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news
Driver using mobile (CC licensed image by lukys1:Flickr)'Speed camera style' mobile phone detectors could spot drivers talking at the wheel - and send them a fine
One English council is investing in technology to detect drivers using phones at the wheel in an attempt to crack down on distracted driving.
Norfolk County Council and the firm Westotec are collaborating on a device that is able to tell if a mobile phone is being used in a moving car.
If one is detected, a photo will be taken, similar to a speed camera’s - which will then be used to see if the driver was the person on board using the phone.
The system took three months to create, and one has been used in various positions across the county since April.
The action came about due to concerns by residents about high levels of phone use by drivers.
Fines are not yet being issued, however, as Home Office approval would be needed for collection, but should the scheme go into wider use offenders could expect a £100 fine and three penalty points.
Iain Temperton, a casualty reduction officer at Norfolk County Council, told The Telegraph: “It’s a testbed, and if a new version of the technology comes along or it can be linked to a camera or automatic number plate recognition system it’s something we would look towards.”
Westcotec technical engineer Olly Samways told ITV: "I think it will take five to ten years because technology is advancing so quickly at the moment.
"We've just got to keep our heads down and keep working at it. I think there's definitely a solution in the long run."
Each detector costs £4,500 - and the council has funded the innovations through fees paid by motorists who have attended speed awareness courses after being caught over the limit.
Last year we reported how the government was considering doubling the number of penalty points motorists receive when they are caught using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel, following a recommendation from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
Under the proposal put forward by Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, drivers committing the offence would receive six penalty points, meaning that anyone caught on two occasions in a three-year period would lose their licence.
Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin said he was taking the suggestion seriously since the "amounts of casualties there have been are absolutely appalling".
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31 comments
@OldRidgeback
interesting information.
I've often thought that people who boast of being "great at multitasking" are not, and recent studies have shown they do nothing well, and do everything badly - in other words making mistakes whilst handling multiple tasks.
In my experience of running bicycle shop workshops, this is why "open" workshops are terrible for productivity, and lead to mistakes being made.
Try getting a good mechanic to engage with a customer (or being interrupted by customers) whilst performing a technical operation, and see how well they complete the operation, or how much longer it takes, than in a "closed" workshop where the mechanic is left to fully focus on the task in hand.
Same is true of workshop with incoming "open" phone lines, where mechanics are being constantly interrupted to answer the phoned. Smart workshops like the old setup at On Your Bike (London Bridge) had dedicated administrators screening all the calls to prevent this occuring.
I dislike that this has turned into a conversation about how/why police do/don't should/shouldn't etc.
However, we should all be aware of the facts; their is no exclusion from the legislation for police use of a mobile device while driving.
If we see it happening, we should treat it the same as we would if it were any other member of society.
That's really good news, I have had a mobile phone detector for 47yrs, pre-mobile phones, and to be fair, even with today's technology it's still holds its own. It's called, if my memory serves me correctly? An Ocular visual display system? It was invented by something called evolution, not sure what model we are on.... 5-6? Or is that iPhones? Anyway it's never let me down and the amount of mobile users it detects daily is incredible, shame the police have not been issued with them! Theirs is out of date I think? And it's called mk1 turn a blind eye.
All they have to do is setup a website where people can post photos and videos of road users breaking the law and if it results in a conviction and fine the person who took the photo gets a commission. Plenty of enterprising people would spot an easy way to make a quick buck and drivers would soon realise the law really does apply to them when it hits them in the pocket. Heck, with the sheer volume of shitty driving out there it could provide an income just about every welfare claimant in the country.
"Or what about the wifey with 2.4 kids in the back constantly turning round to check on the kiddys? There a distraction so shall we ban them?"
Yes please.
My tuppence worth is that the problem is no longer talking on the phone as hands free kinda gets round that. The ones I have a problem with are the texters or net browsers. Best spotted sat in front of green lights with a heads down posture. Clearly not aware of what's happening around them. Clearly not looking for or at other road users.
This idea seem total bolxs, how does the tech determine that it is the driver using the phone not the passengers?
Who cares whether it's the driver or the passenger? The use of phones (even hands free) is dangerous enough that a bit of infringement of imaginary rights is trivial by comparison.
You cycle up to a red traffic light. There is a car in front of you. The lights change to green, 5-10 seconds later the car is still sitting there. As you cycle past, you notice the driver 'heads down' deeply engrossed in their smartphone replying to an email, text, social media.
9/10 times when this happens (a delay in motorist responding to change of traffic lights, or sitting stationary in a road with no traffic around) I see this happen and think "smartphone!" before I have passed the driver, only to be proven right when I look through the driver window.
Repeat offenders I often see in London are Addison Lee drivers in those big black people carriers .
I'm always a bit shocked by the number of people using mobiles. What I find most shocking is that hands free kits are cheap! Perhaps they should build cars with them built in, is that such a leap for manufacturers?
NO, completely wrong solution. Hands free are not magically safe, they still distract the driver, they should also be banned.
Is a hands free kit more distracting than having actual conversation with someone in the car? I've seen enough people driving in town and on the motorway having full blown conversations to the person sat in the passenger seat while looking at them throughout. You may be talking on the phone but you can still at least use all the mirrors.
Or what about the wifey with 2.4 kids in the back constantly turning round to check on the kiddys? There a distraction so shall we ban them?
I doubt many new cars come without these days, got a new Polo SE couple of months ago, that certainly came as stock with handsfree, a friend picked up a basic Fiesta a year or so back, wind up windows and handsfree!
Not that i think handsfree is much better than hand held, both are distracting and it really comes down to driver attitude. Still remember seeing a artic driver on the M6 filling a cup from a flask, cup in one hand, flask in the other.
Data from studies by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) proves conclusively that hands-free kits make almost no difference. Campaigners are calling for these to be banned also. The human brain has its limitations with regard to processing power. Give it two complex tasks to do at once, having a conversation and driving a car, and the decision making processes will slow down as a result. This can all too easily end up with a fatal smash.
The TRL research shows also that there is a difference between talking with passengers in the car, and speaking on a phone. When talking with passengers in the car, the driver will pause in speech and automatically default to concentrating on driving should a more complex task such as driving through a junction or negotiating a roundabout, and then return to the conversation later. But in a phone conversation the driver will prioritise that, to the detriment of the driving.
As for
And how long before a Detector Detecting App for mobile phones appears?
Much as I detest drivers using phones while driving, I would like to know how this detection is going to work! Given that some cars have built in hands free devices, some cars & sat nav's use data transmitted to & from mobiles, passengers using mobiles. That is going to be a lot of photo's to weed through, who is going to do that given all the cuts being made.
Oh no! The war on the motorist continues!
This sensor just detects a mobile phone being used when near the sensor, so pedestrians, passengers etc will all set them off. Will it stop a driver using his phone, doubtful. If a driver gave a f*** he would use a hands free to comply with the law or wait until he could safely park and make the call.
A bit like drink drivers who knowingly drive home from the pub after a gut full...
Hands free needs to also be banned because it is the conversation with a person who is not in the same vehicle that is a dangerous distraction, not so much one hand not being free.
I see this thread has primarily turned into a 'Police bashing' discussion agai!
Seriously, who would ever want to be a police office and try and help and enforce the law when their is so much dislike for them.
Hope those who continually knock the police don't ever have to call on them.
When the police fine people for things they do themselves, it is logical that people lose respect and point out the hypocrisy. It's rather funny how authoritarians like you like to blame the people who hold the police to a higher standard and pretend that not doing this would somehow make them do their jobs better.
'The Police', so they all do it do they?
I hate it when 'cyclist' jump read lights and don't use lights at night!
Using your generalisation, as I am a cyclist I fall that category......last time I checked I didn't.
Looks like you have also pigeon holed me as an 'authoritarian'. You do seem to make some sweeping assumption with your limited knowledge! Good luck with that.
Too many of them do. And unlike cyclists, they are actually part of an organization that collectively enforces rules on others, while far too often turning a blind eye to their own faults. So your retort doesn't make much sense, since I would be equally critical of cyclists if they would all be part of an organization that would fine drivers for RLJ'ing, while not going after cyclists. But that is not the case. The police have many special rights and thus the ability to abuse those rights. Close scrutiny and strict oversight is needed to prevent them from doing that (too much).
Another poster who attempted to defend the police explained how they are allowed to use mobile devices while driving, regardless of any emergencies. This is actually a great example of how the police apply double standards. Both the law and science have made clear that doing this while driving is immensely dangerous. Yet the police can legally endanger citizens and choose to do so, during the mundane part of their job where there is no justification for this. This kind of disregard for public safety completely undermines their 'we serve the public' stance. When the police develop a culture of choosing to make their own jobs easier over serving the people, this rot will easily keep growing into other kinds of citizen abuse.
The fact that you're not willing to allow people to discuss bad behavior exhibited by police officers, but rather want to only positive reactions about the police kind of gives it away.
Sounds like you have put a lot of research into this and havent just made more sweeping generalisations. I'd love to have a read of information and see what percentages "too many and too often" actually are. Please can you share the links.
Anyway, you obviously feel very strongly about this and your research has proven the police use of phones while driving is wide spread (BTW, I also believe it is wrong for them to use phones while driving, however as I have only seen the odd YouTube clip of it, it only feels like it is a few bad Apples).
I'm sure you are not just a keyboard warrior continually bitches about it on Internet forums. What has your local MP said about? Were the police receptive to you official complaint?
Ummm, the report is about new technology being developed to catch mobile phone use during driving not corruption in the force. However some responses are aimed at 'police bashing' just as they were when the news story was about cycle safety awareness, or high viz clothing, or 20mph zones etc etc etc.
Would the cops be immune to the detector? I would hope not.
I've just got home from my evening commute, and pulling up to a red traffic light near Kings Cross, noticed a Police car with front wheels in the bike box of the ASL, and no traffic around.
As I slowly moved past on the right of the Police car to get into the ASL in front of the car, I clearly noticed the WPC using a large mobile phone to play what looked liked a web game (candy crush or similar bubble / fruit on the screen?)
After I stopped in the ASL in front of her, I turned and gave her a knowing glare, and could see her turning red, she quickly put her phone away.
See this kind of behaviour all the time from motorists in London, including Police, taxis and bus drivers.
Last week I saw a police woman on her phone driving a police car..clear as day.
Phone or radio? They're allowed to use their police radios whilst driving, including holding them. They're excluded in the legislation.
It's not unknown for the Police to use their mobiles if they're in a reception blackspot, and that's also legal.
"...sorry, I need to hang up, they've got that new mobile detector on this road. I'll phone you back when I'm past it."
The downside is that it will take 5 - 10 years to develop. How many deaths between now and then?
if we accept, which we shouldn't, that we can't afford more traffic police, then this is a good thing, anything that gets drivers off the phone has to be a good thing.
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