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-   -   Bangalore: Talking on your phone while driving? Lose your licence! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/149327-bangalore-talking-your-phone-while-driving-lose-your-licence.html)

Just saw this:

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/banga...w/32616655.cms

Quoting from the above link:

"The fine of Rs 100 for anyone caught using his/her mobile phone while driving/riding has proved insignificant, leave alone a deterrent. Traffic police have now decided on a more stringent penalty. The department has decided to recommend cancellation of driving licences of even first-time motorists caught violating the mobile phone rule. Until now, only three-time offenders stood to lose their licences."

Apparently, this rule would also apply to people taking calls on bluetooth through the car's entertainment system.

Mods: Couldn't find this news in any thread. Please merge if necessary.

I do not support talking while driving unless fairly important that too only with head phones/speaker. But cancelling license on first instance is too much. They must build up a negative point system for offences. After a particular points tally depending on nature of offense, suspension should come first and finally cancellation.

LOL, the officials must be so frustrated with the adamant behaviour of motorists that they plan to take such a stern step.
I think, rather than cancelling the license the fine should be stepped-up to Rs.1000 maybe(?)

-Bhargav

Classic case of overreach of the law. One of the golden tenets of enacting a law is that it must be easy to follow and should not turn a majority into law breakers.

There is no doubt that holding a mobile to the ear and speaking while driving constitutes a major safety hazard and must be banned. But banning all conversations outright, including through bluetooth and through headphones is stupid. An outright ban would simply make large numbers of otherwise rule abiding drivers into law breakers. Expecting us to switch off mobiles for the two and a half hour commute from Banashankari to ITPL is impractical, ridiculous and unwarranted.There is always a balance between safety and convenience - if safety were the only consideration then we should ban all overtaking since that is the cause of most accidents !

Our tragedy is that we have extreme laws, which are poorly implemented, flouted often and then we wonder why we are an indisciplined nation. Allow bluetooth and earphones, ban holding to the ear phone conversations, publicise the law for a month, do a warning system for 3 months where caught offenders are fined and told that after 3 months their license will be cancelled, build momentum - and then ruthlessly implement. Greater chances of success, I submit.

Can't wait for this to be implemented in Hyderabad although traffic police is very lax with implementation in this city. Unless there is a real emergency, there should be no talking on the phone while driving, period. Cutting the license like a credit card would be icing on top, else the offender may continue to drive on a canceled license (how do you verify?).

Also, for other offenses, stopping the offender by 30min or more - depending on the offense - maybe by locking the wheel would be a serious deterrent to future offenses. People won't mind paying a fine (if they can afford it), but would hate to wait, as is evident from the way everyone seems to be in a hurry all the time. This also happens to be a "fine" the poor can also afford to "pay".

Losing a license is still nothing as compared to the damage that it can cause in case of an accident. It can cause somebody lose his limb(s) or life. I feel a similar drive should be started against drunken driving too!

Excellent change to the law and long overdue. People have a ridiculously inflated sense of self importance. Nobody is so important that they cannot pull over for a minute and take a call if it is so important. The number of times i have had close brushes because of idiot motorists who talk on their phone while driving is absurd. Has to be the single most important cause of accidents in our cities.

I just hope they implement this law, stringent as it is.

While i completely agree holding phone and driving is a very dangerous phenomenon, banning even hands free methods is little primitive. Someone preoccupied with a thought also is more harmful at drivers seat in comparison to someone who is just having a conversation. Maybe we should refer to best practices followed in other countries also before deciding on such matters.

ps: Please enforce some stringent punishment to J walkers on phone also. This is the new and ultimate breed of hazard coming up in our neighborhoods ;)

I saw in one of the BTP ads that its not just talking, using phone will also attract fine. Also cops can act on people walking on the road while using phone.

What is the difference between one talking over Bluetooth to one who has a conversation with a passenger seated on his side or in the back seat? If talking over Bluetooth can distract so can talking to a passenger. Or is there a significant difference that I'm missing?

As I read through the views from the Team, few quoted above, I realised there are quite a few themes that stand out. My thoughts as below.

1. Habitual Talker on phone as against a need based conversation: how do you bring balance with the proposed change? I have known people who will get into their vehicles and immediately get onto the phone. Be it speaker, Bluetooth or holding it against the ear. Then there are times when you are driving, you otherwise don't talk while driving but at that point in time you are expecting an important call. Some may say - park and talk but that may not always be possible.

2. Injuries: This is a real danger that exists for the driver, passenger and others on the road. At times other commuters get injured trying to avoid an inattentive driver. Only if people understood the risk and are able to control that urge to get onto a call the moment they enter their vehicle I feel the roads would be much safer and there may not be such a law then. Listen to music. No harm has been done listening to good music.

3. Inbuilt Bluetooth: Why permit manufacturers to install Bluetooth and then bring a law that bans speaking on Bluetooth? Some may say the co passenger may want to speak. That is a point and could end up being exploited. After all, if there are 2 people in the car how does cop know the driver was speaking on Bluetooth? It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the long run.

4. License: It stuck me few days ago (as the word says) - it is a 'license' thereby meaning it is a permit or an approval granted by the government. In other words, we don't have a right to drive. The government has allowed us to drive and it has the right to cancel the license or take away this approval. Strange isn't it! There are so many rights, like right to vote, education, equality and others. But we don't have a right to drive.

Taking away the phone might be a better idea than taking away the license.

Just playing the devils advocate here - The world over phone driving laws permit handsfree calling with bluetooth - but even that is banned in specific areas - school zones, construction zones etc. Going by the traffic conditions in India - almost every place is a construction zone or a school zone or a pedestrian zone - and consequently talking on the phone and driving should not be allowed - be it handheld use or handsfree use.

But yes, if the intent is to curb distracted driving, then there are so many things that can distract a driver - not necessarily phone calls. I think phone use should be totally banned in specific areas/roads, and handsfree should be allowed elsewhere - that makes the most logical sense. Just cancelling licenses randomly as a new rule is a stupid idea.

I think the commissioner of police (or the person who came up with this decision), refuses to accept that police is corrupt.

Now at least some corrupt policemen can use another tool to extract money out of motorists: "give me money or I will file a case that you were talking on the phone while driving". How are you going to prove in court three months later that you weren't talking on the phone?

Just playing devils advocate, Take your phone detailed bill and show that no call was made during the date / timestamp when you got the ticket :D

Also do agree with the previous post, if talking on blu tooth is an offence then talking to fellow passengers also should be an office as it distracts you.