The use of mobile phones whilst driving has often been debated with different countries around the world having different laws. In the UK, it is illegal to use your phone whilst driving and you face a fine of £80 – £100 and 3 points on your licence but in more serious cases disqualification from driving and a fine of £1000. Currently you can still use a hands free kit to talk on your mobile phone but some experts say it’s the actual phone conversation that distracts people from the road and so they should be banned as well.
Chapel Hill, a town in the US state of North Carolina, has become the first to completely ban the use of hands free so that you cannot talk on a mobile phone at all whilst driving. Some think this should be enforced across the whole country whilst others are saying it will be too hard to properly enforce. It’s been said that drivers can still make emergency calls to services and partners so if stopped, the police would have to check the phone to deem whether the call was actually an emergency or not.
Whilst there are no signs of a similar ban in the UK, it might be wise to reconsider your own use of mobile phones whilst driving your car. Not only could you be endangering your own life but also those of other drivers and pedestrians. We understand that people are very busy during their working day and need to be in constant contact with their work life, so a possible option would be to utilise a Virtual PA to handle your calls whilst you are driving.
It’s better to be safe than sorry and talking on the phone means you have slower reaction times and worse speed control, so hang up those phones till you’re back in the office and drive safe.
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