'I was keeping my ear warm': Dumbest excuses for using a mobile while driving revealed (From Surrey Comet)
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Top excuses given by drivers caught using mobile phone on Surrey's roads
7:00am Tuesday 19th March 2013 in News By Hardeep Matharu
Not always good to talk: It is illegal to drive while using a mobile phone
Keeping an ear warm, calls from ex-wives and child birth are some of the excuses given by drivers caught using a mobile phone.
As part of Surrey Police and Surrey County Council’s (SCC) Drive Smart campaign, traffic police recalled some of the weird and wonderful excuses they have heard.
One driver pleaded for help after being pulled over when he said: "It was my ex-wife harassing me, can you speak to her?"
A father-to-be explained: "I answered the phone because my wife is having a baby and I thought she may have gone into labour."
For some, honesty was the best policy, with one driver admitting: "I am always using it. It’s about time I got caught."
But a man stopped for running a red light could not help digging a hole for himself when he said: "Sorry, I didn’t even see the red light, I was on my phone at the time."
Councillor Kay Hammond, SCC’s cabinet member for community safety, said using a mobile while driving has "devastating" consequences.
She said: "You are four times more likely to crash, your reaction times are 50 per cent slower and you are more likely to drift across lanes.
"If you get caught, you face three penalty points on your licence and a £60 fine."
Duncan Brown, head of road safety at Surrey Police, said: "Police officers are only too aware of the tragedies that follow lapses in concentration.
"Keep your head up and both eyes on the road. Texting, updating social media sites or reading emails takes attention away from driving safely."
Top unusual excuses
"It was my ex-wife harassing me, can you speak to her?"
"It was my boss checking up on me."
"I answered the phone because my wife is having a baby and I thought she may have gone into labour."
"I was just telling them I couldn’t answer as I was driving."
"Sorry, I didn’t even see the red light. I was on my phone at the time."
"I am always using it. It’s about time I got caught."
"I’m late picking the kids up from school."
"I was not on the phone, I was looking something up on the internet."
"I wasn’t calling anyone, I was replying to an email."
"I was keeping my ear warm."
Comments(4)
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
9:52am Tue 19 Mar 13
The penalty is woefully inadequate, given minor crimes - that do not pose a direct threat to human life, (eg littering or smoking in public places) - can be met with a fine of £1,000+
DB
says...
3:22pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Prince Philip of Greece wrote:Absolutely right.
The penalty for driving offences, (incl speeding & mobile phone use) is only £60 +3 points. Yet these crimes lead to terrible crashes, injury and death. The penalty is woefully inadequate, given minor crimes - that do not pose a direct threat to human life, (eg littering or smoking in public places) - can be met with a fine of £1,000+
The problem is that the law against using phones whilst driving was only brought in a few years ago, and it wasn't really enforced for a while after that. People saw it as a bit of a joke as they has been doing it for so long.
I walk around busy areas a lot both locally and in central London and I have definitely noticed the incidences of phone use declining, but I am not sure if this is because it is being better enforced or because more people realise how dangerous it is.
A lot of the improvement is probably down to the fact that even entry level cars now include a bluetooth connection for hands free which was reserved for cars quite high up the range a few years ago.
There is nothing more annoying than seeing someone in a £50k BMW/Mercedes/Audi on the phone - surely it would have been cheap enough to get hands free fitted!
I think that the penalty should be lifted to 6 points which is in line with dangerous driving, not 3 points which is just careless driving. It is not careless at all as you know you are picking up the phone.
Angela M
says...
1:58pm Thu 21 Mar 13
Who could possibly think that holding a smoking fiery stick whilst operating a vehicle is a good idea?!
lordofzombies says...
7:42am Tue 19 Mar 13