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Can I use a Walkie Talkie whilst driving?
On 1st February 2008 The THINK! mobile phones campaign was launched
On 27th February 2007 the penalty for using a hand-held phone whilst driving came into force. The fine was increased from £30 to £60 and three penalty points on your licence. Having high penalty points could result in increased insurance costs. If you get six points within two years of passing your test, your licence will be revoked and you will need to re-sit the test. You could also risk a maximum fine of £1,000, which rises to £2,500 for the driver of a bus, coach, or heavy goods vehicle.
If you are not in complete control of your vehicle when using a hands free mobile device you can be prosecuted for this also. The penalties are the same - £60 fine and three points on your licence.
Employers are not let off either, you are not allowed to require that your staff make/receive calls while driving - it is now an offence to cause or permit the use of a hand held mobile phone when driving. It is also an offence to cause or permit a driver not to have proper control of a vehicle.
You may have seen the advert where husband and wife are talking on the phone and an accident happens while they are talking? If you call someone and they are driving, cancel the call and speak to them later at a more convenient time.
Why did the penalties go up?
Research has proved that it is diffcult to do two things at once and if you are using a mobile phone while driving, you are four times more likely to have a crash.
Surprisingly enough research has shown that your reaction time are worse when using any type of mobile device than when driving under the influence of alcohol!! (at the legal limit). Your reaction times when using a hand held mobile device are 50% slower when compared to normal driving and by 30% when compared to being drunk (Direct Line Mobile Phone Report 2002).
There are many distractions that could be down to the mobile phone:
- Visual
- Auditory
- Mental
- Physical
Are there any exceptions to the mobile phone ban whilst driving?
Yes there are exceptions to the penalty for using a hand held device while driving. A driver may call 999 or 112 in response to a genuine emergency.
Two-way radios/walkie talkies are not covered by this offence but other devices for sending or receiving data are included if they are held while driving, i.e a PDA, Blackberry or similar device.
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