Reply to post: Typing texts at the wheel is incredibly dangerous

Banning handheld phone use by drivers had NO effect on accident rate - study

Mike Bell

Typing texts at the wheel is incredibly dangerous

OK, I admit I've done it on a few occasions in the past. And I'm not proud of it. It's just plain reckless behaviour at the end of the day.

But I do get somewhat annoyed when I see trumped up traffic officers on TV lambasting the odd driver who just picks up his phone to see the status of the screen. There's no danger in that, in my opinion, any more than there is picking up a sandwich and taking a bite (which I gather is now also a punishable offence in the UK).

If this is to be taken to its extreme, every driver would be required to have both hands on the wheel, like you did when you had your driving lessons - as opposed to how you actually drive.

On a motorway, my left hand is pretty redundant most of the time, and whilst I can't multi-task like a girl, I'm quite capable of lifting a phone to my ear and talking, just like I'm able to scratch my ear and talk to someone in the passenger seat.

Fiddling with the phone's screen controls is entirely another matter. But the law is a hammer.

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