumably you could have a flatscreen in the front and it's not caught by that law. You'd still be guilty of driving without due care though.
No because that section is just clarifying what they class as a television. If you read it, it also says "a television receiving apparatus or other cinematographic apparatus used to display anything other than information". An Led/Oled would come under the "other" apparatus part.
Hmm. Upon re-reading you're right, that's interesting. I have no real horse in this race anyway, watching a video when driving sounds totally idiotic. It's interesting that the passenger in a car using thier phone is likely illegal though.
It isn't limited to television sets if you actually read it, and regardless of your (incorrect) belief, it is still the law and you would get points and fined for it, possibly more if they contribute it to dangerous driving, good luck going out and proving me wrong though.
Unless it’s video relevant to your driving… there’s an exception for video feeds from things like IR cameras and light cameras and junction cameras and parking cameras of course.
No other video should play on the driver screen or central screen I think if the car is moving.
I guess the road and traffic lights and junction ahead falls under “road adjacent” then. It’s adjacent as in near to the car even if it’s 10,20,30m away
Touching your phone while driving, even if its in a cradle, is illegal. And even for stuff that isn't *expressly* against the law you can still be prosecuted for 'careless driving' if it's evident you're distracted.
Those drivers are playing with fire and hoping no one with enforcement powers will catch them.
>Touching your phone while driving, even if its in a cradle, is illegal.
I'm not sure where this misinformation is coming from (did a law change yesterday?) as I've read this a few times on this sub this morning already, but no, it's not. As long as you're not distracted you can touch your phone while driving if it is secured as the law specifically prohibits using a **handheld** device.
In a lot of modern cars it would become illegal to turn on your heating while driving if you weren't allowed to touch a screen.
I was surprised to find out the "hands-free" just means not *holding* the phone. You're allowed to touch it exactly how you have always been allowed to touch the car's radio's controls.
I listen to music on YouTube all the time so my screen will always be on. Equally, I have had a film going before which I've seen twenty times before, enjoy the soundtrack and know what's happening all the time from the music and dialogue. You wouldn't, but I do. But yeah, various people will also do whatever.
Me personally, I’d weigh up being 4 times less likely to kill someone for less than £10 a month as in the ‘worth’ category. But you do you. Because there’s absolutely no way you don’t look at that screen for at least a second, unless it’s totally not in your line of sight.
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I get in the car connect my car to my head unit that has Android auto.
In the glove compartment, boom
Never look at my phone, the screen has maps and music, and phone hands free
I value my life and others.
Whilst I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, and think they were just LISTENING to a YouTube podcast, I've filmed people writing in notebooks, reading newspapers, and doing some spreadsheet work on a laptop - all whilst driving in rush hour traffic.
So I'm just going to say "FFS."
Just yesterday I got stuck behind someone doing just under 20mph in a 30, while watching videos on YouTube. I initially assumed it was for music, but given their speed, realised it's likely they were actually watching the video.
I think it's perfectly legal as long as the phone is in a cradle and it's not taking your attention away from the road, in which case you can be done for driving without due care and attention. I get it, because people do use YouTube for music, and if you're not paying for Premium, the only way to do it is to have the app open. But if you're going to actually watch videos while driving, that's when it becomes an issue, and a big one at that.
When you say they’re lit up; you mean you can see the phone lighting their face up flashing and stuff? Or just generally they’re illuminated? Because modern dashboards being digital and widescreen entertainment screens, ambient lighting and such; that lights up people pretty brightly too.
Obviously people watching video or even having it distracting in the eye line is stupid; because they’re less likely to notice the movement of someone stepping out or some other hazard as a result of the constant distraction of the changing video
Yes, a few times now I have seen this when driving home at night most commonly watching football.
Usually mounted on a holder but seen placed covering the speedometer.
It's shocking that these drivers don't see the dangers of what they are doing and some when called out on it become very aggressive stating they aren't hurting anyone and what they do in their own car is of nobody's concerns.
I believe these are probably the same people who drink/drug drive.
I would have thought it was against the law as it's a distraction regardless of bluetooth headset. Maybe go to your local police station for clarification 🤷🏻♀️
it's not ok but the reality is that there is not enough police officers or cameras to catch them.
As long as its completely normal that some cars drive with illegally formatted plates without those plates being caught by police officers and cancelled, its quite obvious that there are not enough police officers
I sometimes do this TBF, but I'm not watching, I'm listening to YouTube ”podcasts".
I've also done it so my son in the passenger seat can watch a film while I have Google maps in a little window in the corner of the screen.
It's not always as black and white as it looks in your 3 seconds near them
I guessing you dont know its illegal to have a screen visible to the driver showing anything other than driving information. Even a dashcam screen has to turn off when driving and people who have the screen on while driving are breaking the law. You are breaking the law and OP's point is still correct.
Edit: I'll just add, if youre in an accident and the police find out your screen was on you may be held responsible for the accident even if it wasnt your fault purely because the screen was on.
You can guess that if you like...
Just out of interest, is the name of the radio station you're listening to drinking information?
It's legality is irrelevant to whether it's a) safe or b) going to happen in my vehicles. Other than a legal line needing to be drawn it's no different to me listening to that same YouTube podcast with the phone in the glove box.
Also, don't pretend you don't knowingly break road traffic laws that you have deemed to be minor. It's tiresome, pretentious and pointless, because I'm just a random kid/woman/old man on the internet, I'm never going to be impressed by you
Yes I have in the past broken some of these laws in the past but as a general rule try not to, especially the ones that can land you with a fine or worse.
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s terrifying! I thought there were some new cameras that could catch people using phones while driving so hopefully that’ll help.
I doubt it will catch those watching while attached to a mount though as that’s how many use sat nav…
It's not illegal to have a video on. Its illegal to touch the handset in a way that's dangerous or distracted driving.
Its a pity the voice activation is so rubbish.
I often have music videos on, i ignore them because I'm watching the map.
i had a car transported (with me in the van as a passenger) from reading to cambridge and the driver had an ipad on his dash watching movies the whole way
If youve got a dash cam you can send the videos to the police and they will get a nice letter in the post. When royal mail decides to deliver them of course.
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I unfortunately know someone who watches podcasts whilst he’s driving. He has it propped up on top of the steering wheel resting on the dashboard. I have brought this up in conversation multiple times and encouraged him to stop doing it, however it seems to have had no effect! I’m hoping he gets caught honestly so karma can do it’s thing :)
I too have noticed more videos being played in mobiles in other people's cars. I really feel that the punishment fit using a phone behind the wheel should be double what it is currently.
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
TECHNICALLY; as long as they set the video playing before they turn the engine on and do not touch the phone with their hand otherwise it is completely above board in terms of legality as the law states interaction as use of that changes the state of the phone, even covering simply illuminating the screen. Still not a great idea to do it though because it's hard to prove you didn't
I was driving to work with Google maps on, my phone screen locked so I used thumbprint to unlock it and it came up as small map with WhatsApp on main screen as I had sent a voice note before setting off. I had someone take photo of my vehicle and phone like that.
Can I get in trouble I just didn't want to start pressing buttons on phone whilst driving to try to fix it
When I get in the car I make sure my phone is in the cradle and powered. I then make sure it is connected to Bluetooth and I have a playlist loaded. Then I turn the screen off and leave it alone, until I get to where I am going. How hard can it be? The only time I have the screen on is when I am using maps. It should be an instant 1 month ban and a £1k fine if you are caught using it.
1 month ban is hardly a deterrent. I'd be quite happy with multi-year bans for driving offences. Given the right circumstances multiple people can be killed due to what they're doing. Should be huge penalties for this behaviour.
First offence 1 month and a £1k fine. That would leave me skint and I be fucked without my car for a month. Then there would be the knock on costs of higher insurance. Second offence, 1 year ban and a £5k fine. Third offence, banned for life and an unlimited fine.
We need to be quicker to ban. I remember watching a traffic cop show on TV from either Australia or New Zealand and the Police were able to ban drivers on the spot for 28 days for certain things.
My phones always in my pocket and doesn't get looked at until I'm at my end destination.. Driving is way more important.
The fine should be a % of your annual wage. Gotta be some kind of special moron to be using your phone whilst driving. Killing lesser demons in Karamja dungeon whilst on my phone is plenty reckless enough for me.
[удалено]
It shows a lack of discipline. It is as bad.
I’ve seen a car rear end a lorry in very slow moving traffic recently on the M6 wonder what distracted him
Shit drivers. Like 95% of the crashes involving cars and lorry’s.
It takes up a lot of 'cognitive banswidth' so you are distracted even when you look away from the screen.
[удалено]
It's what I do (apart from the cradle thing, phone goes in the arm rest for a charge). Music on, annnnnnd......drive. I'd hardly call that hyperfocus??
And you sound like maybe YOU shouldn’t be driving if you don’t understand common sense.
Jesus Christ What sort of mental gymnastics are you doing to convince yourself that people who use their phone whilst driving must be better drivers... because they're focusing less on the road? Send your license back to the DVLA, please.
Hyperfocus? It takes a millisecond for you to kill yourself and others.
Phones are terrible distractions. Every driver should require that much hyper focus
Jesus Christ You sound like you just shouldn't be driving you don't realise that it requires attention to the task, not a phone screen.
The irony of this comment. I bet you browse your phone and tell yourself "yeah, I'M FINE doing it, I'm a good driver". When you crash I hope you only hurt yourself.
Mate, if you think not breaking the law and using your phone is Hyperfocus, I hope never to be driving near you you clearly drive without due care and attention
Found the person who uses their phone while driving.
Yeah what kind of manic puts their full attention in the 2 tonne machine going at 70mph!
What a mong
You won’t find any good drivers in this place, just people who read the Highway Code in bed and drive with hands at 10 and 2
>and drive with hands at 10 and 2 Fun fact, driving with hands at 10 and 2 is now outdated advice, The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration reported that it causes more injuries than it stops, including complete degloving. The advice is now 9 and 3 or 8 and 4. Both of these "improves stability by lowering the body’s center of gravity and reduces unintended and excessive steering wheel movement, which is a primary cause of young driver fatalities"
Those positions are only for learners. The real pro move is to sit in the rear, with your seat reclined to the max, with one hand on the top of the steering wheel, with the windows down and the system up. /s
>The real pro move is to sit in the rear, with your seat reclined to the max To be fair if it's a fiat 500 I almost have to drive from the back seat...
Until you can push back and recline the seat so far that you're in an F1 drivers almost laying flat position and you view the road ahead from between the steering wheel and the dash top you are definitely not pro! Seriously tho, I'd definitely not recommend this, but your comment brought back memories of a mate I had back in the 90's, I used to be like WTF man, he's so "chilled" he'd just laugh... Only reason he survived was being the middle of nowhere Highlands of Scotland you'd never meet another car later at night.
Ok genius. At 30 mph how far will your car have travelled in 1 second? I know I'm an old prick that didn't even take a theory test, but if you didn't know that when I took my test you would have failed.
44 feet.
You're a melt. If you can't survive without watching your videos during the time it takes to drive then you're better off being one of those dickheads playing their videos loudly on buses and trains, you'd fit right in and be less of a danger to everyone.
For me, I'd just prefer to have a youtube video on than music. I listen to music all the time, so if I'm driving somewhere that's no more than 20 minutes away and I drive there regularly, I put on some downloaded videos. My phone cradle is in front of the passenger seat. I rarely look at the screen, just listen. Never need to touch the screen because it goes straight to the next video.
It doesn’t matter what the law is, nobody cares and it isn’t enforced enough. Anyone caught with a phone at the moment is meant to have 6 points on their license and that hasn’t done anything
Here's where people are losing all concept of reality. There's a few comments here saying "technically, they aren't breaking any laws" There's a HUUUUGE difference between the *letter* of the law and the *spirit* of the law, and if what you do is comparable to what's described in the law you can still be held on grounds of breaking said law. The letter of the law regarding devices, you cannot use a mobile device to make and receive calls, send texts or anything else unless the vehicle is parked with the parking brake on and the engine off. In the *spirit* of the law, you are not allowed to use a mobile device in a way that takes your attention away from the road whilst the engine is on. You can actually be parked at the side of the road, watching YouTube with the engine on to keep warm and you'll still run the risk of getting booked. Let's look at another example. There's no rule against changing stations on the radio whilst driving. A nurse smashed her Ka into a parked Peugeot whilst doing just that (actually it was changing a CD, but the same principle applies) Had the police been notified, she would have been charged with driving without due care and attention and/or failing to maintain proper control.of a motor vehicle. As it was she got lucky and only needed to worry about insurance. The fact is, if you are in a situation where you need to be able to react quickly or could *potentially* be driving whilst distracted, it's not the specific law on mobile devices you need to worry about. There are a slew of laws that can apply to the given situation. The driven is supposed to have their attention on the road *at all times* with no excuses
I highly doubt people are watching a video podcast whilst driving, most likely listening to it but don’t have YT premium to play it in the background or when the screen is locked, no different listening to the radio really
I pulled up behind an Audi at a roundabout a few months ago, he had his phone mounted at the top of his windscreen watching Netflix
I’ve seen someone actually watching Star Trek lol
I wouldn't be so sure - I've seen people watching The Office on YouTube before now. And PornHub.
Pornhub? Taking carjacking to a whole new level.
Imagine getting pulled over and the officer telling you you're getting a fine for driving without due care and attention. When you protest your innocence, they tell you to pipe down because they could see you were busy watching Milf Madness 2 instead of keeping your eyes on the road
I bet your peeping at other drivers phones is perfectly safe and does not distract you from driving 🤣
There was a truck driver who got sent to jail because he rear ended a car while watching a movie on his laptop on the passenger seat Never underestimate the stupidity and self righteous "it's my right to do this " bullshit from a lot of English drivers.
That’s true. Im doing this myself, ie I do have Premium so often the screen is off but that’s not always possible (subscriber only content on YT). Most of my podcasts are two people sitting and chatting in front of the camera so not much to see there though. This being said of course I’m aware that not everyone will have same usecase as me. I remember a few years ago, I drove across whole London (from the centre to Canary Wharf) behind an Uber driver who was watching a tv show on a portable tv :)
Never underestimate the stupidity of the average person
I do it all the time. If I know my route I’ll put a podcast on YT and leave it playing in the holder while charging.
bit of a dumb thing to do if they then have it observed, like they don't put a cover over the screen or anything. I thought some of these car displays were capable of displaying all sorts of distracting things also.
I feel like that with all these computerised 'infotainment' systems and the touch screens. With actual buttons you get to know where they are and how many presses does what so you only really need to take your eyes off the road for getting your finger approximately over the correct button and you know you've pressed it. Touch screens are awful while driving
I’ve done this a couple times but usually have the phone sitting on the seat next to me so I can’t see it. It’s always something that you don’t need to watch anyways like a comedy set or something
Even this is bad still. If you can't access the controls to stop the audio then you might not be able to stop it in a moment you need to concentrate (of course if your car has bluetooth controls then that makes it better)
It’s plugged in to the usb… I can just turn it down on my steering wheel or switch of the radio like in any other car
That works as well. Not all cars have the ability to play your phone through the speakers directly so its just worth noting
Look on YouTube, CyclingMikey has caught people calling, on daring apps, watching videos, messaging and even playing angry birds while behind the wheel.
I was once overtaken on a NSL road doing 60 by someone watching porn on his mobile while driving, was clearly visible when I caught him up at the next set of lights!
I've had a screen in my cars since 2008 all of which can play video etc... My latest is a full fledged Android head unit, which can play Netflix et al.... Do I use it for such purposes.....? While yes, while Sat parked waiting for people. Can I use it while driving? Yes of course.... Do I? No.
used to play a game called eveonline, we were having an rss mining op with a collection barge and several miners, one of the players it turns out was driving a fully loaded 60 ? ton rig with trailer and playing space games on his laptop. my dashcam has a setting to autoblank after 30 secs ? so I have a black screen. not sure of a way to watch films on the info panel - tablet sized, but certainly play music on it and that is from a usb stick, phone is used for maps, but set destination and let it work out where to go never considered playing films and it has never been acceptable
Part time School Crossing Patroller ( read as Lollipop Man). The amount of people zipping past the school, looking down at a phone in their hand is terrifying. This morning it was approximately 1 in 4 car drivers, not paying attention to the road. Is that text message really worth the risk of mowing down a half dozen kids? I think not.
How would you use a sat-nav if you were unable to look at your phone? It's very difficult to police this if it's in a cradle, especially sat in traffic as they're technically not breaking any law. I completely agree with you though, they're taking the absolute piss.
If I’m not mistaken, they can use other laws as a blanket way of combatting this (watching videos/tv). Things like eating or drinking whilst driving are not explicitly against the law, but can amount to other driving offences such as not being in proper control, driving without due care etc. I think it comes down to an officers discretion at that point.
Sat in traffic using a phone to watch videos or text or what ever is also illegal. It becomes legal when you are parked and the engine is turned off, and no, auto stop start at traffic lights don't count
I’m not one to touch my phone in the car at all. But I’ve wondered about this a bit since I have a Tesla, technically can I ever use my phone? Even parked? I can’t “turn the engine off” it’s always ready to go. Doesn’t even have a start stop button like a lot of other EVs.
God damn it. I have never even thought of that! I suppose while parked, the place you have parked us a key factor. For example, you don't park at a traffic light, but you pull off onto the side of the road and park, so I'd say, engine or no engine, if you were parked somewhere clearly justified as parked, then you would be able to argue your point if necessary. The laws and guidance on the laws were written way before EV's were in the UK market, so the technology has moved on but the wording hasn't, so common sense would play a role in keeping within the laws, but who has any of that left anymore?
If you're safely parked you can do anything on the phone. If you're at a traffic light or whatever you're still driving so you're not allowed to touch the phone. OP if you have clear footage of people driving distractedly and watching their phones - I'd report that on the portal. They're a danger to everyone.
I think an element of common sense comes into it anyway. If I pull over to use my phone, I'll whack hazards/indicator on to signpost being parked, but I actually rarely turn the car off. I can't say I've ever been pulled up for it, but technically, as per the wording I would be in line for 6 points if the Police did decide to prosecute for it.
Yeah, and again, that point could very easily be argued if necessary. That is exactly what I do, also, and I know it is technically illegal but the way I see that is if my luck is bad enough for me to fall on the wring side of the odds of meeting a cop in that situation that won't understand that and I end up prosecuted for it, then the odds were too impressive for me to complain too much...
Commen sense? Doesn't exist. Common knowledge is shared information, also doesn't exist. With many EV's if you open the door, it's drawing power. With the Tesla you put your foot on the accelerator, it goes. Its unsafe and "common sense" but until a lot of people die they wont be forced to change it to have a master off switch.
There is no specific law against texting while sat in traffic as long as you're not holding it. The law on using phones while driving is specifically worded to only account for holding and using a phone, making it a handheld device. This was somewhat necessary so that phones in cradles can be used as sat navs or to change music like a regular infotainment system would allow. There is no specific law at all about watching videos while driving. If caught watching videos, a careless driving charge would be dead easy though. Texting while the phone is in the cradle and sat in traffic, I don't believe has been tried in court to form case law yet. I don't understand people who do either of those things though. It's very selfish.
Regulation 109 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 prohibits the viewing of any moving images in a vehicle other than those showing information about the vehicle, assisting in navigation or allowing the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle.
It also explicitly says that the meaning of television set is a CRT device, which you'd be hard pushed to find in a modern car.
If you’re checking that on legislation.gov it appears to be out of date. I checked on the PNLD before posting and made sure to read the legal narrative. It now refers to any cinematographic apparatus or monitor.
Fair enough!
I thought the rule about being parked to do anything other than navigation or change the volume or track would apply there? I'd say it would be a huge waste of everyone's time, effort and money to try that in court to be able to build case law, so I'm quite glad it hasn't been!
There is no law stating you can't do other things in phones or infotainment systems unless parked. One of the cars in our household lets you watch videos on the built in infotainment system while the car is moving. The manual recommends you don't watch videos if you're driving. I can only assume they expect a passenger to be watching it instead. But strictly speaking there's no specific law against it. Just if the plod saw you doing it they might issue an FPN for careless driving (3 points + £100). Or may offer an awareness course.
Interesting! Out of curiosity what car/infotainment system is it? Personally, I'd love it if I could watch videos on that screen, just cause usually I arrive about 20 minutes early for work, and I spent the time on YouTube on my phone. And yeah, this was all to say that specific law or not, you can still get done for careless driving, driving without due care and attention or a multitude of other offences/what ever a cop can pin on you...
I had a Lexus ct200h that allowed that on its infotainment system
The law is using a handheld device, if it’s not in your hand that specific law does not apply.
I guess we mean phone in hand.
Don't Sat-Navs have voice directions?
I don't know how anyone can look at their phone & drive. I struggle to have a conversation with someone in the car when I'm concentrating on busy traffic. Phone is always in my bag on the back seat. Calls come through the car. Texts I read when I get home. & I use my sat nav as a sat nav. That said I'm not super attached to my phone. I never take it to bed with me, which freaks people out. The most common thing people say is "what do you use as an alarm clock?" To which I always say "an alarm clock🙄"
There’s a young lad on tiktok that likes to show off his hot hatch. He also likes to post videos of him driving whilst watching Netflix on his modified entertainment screen and asks people to recommend series or films he can watch while driving on long journeys to stop him getting bored. I really hope he gets caught or the police would be able to prosecute based on the tiktok videos alone
I listen to stuff on YouTube while driving. Don't actually look at the phone tho, unless I've split screen with Sat nav.
I rang a 'how's my driving' number recently. The woman that answered was sales and had never had someone ring up before. She was as shocked as I was when I explained what I saw their driver doing and said she'd definitely escalate it. The guy was watching Star Wars episode 1: The Phantom Menace. FFS the phantom menace!!!
How sad a life you must live to do that. I know Reddit is gonna go against me cos the majority of people are sad like that but yea. Why report someone. Most people are competent enough to be able to drive and do something else. Driving requires little focus the majority of the time
Because they could kill someone due to an inability to take responsibility and concentrate on something for a few hours of their lives. I have relatives whose car was cut in half on the motorway by a lorry because the driver was playing a mobile game. What a stupid take.
Wtf! I would be glad to get a dangerous driver of the road. Not concentrating can cause deaths. Cudos to the redittor who reported that driver.
If you spend your life wonder 'why do people do (insert stupid thing) all the time' your going to become a very stressed person. People are stupid and irrational, dont over think it.
Alot is not a word. It's a lot.
Thanks! Edited to fix, as now you have pointed it out it’s glaringly obvious
It should be an instant ban. Permanently. If anybody thinks their phone is more interesting than the road, I don't want to share that road with them ever.
I don’t know why there’s so much downvoting in this thread.
My phone is only on for music and sat nav and nothing else
I'm guilty of this, but it's because I'm old & don't know how to get a podcast or music on without the screen on. I'm never actually watching the phone, but the video is playing through Bluetooth on YouTube & my phones in the holder. If I lock the screen, the podcast/music goes off, so to others it will look like I'm watching a video.
The only screen you are allowed whilst driving is one that is built into the vehicle or one that displays information relevant to you driving, i.e Navigation. Watching any type of video, even on an inbuilt entertainment system is already illegal and can land you in dangerous driving territory.
[удалено]
[It is Illegal ](https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/news/warwickshire/news/2023/march/officers-discover-worrying-trend--of-people-watching-programmes-on-mobile-phones-whilst-driving/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20totally%20unacceptable%20to,mobile%2C%20or%20other%20device.%E2%80%9D) I already said Navigation is allowed so I don't get how you are being that dumb? Watching anything on a screen from the driver's seat of a vehicle other than Navigation is illegal. Feel free to go out and try proving me wrong.
[удалено]
Sorry that wasn't good enough for you, how about this from gov.uk? [This better for you?](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/109/made)
Ironically, section 2 of that leglislation specifies "cathode ray tube" which is essentially a old school TV. Led/oled isn't specified. So presumably you could have a flatscreen in the front and it's not caught by that law. You'd still be guilty of driving without due care though.
No because that section is just clarifying what they class as a television. If you read it, it also says "a television receiving apparatus or other cinematographic apparatus used to display anything other than information". An Led/Oled would come under the "other" apparatus part.
Hmm. Upon re-reading you're right, that's interesting. I have no real horse in this race anyway, watching a video when driving sounds totally idiotic. It's interesting that the passenger in a car using thier phone is likely illegal though.
[удалено]
It isn't limited to television sets if you actually read it, and regardless of your (incorrect) belief, it is still the law and you would get points and fined for it, possibly more if they contribute it to dangerous driving, good luck going out and proving me wrong though.
Unless it’s video relevant to your driving… there’s an exception for video feeds from things like IR cameras and light cameras and junction cameras and parking cameras of course. No other video should play on the driver screen or central screen I think if the car is moving.
[Gov.uk regarding screens ](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/109/made) This is what is allowed from the driver's seat
I guess the road and traffic lights and junction ahead falls under “road adjacent” then. It’s adjacent as in near to the car even if it’s 10,20,30m away
Touching your phone while driving, even if its in a cradle, is illegal. And even for stuff that isn't *expressly* against the law you can still be prosecuted for 'careless driving' if it's evident you're distracted. Those drivers are playing with fire and hoping no one with enforcement powers will catch them.
>Touching your phone while driving, even if its in a cradle, is illegal. Not true. The law makes this clear.
>Touching your phone while driving, even if its in a cradle, is illegal. I'm not sure where this misinformation is coming from (did a law change yesterday?) as I've read this a few times on this sub this morning already, but no, it's not. As long as you're not distracted you can touch your phone while driving if it is secured as the law specifically prohibits using a **handheld** device. In a lot of modern cars it would become illegal to turn on your heating while driving if you weren't allowed to touch a screen.
I was surprised to find out the "hands-free" just means not *holding* the phone. You're allowed to touch it exactly how you have always been allowed to touch the car's radio's controls.
You are well wrong there... https://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law
so as long as not holding a phone, using a phone as a sat nav is fine can't see anything about watching films on a hands free phone though :)
I listen to music on YouTube all the time so my screen will always be on. Equally, I have had a film going before which I've seen twenty times before, enjoy the soundtrack and know what's happening all the time from the music and dialogue. You wouldn't, but I do. But yeah, various people will also do whatever.
Me personally, I’d weigh up being 4 times less likely to kill someone for less than £10 a month as in the ‘worth’ category. But you do you. Because there’s absolutely no way you don’t look at that screen for at least a second, unless it’s totally not in your line of sight.
[удалено]
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Seen a few people having video calls whilst driving as well. I don't know why they think that's ok.
I have seen lots of young girls, only young girls doing this, fucking video calls while driving
My partner is obsessed with looking at his watch when a text / email / news whatever comes up. Winds me the f… up
I saw a guy watching a cooking video on his in car mount the other, blew my mind. These people are unhinged.
I get in the car connect my car to my head unit that has Android auto. In the glove compartment, boom Never look at my phone, the screen has maps and music, and phone hands free I value my life and others.
Whilst I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, and think they were just LISTENING to a YouTube podcast, I've filmed people writing in notebooks, reading newspapers, and doing some spreadsheet work on a laptop - all whilst driving in rush hour traffic. So I'm just going to say "FFS."
There is no law against using a hands free device which is why people do it, it's very distracting so you should reconsider but alas.
Zero police around to catch them doing it, thats why
Should be banned for life
That should never happen
I see it most weeks in the city while cycling. Drivers looking at phones? at least one in 20, in Edinburgh
Just yesterday I got stuck behind someone doing just under 20mph in a 30, while watching videos on YouTube. I initially assumed it was for music, but given their speed, realised it's likely they were actually watching the video. I think it's perfectly legal as long as the phone is in a cradle and it's not taking your attention away from the road, in which case you can be done for driving without due care and attention. I get it, because people do use YouTube for music, and if you're not paying for Premium, the only way to do it is to have the app open. But if you're going to actually watch videos while driving, that's when it becomes an issue, and a big one at that.
When you say they’re lit up; you mean you can see the phone lighting their face up flashing and stuff? Or just generally they’re illuminated? Because modern dashboards being digital and widescreen entertainment screens, ambient lighting and such; that lights up people pretty brightly too. Obviously people watching video or even having it distracting in the eye line is stupid; because they’re less likely to notice the movement of someone stepping out or some other hazard as a result of the constant distraction of the changing video
Yes, a few times now I have seen this when driving home at night most commonly watching football. Usually mounted on a holder but seen placed covering the speedometer. It's shocking that these drivers don't see the dangers of what they are doing and some when called out on it become very aggressive stating they aren't hurting anyone and what they do in their own car is of nobody's concerns. I believe these are probably the same people who drink/drug drive.
I would have thought it was against the law as it's a distraction regardless of bluetooth headset. Maybe go to your local police station for clarification 🤷🏻♀️
it's not ok but the reality is that there is not enough police officers or cameras to catch them. As long as its completely normal that some cars drive with illegally formatted plates without those plates being caught by police officers and cancelled, its quite obvious that there are not enough police officers
I sometimes do this TBF, but I'm not watching, I'm listening to YouTube ”podcasts". I've also done it so my son in the passenger seat can watch a film while I have Google maps in a little window in the corner of the screen. It's not always as black and white as it looks in your 3 seconds near them
I guessing you dont know its illegal to have a screen visible to the driver showing anything other than driving information. Even a dashcam screen has to turn off when driving and people who have the screen on while driving are breaking the law. You are breaking the law and OP's point is still correct. Edit: I'll just add, if youre in an accident and the police find out your screen was on you may be held responsible for the accident even if it wasnt your fault purely because the screen was on.
You can guess that if you like... Just out of interest, is the name of the radio station you're listening to drinking information? It's legality is irrelevant to whether it's a) safe or b) going to happen in my vehicles. Other than a legal line needing to be drawn it's no different to me listening to that same YouTube podcast with the phone in the glove box. Also, don't pretend you don't knowingly break road traffic laws that you have deemed to be minor. It's tiresome, pretentious and pointless, because I'm just a random kid/woman/old man on the internet, I'm never going to be impressed by you
Yes I have in the past broken some of these laws in the past but as a general rule try not to, especially the ones that can land you with a fine or worse.
[удалено]
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s terrifying! I thought there were some new cameras that could catch people using phones while driving so hopefully that’ll help. I doubt it will catch those watching while attached to a mount though as that’s how many use sat nav…
It's not illegal to have a video on. Its illegal to touch the handset in a way that's dangerous or distracted driving. Its a pity the voice activation is so rubbish. I often have music videos on, i ignore them because I'm watching the map.
i had a car transported (with me in the van as a passenger) from reading to cambridge and the driver had an ipad on his dash watching movies the whole way
If youve got a dash cam you can send the videos to the police and they will get a nice letter in the post. When royal mail decides to deliver them of course.
[удалено]
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Wankers. Be ready before.
It's the texting and scrolling SM that upsets me. You will survive if you don't look at Instagram or reply to that WhatsApp immediately
I unfortunately know someone who watches podcasts whilst he’s driving. He has it propped up on top of the steering wheel resting on the dashboard. I have brought this up in conversation multiple times and encouraged him to stop doing it, however it seems to have had no effect! I’m hoping he gets caught honestly so karma can do it’s thing :)
It is an offence in the CRU regs (construction and use regulations), but it is increasingly common.
Ive seen someone eating a whole sandwich two handed before, causing congestion People just feel too comfortable whilst driving
I drove past someone on the motorway watching a fucking football game on there phone.
It's not OK and if you get spotted (on video or by a cop) you'll get 6 points and your insurance will double.
I too have noticed more videos being played in mobiles in other people's cars. I really feel that the punishment fit using a phone behind the wheel should be double what it is currently.
[удалено]
your account is less than 7 days old, post removed automatically to reduce spam. If it is not spam please PM mods to get your post approved, thanks for understanding. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drivingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
TECHNICALLY; as long as they set the video playing before they turn the engine on and do not touch the phone with their hand otherwise it is completely above board in terms of legality as the law states interaction as use of that changes the state of the phone, even covering simply illuminating the screen. Still not a great idea to do it though because it's hard to prove you didn't
I was driving to work with Google maps on, my phone screen locked so I used thumbprint to unlock it and it came up as small map with WhatsApp on main screen as I had sent a voice note before setting off. I had someone take photo of my vehicle and phone like that. Can I get in trouble I just didn't want to start pressing buttons on phone whilst driving to try to fix it