Tim Harvey Professional Driver?

[Adam43]

Except it is different. A conversation with someone sat next to you is different to a someone on a phone. And holding a phone is different again.

Just to clarify WLLRNNN, I presume when in the outside lane you are there because are overtaking (UK laws).

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by WLLRNNN

In the future, BMW may fit an automatic indicator for every one of their car, all the driver have to do is say "indicate left/right" and the car will indicate itself automatically...just something I am dreaming of

alternatively, BMW could include a indicator lesson for their driver's course

...just saying this as I had my fair share problems, when I am on the motorway in my "March", they simply hate it when they get overtaken by small cars on fast lanes, especially them, so all they want to do is illegally undertake me on the middle/slow lane

Cobblers, frankly! I drive a BMW. I indicate all the time, and if something catches me I help them get past at the first opportunity (not that they often do!). I will admit to occasionally overtaking on the inside because I'm already on the inside and I can't be faffed changing three lanes in each direction because some plonker is driving in the middle lane and isn't there to overtake. And for your first driving lesson, there is no such thing as middle/slow lanes. There's a driving lane and two overtaking lanes. I'm assuming that if someone overtakes you on the inside, you're in the wrong one at the time?

Drop the rubbish stereotypes. I see bad driving and poor signalling in everything from Beetles to Bentleys.

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by Rockmunky

If holding the conversation is the distraction, then, surely we shouldn't have conversations with passengers?

If you read another two sentences I did address that!

[smh]

I think I should have worded my post a little better, I have a hands free kit and dont condone the use of a phone whilst driving, but some of the posts on here make it sound like I drive with no consideration to others! I get annoyed when I see drivers holding a phone and driving badly. My point is we are living in a nanny state where we are told every day what is good and what is bad. Be it the car we drive or the food we eat, we are told what is bad for us and theres a large number of people that will simply agree and tutt at those that dont conform. A few years ago I was passenger in a friends car in the US, when his phone rang. We were on a freeway, and he simply pulled over onto the hard shoulder and took the call. I was amazed as in the UK you just cant do that, his reply was everyone does it and its ok. Other countries allow drivers to eat,drink,smoke and use phones even if its proven that these things cause accidents. Admittedly this country has some awful drivers with no road sence so limiting the things they can do whist driving is a good thing. As i said in my post, its bad driving thats the cause, not the phone itself.
As for driving with one hand - I knew of a garage owner that had one hand - so he was a bad driver was he? And a disabled guy that drove with a disc under 1 foot - what about him? Its simply assuming that no-one can be in control of a car with 1 hand doing something else.
Oh and for all of you that think Im a bad driver, Ive not had an accident in nearly 15 years and in 20 odd years of driving only had 1 speeding ticket...

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by smh

... but some of the posts on here make it sound like I drive with no consideration to others!

I don't think anyone said that you were a bad driver, rather that your arguments were flawed.

My point is we are living in a nanny state...

I agree in general, and I am not a fan of nannying. However that isn't really the issue here. People driving without care or attention is, as you say. The phone thing is one symptom of that. Whether the government say we should or not, it is still a bad thing to do.

As an aside we would need less nannying if people weren't so stupid and drove with more care and attention. I think that people shouldn't be nannied, people should be allowed to take responsibility. And one part of that responsibility is to drive with care and attention.

[GORDON STREETER]

The whole point of the "nanny" state we live in, is as usual the few ruin it for others, I could probably drive round Brands Hatch at racing speed talking on my hand held phone. But some people I know that have had a full licence for 40+ and a lot less years couldn't drive the proverbial greasy stick up their a***e. So you can't have a law for one and not others. This isn't an ageism thing it crosses the whole spectrum of drivers.

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by smh

As for driving with one hand - I knew of a garage owner that had one hand - so he was a bad driver was he?

There is a guy here at work who has one (right) arm, he says it makes driving manual (rhd) cars a bit of a challenge, but he also rides motorbikes!