Mobile phones : Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 2695 The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendme

Shameslessly ripped from another group. Using mobile phones and two way
radios from Dec 1st this year.

http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032695.htm

 

That's hardly news.

 

That the law was changing , no.

On the other hand there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation
about exactly what would still be legal which this clarifies.

 

so lots of PDA's are out as well then. But two-way radios are OK,
presumably not to piss off the truck contingent.

How are they planning to enforce this? Roadside checks? Will they get
people reading maps/newspapers as they drive as well as those speaking
on phones whose eyes are actually on the road ahead?

 

Have you heard Derek Wyatt's fantastic suggestion for
combating spam?

http://www.derekwyattmp.co.uk/dereks_work/viewtopic.php?t=201

 

Specifically to allow the emergency services to remain legal.

Don't be silly.
That would make sense.

I'm interested to know exactly what constitues an acceptable cradle to mount
the phone in. Would , for example , a leather case with the belt clip hooked
onto the dashboard securely count?

 

Now there is a man who clearly doesn't have a clue.

 

What a fuckwit.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Dr Zoidberg said:

Thank you

 

Ooh, ooh, lets send him *lots* of suggestions!!!

 

I know. I want to email him and explain, but am having
trouble thinking of a way that explains it to someone
who, as you say, clearly does not have a clue.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Dr Zoidberg said:

I think probably one of those cradles that "hard attaches" itself to the
dash as it appears ear pieces are out because they could fall out and
you'd need to pick it up again and put it back in your lug'ole:

(6) For the purposes of this regulation - (a) a mobile telephone or
other device is to be treated as hand-held if it is, or must be, held at
some point during the course of making or receiving a call or performing
any other interactive communication function;

IMO it would be hard to argue that you didn't just put your soft cased
phone back on the dash when you'd been spotted (their word against yours
and all that).

 

Ohhh -- where do you start eh? Try a fictitious From: e-mail address
or even better a famous deceased person. That should confuse the
fellah.

I mean, he has not though this through one jot and published it. Has
the man no shame?

 

What I had in mind was having the belt clip firmly holding the phone to the
dash , for example clipped onto the edge of the unused ashtray.
It would certainly make it as sturdy as many of the cheap hands free kits
I've seen , and I can answer incoming calls using the button on the
earpiece.

That was I don't need to handle the phone itself and should stay legal.

 

You'd think he thought it was UKRM!

 

Earpieces seem to be out though.

Question for them that knows:

If you have a proper fitted in-car cradle (which i don't) and the mic
is attached to the car (not your ear), don't you still have to press a
button on the phone to answer the call?

So how is this different to your scenario above, which *might* be
picked up on the plod? Yours makes a lot more sense, button being near
person and not eye-distracting...

 

Plausible.

 

heh. Reminds me of the interviewer on the Today program badgering a
banking rep about "what are the banks going to do to tighten up
security on their internet banking systems" to combat fraudsters who
set up lookalike banking sites and then collect IDs and passwords. I
was dying to for the banking rep to say "there's nothing we can
fucking do!"

 

I understood it to mean that an ear piece on its own is not enough to be
legal as you still need to hold the phone at some point to dial or receive
as per this bit...

(a) a mobile telephone or other device is to be treated as hand-held if it
is, or must be, held at some point during the course of making or receiving
a call or performing any other interactive communication function;

But an ear piece plus a fixed cradle is apparently legal as you don't hold
the phone in your hand at any point.
Having said that , if they class an earpiece as part of the phone then the
act of putting it in your ear *would* constitute holding the phone.

Unless its a voice activated mobile , yes.

Its the actual holding of the phone while receiving or sending the message
that makes it illegal so until this is tested in court its going to be a
very grey area.

 

God bless Bluetooth!