SteveClem wrote:I reckon Audi drivers are the worst these days...always seems to be one on your back bumper and generally on the phone.
Wasn't "Pork sprung dork technik" their advertising slogan? Yes there is certainly a connection between Brattmobiles (BMWs) Audis (Even some aspiring VW drivers) and Panzer mentality......and just occasionally some of them can't take it when a "Old banger" (Their assumptions, not a fact) puts them in their place.
To the question at hand, in our smart A*se world, lots of people are so clever, that they can multitask......in other words, do lots of things at once, none of them properly. The reality if often that they are disorganised or trying to do too much. It is said that using a hand held phone, whilst driving, is more dangerous than being just over the drink drive limit (And know the safe limit is itself open to question). Since being caught over the limit attracts a ban, why doesn't using a hand held phone attract at least as much? As it is, the law is akin to a situation where a burglar gets a longer sentence than a murderer (I am not trying to compare those crimes, just to illustrate the lack of logic).
This is an interesting item, that shows how dangerous using a mobile can be -
http://www.dailyliked.net/texting-driving-test/ . As to hands free, the advice is that you are still better advised to pull in and stop, since it represents a distraction. However it's not illegal and I would ask is it any different from talking to a passenger? It must depend on circumstances. As a child, my mother used to drive myself and my grandmother to Richmond (Surrey), to visit family. As we approached the Chiswick flyover, she would ask for quiet in the car, so she could concentrate fully on where we were going. I think that sums it up. If ever I need to concentrate like that, I even switch off the radio.