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[78bex]

Is it safe to text & drive at the same time? watch the end clip and you decide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9VxSqIkdDo

[Kevin Wood]

Par for the course these days.

[Jukeboxnut]

That's scary as it looks like the section of the A3 out of Portsmouth that I use regularly and it is definately not safe to drive and text at the same time, in fact I would say that it is criminal lunacy to put it politely.

[jonnycool]

No, it's definitely NOT safe to text and drive at the same time. In the early-ish days of mobile phones I was trying to read a text whilst driving and nearly crashed head on into traffic coming the other way. Never again, I always pull over somewhere safe if I feel a text or call is that important.
It really scares me to know that there are a large proportion of drivers that do this all the time when driving, you see it every single day, looking down at their phones or just blatantly talking on it in full view.

[the alarming man]

it is also unsafe to be messing around with a camera at motorway speeds.........

[78bex]

it is also unsafe to be messing around with a camera at motorway speeds.........

The camera (dashcam)  is in a fixed position on a windscreen mount, but can swivel.
It powers on (recording) & off automatically, the only action i took was to turn it thru 90 degrees.

[Bixy1]

Nope.

[JamesV6CDX]

It may just be your camera changing the perception... but 8 seconds into that video, when you pull from sliproad to lane one, it looks like you nearly get close enough to the car in front to bash it off into a spin 

I have thought about a dash cam, but in all honesty, as has been said before, it's a double edged sword... you can bet the day I make a misjudgement, would be the day my own footage would be used against me!

[78bex]

It may just be your camera changing the perception... but 8 seconds into that video, when you pull from sliproad to lane one, it looks like you nearly get close enough to the car in front to bash it off into a spin 

I have thought about a dash cam, but in all honesty, as has been said before, it's a double edged sword... you can bet the day I make a misjudgement, would be the day my own footage would be used against me!

When I started the merge that car was firmly behind me .
She put a sudden squirt on & drove around me so close i thought the door mirrors must touch.
No way was she going to let me merge!!

[Vamps]

It may just be your camera changing the perception... but 8 seconds into that video, when you pull from sliproad to lane one, it looks like you nearly get close enough to the car in front to bash it off into a spin 

I have thought about a dash cam, but in all honesty, as has been said before, it's a double edged sword... you can bet the day I make a misjudgement, would be the day my own footage would be used against me!

[/highlight]

Would you admit to having it though.......

Can this film be used in evidence if given to the Police?

[tidla]

Seems good quality.
Turning right at a large set of lights with a green filter today. Guy just sailed straight thru on red. Only my understanding of driving these days (green doesn't mean its safe to proceed) and not everyone pays the same amount of attention as they should saved me and four passengers.

Do you have a product link?

[78bex]

Seems good quality.
Turning right at a large set of lights with a green filter today. Guy just sailed straight thru on red. Only my understanding of driving these days (green doesn't mean its safe to proceed) and not everyone pays the same amount of attention as they should saved me and four passengers.

Do you have a product link?

SmartCam Car DVR HD Camera from smartcamdirect (uk ebay seller)
Techmoan on YT does a good review
I regularly capture red light runners now.
I don`t trust the green alone, I`m always doing a left & right glance before proceeding.
On one of my vids I capture a french 40 tonner on the wrong side of the road.
I fitted a dashcam after I nearly wrecked  my GSL astra.
I turned left at a junction only to find  a courier delivery van driving  head on at me.  i figured he must have passed the wrong side of the keep left sign. He did this to avoid the backed up traffic turnig right. I swerved hard to the inside, hit a high curb damaging my nearside alloy wheel & tyre. I had the the last bit of his reg & the company name. he didn`t stop & with no witnesses his company did nothing to help.

[symes]

on saturday out in my classic rover 2000 and had a guy in a corsa in front of me weaving across the road(thought he was drunk) then on the bend in the road he clipped the curb-his speed was up an down ie 35mph then 20 then 40 and so on in the end hit my horn he stopped there and then!! overtook him he was waving fist at me and swearing-When I was a nurse we had an rta that was caused by driver texting!! so reckon myself should be instant ban for 5years minimum

[Vamps]

on saturday out in my classic rover 2000 and had a guy in a corsa in front of me weaving across the road(thought he was drunk) then on the bend in the road he clipped the curb-his speed was up an down ie 35mph then 20 then 40 and so on in the end hit my horn he stopped there and then!! overtook him he was waving fist at me and swearing-When I was a nurse we had an rta that was caused by driver texting!! so reckon myself should be instant ban for 5years minimum

 

[Martian]

It may just be your camera changing the perception... but 8 seconds into that video, when you pull from sliproad to lane one, it looks like you nearly get close enough to the car in front to bash it off into a spin 

I have thought about a dash cam, but in all honesty, as has been said before, it's a double edged sword... you can bet the day I make a misjudgement, would be the day my own footage would be used against me!

[/highlight]

Would you admit to having it though.......

Can this film be used in evidence if given to the Police?

I doubt the evidence from the cheap cams could be used as there is no way to prove speed, however evidence from cams that provide much more telemetry info with the video could probably be used.

[feeutfo]

I quite often send or read a text while driving. Phone being dash mounted next to the CID. It is no different to unputting the addresss in the Nav while driving.

[jimac]

I quite often send or read a text while driving. Phone being dash mounted next to the CID. It is no different to unputting the addresss in the Nav while driving.

Something which many SatNavs prevent you from doing while moving (I know the Tom Tom Rider I use on my bike does this).

[jonnycool]

I quite often send or read a text while driving. Phone being dash mounted next to the CID. It is no different to unputting the addresss in the Nav while driving.

Which you're not supposed to do either...

Texting is definitely very dangerous, I did it once in my younger days, and even though I was trying to pay attention to the road, I strayed into oncoming traffic. Which is why now, I don't bother trying to read or send texts while driving, if it's that important, pull over first

[feeutfo]

Luckily, the omega does NOT prevent input while driving.

I also have a Harmon Kardon gay pod interface on the dash by the a pillar. Has oof banned me from using that too? because operating that, however gay, while driving is not a problem at all, at almost any speed. It's rotary activated control knob is very similar to the sat Nav 2015.


The point I am making is, the distinct lack of common sense is the problem. Not the gadgets or devices. Retards, I think somebody on here called them.

Would I text on the motorway nas car commute on the m4 in the third lane? Obviously not. Nothing else gets my attention other than driving in such circumstances. Not even the Mrs Yacking in my bloody ear about what I want for tea. Far more bloody dangerous.

Would I text or input an address sat at the lights or stationary in traffic. Yes. Because when doing so, the device is in a craddle or fixed, and I can still see the road/lights/pedestrians etc.

[the alarming man]

yes i agree it is common sense...BUT...you do any of that in front of a traffic unit as i am guessing you will be stuck on for three points......

[feeutfo]

They might stand a chance of prosecution if they saw a hand heald device.

[the alarming man]

if you knew they were there...as i am guessing if you knew you had an unmarked traffic car behind you (and belive me they are getting harder to spot as kent plod have spent a lot of money in developement and  have decided to hide cameras etc sneaky barstewards) you would'nt pick a hand held device up

[feeutfo]

The second point is, there are no hand heald devices in my car to concern plod in the first place.

Therefor the law is not being broken.

That does not mean, however, that I would text on ANY device at ANY time. Weather it's legal to do so or not.


Let's not confuse what's safe, and what's legal.


...and I bet you I'd spot your unmarked plod. Provided I was paying full attention of course.

[05omegav6]

If you have to hold it to use it, it's illegal doesn't matter if its a sandwich, your phone, your satnav or your winky

This law came into effect whilst I was at TNT. Unofficially we were allowed to use our data terminals on the move because they were fixed to the vehicle and only required a finger to use them.

In reality, if found to be using any finger operated device at the time of an accident, expect either a 'due care and attention' or 'failure to exercise proper control' charge

[the alarming man]

yeah we had the same problem when i worked for the RMG,we had armoured laptops and if we were found to be using it at time of an accident you would be sacked and they could tell as the damn thing had a tracking device installed into it

[the alarming man]

The second point is, there are no hand heald devices in my car to concern plod in the first place.

Therefor the law is not being broken.

That does not mean, however, that I would text on ANY device at ANY time. Weather it's legal to do so or not.


Let's not confuse what's safe, and what's legal.


.and I bet you I'd spot your unmarked plod. Provided I was paying full attention of course.

i bet you would'nt because at the time of seeing one of these these new stealth traffic cars kent have got sat next too me was a serving traffic cop from the met and even he didnt see it untill it as gone passed

[dad1uk]

Whether breaking the law or not, surely common sense would persuade you not to text while driving

or perhaps this video showing the possible results of your actions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQB5Bl_2GKI

[the alarming man]

that is a film that is worth a watch...