UK drivers caught texting could get 2 years behind bars
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted Sep 8th 2007 3:22PM
posted Sep 8th 2007 3:22PM
UK Drivers caught texting or operating a range of gadgets behind the wheel -- including MP3 players and GPS systems -- could face a new maximum of two years in prison. Currently the crime is punishable by £2,500 fines or community orders, although the most common offense is using a mobile phone whilst driving, which results in a £60 fine and three points on a license. Shifting to a higher category of dangerous driving from the previous category of careless driving might not solve the problem of people ignoring the current restrictions: if the current problem is poor enforcement, then it's hard to see extra deterrence making a difference. But hey, the cops over there seem to think that hovering drones and unbridled surveillance does the trick in other areas of criminality, so who are we to argue?[Via PocketPCThoughts]
That'll learn em.
FINALLY, some good ole fashioned DRACONIAN LAWS
I wasn't aware texting was the "big thing" on phones that don't have screens that you can see what you are typing.
This kind of punishment for texting or using other distractions behind the wheel of a car seem almost appropriate to me. Perhaps they should only be applied when an "accident" occurs because of it and someone is injured.
I say "accident" because obviously, texting behind the wheel and having a wreck is not an accident, the person knew they were doing something stupid.
I think more "accidents" that people have need to be considered crimes, beyond someone dying in an accident. If someone is tailgating another car, and ends up hitting the car, that is no "accident" and should be punished as an actual crime, not a traffic offense. Same thing with running a red light and hitting someone else and damaging their property and person. Those are not accidents.
Punishments need to be increased to misdemeanors and felonies with jail time to turn around the state of driving in this day and age.
"Perhaps they should only be applied when an "accident" occurs because of it and someone is injured."
That's just like saying people drinking and driving should only be charged if they get in accident _and someone is injured_.
People should take note that about 99% of all accidents are caused by human error. Texting and/or drinking while driving both subdue the brain and therefore it could cause the person to make a mistake and perhaps an accident.
"Perhaps they should only be applied when an "accident" occurs because of it and someone is injured."
but british government is of the inclination that, prevention is better than cure. in the real world, the implementation of the law would require far more police time (government knows this) so instead, scare the shit out of people and hope they dont break it.
chris
"but british government is of the inclination that, prevention is better than cure."
You're kidding, right? Our police are concerned primarily with power, secondarily by money, and also with government targets. By making such things as this into a more serious offence, they make their figures look better - they're catching more "criminals". Obviously, it satisfies the power lust. I just hope they don't get a cut of any income - like they do with our speed cameras. (Remember how they proliferated after the police started getting a cut of the revenue?)
Texting while driving is a stupid and dangerous thing to do. It does not, however, deserve this kind of punishment. If an accident is caused, bring a charge of dangerous driving. If a death is caused, bring a manslaughter charge. The mobile phone use in itself is not such a serious crime that it requires a prison sentence.
...trying to text someone from a Motorola StarTAC phone should be punishable by death!
Won't happen...Policing it would not raise sufficient revenue. People will get caught, but only on the odd occasion that an 'officer' takes his eyes off the Speed Gun long enough to realise that other crimes may be happening. I do not read the Daily Mail either.
They _could_ get two years, but I doubt they will. The prisons are so overcrowded here that they're letting paedophiles get off with just a bit of community service.
Just a guess, you read the Daily Mail don't you?
My bff Jill is gonna be pissed.
LOL.... clever.
Texting while driving is a bad idea.
Still not enough...
"Perhaps they should only be applied when an "accident" occurs because
of it and someone is injured."
Umm, how about no. That ruins the whole point of the law. That's just like saying people drinking and driving should only be charged if they get in accident _and someone is injured_. If your idea was true, I could see people say to themselves, "Well, I can quickly do a text here, there's no way I can get in an accident."
People should take note that about 99% of all accidents are caused by human error. Texting and/or drinking while driving both subdue the brain and therefore it could cause the person to make a mistake and perhaps an accident.
And I, for one, would not want to be injured in a car accident because some idiot had to text message his wife to tell her that he's going to be late for dinner.
> This kind of punishment for texting or using other distractions behind the wheel of a car seem almost appropriate to me. Perhaps they should only be applied when an "accident" occurs because of it and someone is injured.
>
The idea is to get people who can't think of how their actions might affect others (and care) to act appropriately for the wrong reasons.
People should consider the following:
* The serious inconvenience of being forced to pull their cars over to the side of the road to text/make a call.
* The loss of one or more lives and destruction of the families/social groups surrounding those people.
Then balance them before deciding to drive whilst texting; unfortunately, lots of poeple can't/won't/don't care to- make such rationalisations but they do understand that being punished themselves is bad.
Why do we need such laws? Texting while driving is simply driving without due care and attention and so should be punishable under that law.
I always hate to hear about things like this getting jail time. "What'd you do?" "Murdered a child with my bare hands. You?" "Txtd lol"
How is the guy in that picture texting without a screen on his phone?
Engadget are fools. You have no idea how the law, or the UK works. So don't comment on it with your trash. You'll just remind anyone from the UK of the daily mail.
I am all for this. But the only thing I can see are people turning around and saying "What about putting people in jail for adjusting their stereo with volume or radio station selection?" You KNOW bloody-well people will say that.
Well, to be devil's advocate... "studies" have shown that adjusting/loading/ejecting the deck, followed by eating, are two of the biggest distractions while driving.
I will admit guilt to occasional ejecting and loading a new mp3 cd while driving on the highway. I know, its bad... and quite difficult. In fact, I probably won't be doing it anymore. It's damn hard to keep going in a straight line while doing all that stuff (especially with the way they align steering on newer cars these days... to slowly go slightly to the right).
Additionally, the offender should have to pay an extra thousand quids for each occurrence of 1337, FTW, FTL, or TSFU in the message.
prisons in the UK becoming under populated?
A couple of the mobile camera manufacturers have already got type approval for the capture of these offences along with unrestrained children/no seatbelt. See http://www.teletrafficuk.com and http://www.tssltd.co.uk/traffic-enforcement.html for details.
Smocking at the wheel is the greatest sin of all, what about that. Hot ash + in lap = car into tree. That has happened several times near where I live. What dose that arse in the photo look like, "this isn't my f#*kin phone it's got an arial or somthin, hello, hello, beam me up you fat twat the fuz am on me tail.
Texting on a StarTAC? reality be damned...
Well, you _can_ send SMS from a StarTAC.
And Britain, like Australia and America, is becoming an Orwellian nanny-state.
You wanna live in a world without laws? Go live in Africa.
And yet, people can still smoke in their car.
So this is how car-cellphone-integration manufacturers will boost the sales...
They should do this in Los Angeles.
Not severe enough.
Your source website is quoting the statement out of context again. The law will be if some causes an accident, where someone is killed and they are using their mobile at the time, they will no longer get away with dangerous driving and therefore be charged with manslaughter which carries a jail centence. Driving and using your mobile phone will only get you 3 points on your licence at most.
Engadget changed my life I'm hooked to this
Site I'm a junky , i want vista please
I hate this and I love this.
As loong as I'm able to use it in the care I will do it once in a while... knowing that I shouldn't.
Eventually when voice rocognition catches up it may be easier to reply to text messaging, but you would still have to read them (or they would be read to you) ...one way or the other the distraction is going to be there and like driving the speed limit no one is going to obey it all the time.
voice recognition on a cell phone? you idiot.
i dunno, maybe you could...talk? leave a message?
what is this great fascination with using an underdeveloped keyboard to send messages on a device that lets you talk to people with far less trouble?
Well... you see my unidiot friend...
sending a text message leaves a record of that exact communication and for business purposes and future reference is invaluable.
I have a simpe cell phone (an older version of Razr)for talking and a Blackberry for messaging. Two different accounts.
Before you start calling people names try understanding the reasons why they do things that you don't comprehend. As a suggestion try moving out from your parents appartment it may broaden your horizons. :)
I'd like to see some brutal punishments and heavy fines like that on this side of the pond for stupidity while driving.
This is NEVER going to work - there's just isn't enough hot fuzz out on the roads of the UK to catch and enforce these offenses. On my 20mile commute each day, I can guarantee to see at least 3 people yakking into their nokia's whilst cruising along in heavy traffic. Unless they start employing police officers, rather than gatso's, the ever decreasing standard of people driving is going to continue unabated.
Another example of the Totalitarian regime of a Labour government, This on top of CCTV and a national DNA database (Both the worlds largest mind!). Most probably spying on what I typing right now.It never use to be like this.Britain used to free, How times have changed eh?. Still it will never work. All the prisons in the UK are full up. They are letting con's out early because of it.
Operating mp3 players?! How about operating your car stereo? How about operating your A/C?
I've never understood why headphones in cars are banned in many places while it's perfectly legal to have a loud car stereo. Or why operating a cell phone handset is banned but eating a Big Mac is not*.
As someone else suggested, forget banning specific devices; use existing laws to cover anything that keeps a driver's hands of the wheel, or eyes off the road.
*Actually, eating a Big Mac should be illegal on general principles.
while i am certianly not trying to advocate the practice, it is likely because listening to the radio is passive involvement, while texting and calling are active. listening to the radio doesnt take your attention. Unofortunately, they cant just make a law that says no distractions, since that would be far too open. taking care of a baby? drop something on the floor? the government exists on spelling out exactly what it can do, just so a lawyer cant come along and say "no, thats not distracting." if its not spelled out, a judge wont rule on it, so the government is forced to say exactly what constitutes a distraction.
I'm not comparing texting to listening to music; I'm comparing selecting a song on your mp3 player to selecting a song on your car stereo. There is no difference in the amount of attention taken away from the road, but one is about to become illegal in the UK, while the other isn't.
Same with headphones compared to a loud car stereo; they both block outside noise. Or operating a phone handset compared to eating while driving; they both take your hands off the wheel. There are disparities in various laws that a swift lawyer could easily use to get individual sections of a law thrown out.
I hear it's the death penalty if you are caught wanking it while driving.
again - i'm in
FTW!!
I love it when an article about Britain gets posted and all the British engadget readers start commenting :D
By the way this isn't a new law, people caught using a mobile will now be prosecuted as a dangerous driving offence, rather than careless driving. Its simply been recategorised, which makes a lot more sense than making a new law for every potentially distracting gadget that is available. A friend "in the business" claims that the new motorway cameras can automatically detect people using mobile phones, and even tell if they are not wearing a seatbelt.
Thats why America has the 8th Amendment.
ha, good, talking is bad enough, but texting is omg
An even more frightening headline might read:
"UK drivers caught texting could get 2 years with no bars"
thats kind of harsh don't you think?
And murder gets you 12 months probation? What a justice system we have :D
A young bank worker who caused a fatal accident by sending a text message on her mobile phone while driving at 70mph on a rainy night was jailed yesterday for four years.
Rachel Begg, 19, who hoped to become an accountant, used her phone 9 times during a 15-minute journey before ploughing into the back of a car driven by a 64-year-old grandmother
Taken from the Times and just one of several recent examples where people have been killed as a result of this irresponsible behaviour.
It is common to mock the police performing traffic duties,they themselves may not always agree with what they are doing, but law is law and they are required to uphold it.
This is not oppression, it is a law designed to protect the innocent, it is all well and good to complain about it, but would you still be complaining if you received a call saying someone close was dead as a direct result of such an act?
why not ask the GPS companies to make their navigation system screens less cluttered? I often find myself staring at my tomtom for more 30 seconds because I want to know everything it is telling me, and that is dangerous right?
these over bearing laws that our asteamed government keep making makes me want to get the hell out of the UK... :/
And yes 1984 is well on its way here.
PLEASE do this in the U.S. This is a really important restriction even if it's tough to enforce. In the UK roads are mostly smaller and vehicle density is often greater - you need to really pay attention. In the U.S. we are just too lax to begin with - I'm all for taking away licenses from people who don't drive like my life depends on it.
It all goes in line with License Plate Recognition System and the millions of (s)cameras on British Highways..er...Motorways and secondary Roads. The next step is already in effect next year; DNA sample for everyone caught committing a motor offense, no matter how small. Why don't they just make it a law that everyone has to give a DNA sample by age 21 and leave it at that. Don't swab my mouth after stopping me fr doing 4 miles over the speed limit.
Next will be Retinal scan scam-eras...then closely following that, low-radiation X-Ray scameras. Where does it end? When do the people stand up and say they've had enough? I hate to see the day the police pull you over and during the frisk exam, you have to give a stool sample...or worse, a rectal exam! In the end (no pun intended), it is all about generating revenue. Nothing more-nothing less. Revenue is power!
UM, proving that you haven't read a good newspaper in about 10 years, good move.
Actually what happened was one judge said that a complete DNA database would be a good idea, and all the tabloids jumped on that and purported that this was happening tomorrow. The sun and their ilk have a lot to answer for
engadgets' reporting on british stories are mostly horribly biased and keep not-so-subtlety hinting at BIG BROTHER ORWELLIAN 1984 OH CRUMBS V FOR VENDETTA COULD HAPPEN IN REAL LIIFEEEEEE
it ruins an otherwise excellent site
and also i want to back up other peoples comments by saying I'm sick of engadget articles regarding the UK being biased and unreliable, full of sweeping comments about our society.
Don't presume to understand someone else's culture and then pass judgement on it.
@John
Your right about texting causing fatal accidents. I don't think most drivers with common sense would dispute that, However car accidents happen in some form all the time somewhere in the world, people die as a result. It's sad for any family to hear a loved one has died, but that the way the world is. Remember there are many things inside a vehicle that can distract a driver while driving, Such as turning on/up your radio. You going to lock somebody up for that?, Come on now. The government is talking about locking drivers up while at the same time teenage thugs and killers are walking the streets of the UK because the courts don't want to infringe their human rights. They need to deal with these issues first like they used to.
I don't think the law will change anyone's habits. Even if they are caught, there is no way to prove they were texting and not just dialing. Even if the records are pulled showing a text was sent, that still doesn't prove they actually typed the message while driving, that is just when it was sent. I think they should concentrate more on criminals and terrorists and not worry so much about those "horrible texters"!