[amit]

Isnt the law requiring that the mobile be switched off while driving totally illogical? What if there is an accident and an injured driver wants to call the ambulance or his relatives to inform them? He would have to pick up the phone, switch it on, wait for it to be ready to make calls and then he can proceed with the call. Precious seconds are going to be lost unnecessarily in this exercise. Why are the law makers so theoritical in India?

[cheap_deal]

might as well ban cell phones completely. while we are at it, ban chatting with car passengers, listening to music, eating, drinking etc. nothing but driving while driving. oh lets not forget no tint whatsoever. all cars should be fully stock too.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by vid6639

How about a bluetooth handsfree? Is that allowed?

Vid, it is the distraction that a phone call can make that is being discouraged, not the use/misuse of your hand while driving. Speaking on the phone is certainly more distracting than speaking to co-passengers. People tend to get excited, agitated etc which affects their on road judgment.

[rks]

Originally Posted by amit

Isnt the law requiring that the mobile be switched off while driving totally illogical? What if there is an accident and an injured driver wants to call the ambulance or his relatives to inform them? He would have to pick up the phone, switch it on, wait for it to be ready to make calls and then he can proceed with the call. Precious seconds are going to be lost unnecessarily in this exercise.

That is precisely why I try to stay connected while I am travelling. Nowadays I select the operator manually while at signals. Looks like even that can get me a jail term. I think it is illegal to ask people to switch off mobiles while driving and this has to be challenged in a court of law.

And our jails are already overflowing and dirty beyond belief. If people are jailed for offenses like these, there would be no place in jail for those who genuinely deserve to be there, namely, hardened criminals. A hefty fine would serve the purpose of dissuading people from talking on the phone while driving.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by amit

Isnt the law requiring that the mobile be switched off while driving totally illogical? What if there is an accident and an injured driver wants to call the ambulance or his relatives to inform them? He would have to pick up the phone, switch it on, wait for it to be ready to make calls and then he can proceed with the call. Precious seconds are going to be lost unnecessarily in this exercise. Why are the law makers so theoritical in India?

Then even better is that the moment you start driving, you call a relative
& remain connected through the drive, just in case you have an accident
during the drive - that may save even more seconds - you won't even
have to spend time dialling.

I, for one, fully welcome the rule that cell phones be switched off
while driving. If you need to talk & recieve calls on your trip, hire
a driver.

Originally Posted by rks

If people are jailed for offenses like these, there would be no place in jail for those who genuinely deserve to be there, namely, hardened criminals.

A person who risks other peoples lives, deserves to be in jail far more than someone
who just steals.

[directinjection]

The title of this thread is confusing since the report in the first post only refers to suspension of license and imposition of fine.

Being arrested does not mean being sentenced to jail.

[hvkumar]

Pedestrians talking on mobile while jaywalking and crossing the road should also be jailed - why blame motorists? I have several close encounters daily with jaywalkers talking on mobiles, they behave as though they have bribed Yamdev. And the cops can definitely make more money fining pedestrains than motorists, simply because there are more numbers.

[thalavoy]

Where can we find out the real deal? Police or RTO? All we have is the media reports. Right?

[Sahil]

This is absolutely ridieessculous ! I stand by the small note times of TOI put next to the article tagged "Times View"

As much as i support the drunken driving laws, this is just a money making racket. Cops will now force motorists into paying heft bribes with the threat of putting them behind bars.

If they were actually to put everyone caught for mobile phone use while driving behind bars the jails would be overflowing already.

The least they can do is allow the use of handsfree and increase the fine amount instead of jail.

Watch the corruption rate soar up now !

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Sahil

The least they can do is allow the use of handsfree and increase the fine amount instead of jail.

The risk of accidents goes up even with hands free. Check this study.

The main question is why would you want to be talking with or without
hands-free while you are driving? Can't the conversation be postponed
to when you aren't driving?

[thefreak]

Originally Posted by carboy

Can't the conversation be postponed
to when you aren't driving?

Yes it can be and it should be. But to have a law state that we should switch off the mobile phones when we step into a car is going overboard I guess.

[Sahil]

carboy- People in metros such as mumbai spend several hours in traffic everyday, if cellphones are kept off the entire time its not practical for business.

Almost all cellphones have the loudspeaker option now days thats as good as you talking to a person sitting with you in the car. In that case cops should ban conversations between passenger and driver too.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Sahil

carboy- People in metros such as mumbai spend several hours in traffic everyday, if cellphones are kept off the entire time its not practical for business.

If talking during the commute is critical to your business, then hiring
a driver would be a valid business expense.

Though I have to wonder how business people managed it before cell phones.

Originally Posted by Sahil

Almost all cellphones have the loudspeaker option now days thats as good as you talking to a person sitting with you in the car. In that case cops should ban conversations between passenger and driver too.

There are studies showing that a handsfree increases accidents as
compared to not using cellphones at all. If there are studies showing
that talking to the passenger increases accident probability significantly,
then we can talk about banning that also.

Originally Posted by thefreak

Yes it can be and it should be. But to have a law state that we should switch off the mobile phones when we step into a car is going overboard I guess.

In many states in the US, there is a law that having an open can/bottle
of liquor in the car (except in the trunk) is illegal. Now isn't that going
overboard. But the reason for the law is that otherwise, people will
always say that they weren't drinking while driving. They will say that
they drank before getting into the car & just were storing the remaining
liquor.

In the same way, people will tell the cops that they had the phone on
but weren't talking. If you have a handsfree, then there is no way for
the cop to prove otherwise. Another reason is that a lot of accidents
happen even before you start talking. When your phone rings, you look
at the caller-id to figure out who is calling & this momentary distraction
causes many accidents. A friend of mine hit another car doing exactly
this a couple of months back.

[thefreak]

Originally Posted by carboy

In the same way, people will tell the cops that they had the phone on
but weren't talking. If you have a handsfree, then there is no way for
the cop to prove otherwise. Another reason is that a lot of accidents
happen even before you start talking. When your phone rings, you look
at the caller-id to figure out who is calling & this momentary distraction
causes many accidents. A friend of mine hit another car doing exactly
this a couple of months back.

Great point carboy! Two catches. One there is a way to prove otherwise. Call Records. The service provider would have it too. Second - the cops there are kinda less into money making than the ones here. Gives them a great handle. IMHO.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by carboy

If there are studies showing
that talking to the passenger increases accident probability significantly,
then we can talk about banning that also.

Thank god you arent part of the law making body in India !

About hiring a driver, not everyone is in a position to afford a driver.

The point i was trying to make is that when you put your phone on speaker and keep it on the seat next to you or on the dashboard it is as good as you talking to a fellow passenger... both your hands are free to be on the wheel and your eyes are on the road (infact this is safer than talkin to a passanger as there is no need for eye contact during the conv :P )

And you mentioned about looking at the caller id on the cell as a distraction, in that case people are much more distracted by there ICE headunits. So you suggest we should ban music systems also because people want to look at the screen to see which track to play?

Also read this Driving 'em crazy