Mobile phones legislation comes into force today...

[Paddy]

From midnight last night it is against the law to be behind the wheel of a car in the UK with the engine on, even if it is stationary, whilst holding a mobile phone. The use of hands free kits are still legal however.

[Brian Ellis]

Bizarre: I thought this kind of law was passed in most countries years ago. Why so late in the UK?

Of course, some activists may consider it a restriction of freedom of speech

If you turn the engine off (or you have a Prius which automatically does so), can you use the phone while waiting for traffic lights to turn green?

What is worse than using the phone to speak to someone, is trying to read that SMS message that just arrived

[Paddy]

From my understanding of the law, it would be legal to use your phone at the lights, if the engine was turned off.

Although I expect that the police would still want to have a chat with you.

[jonnylane]

In some countries, you HAVE to turn off your engine at the lights to cut down on uneccessary emissions.

How tedious would that be?

[ayoub_ibrahim]

me thinks the £30 fine if caught isn't much of a deterrent!

[Dr Mordrid]

Pffttt.....laws don't do much good when you see cops driving with a phone grafted to their ears & drifting from lane to lane like some female putting on her eye makeup

Dr. Mordrid

[Paddy]

to a maximum of £1000, or £2500 for HGV/Bus/Vans.

I take it that is for repeat offenders....

[TransformX]

Originally posted by jonnylane
In some countries, you HAVE to turn off your engine at the lights to cut down on uneccessary emissions.

How tedious would that be?

This seems like an awfully stupid law to me.

[Paddy]

surley a vehicle uses up more petrol (and therefore produces more waste) when turning over than it does idlely ticking away...

[TransformX]

Not to mention engine failing to start or drivers "sleeping" on the wheel which would normally release the cluch and hit the gas (2-4 seconds from hearing the horn) would now have to start the car and start driving (10 seconds and more sometimes).

[Technoid]

I wonder when they will pass a law against talking in the car, or having the family with you

[The PIT]

Badly behaved Children are a bad risk. Can't see them being banned though.

[az]

Originally posted by Technoid
I wonder when they will pass a law against talking in the car, or having the family with you

Well, talking on the phone while driving IS dangerous...

AZ

[jonnylane]

Another traffic light!

The results of the Bern study, and many other similar studies, explain why traffic regulations in all of Switzerland and most of Germany's large cities prohibit idling car engines longer than absolutely necessary and require drivers to turn off their engines when waiting in traffic jams and at traffic lights where waiting can be expected to exceed 30 seconds. In some German cities, the traffic lights at important intersections have an additional light called umweltampel (environment lamp) to tell drivers when to turn their engines off.

source: Looksmart

[Gurm]

I understand that the law exists, but it's stupid.

You produce more tree-killing emissions when starting than in 10 minutes of idling.

- Gurm