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QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND ADVICE...   TOPICS ON THIS PAGE...                 

 MOBILE PHONES and DRIVING

Q. Is it illegal to use a hand-held phone while stationary?
A. Yes, and a person may be regarded as 'driving' if the engine is running - even if the vehicle is stationary. Hand-held phones should not therefore be used at traffic lights or during short hold-ups

Q. Does that mean it is safe to make and receive hands-free calls?
A. No, but while it is not illegal to use a hands-free mobile phone while driving, hands-free calls are also distracting and drivers should be aware that they still risk prosecution for failing to have proper control of their vehicle

Q. What's the definition of hand-held and hands-free phones?
A. A hands-free phone is one that is attached to fixed speakers and does not require the operator to hold while in use. However many hand-held phones now come with kits to give them some level of hands-free use. The legislation therefore covers the way in which a mobile phone is being used whilst driving. A driver is liable for prosecution if he/she is holding a mobile phone to send or receive any sort of data - be it voice, text, image or Internet access.

Q. Does the legislation only relate to mobile phones?
A. No, any hand-held electronic device being used to access voice, text or pictorial images is also prohibited

Q. Are there any exemptions?
A. Yes, if a driver is found to have used a hand-held device in a genuine emergency where it would have been unsafe to stop the car, he/she may be exempt from penalty.
Additionally, the use of 'press to talk' two-way radios used by haulage drivers, taxi drivers and emergency services in contact with base stations are also exempt.

Q. Can an employer also be prosecuted?
A. Yes, employers are liable for prosecution if they require employees to commit an offence (i.e. if they require them to use hand-held phones while driving). Furthermore, anyone 'causing or permitting' an offence to take place, such as allowing a driver to drive without proper control, is also liable for prosecution. However, employers are not liable for prosecution simply by supplying a hand-held mobile phone or by phoning an employee while he or she is driving.

Q. What should an employer advise?
A. Employers should not expect employees to use hand-held phones whilst driving. And in light of the new legislation, it is in everyone's interest to advise drivers of the legal situation and recommend that they never use a hand-held phone while driving.

 

Employers should also issue guidelines that state that the only safe way to use a mobile phone in the car is to:

  • Switch the phone off while driving and let it take messages, or
  • Leave the phone switched on but let messages go to voicemail
  • Find a safe place to stop before picking up the messages and returning calls
  • Ask a passenger to deal with the calls

Even when using hands-free phones drivers should:

  • Limit outgoing calls to emergency use and only when it is safe to do so
  • Use voice activation when making outgoing calls
  • Tell all incoming callers that he/she is driving and to keep the call short

 

  Further information can be obtained from the Department for Transport's website http://www.dft.gov.uk/

MOTOR Vehicle Lights

General

The legislation concerning vehicle lights can be complicated.

As a general rule of thumb is if a light is fitted to a vehicle:

• It must work
• It must be clean
• It must be properly adjusted so it does not dazzle
• Another road user should not see red lights on a vehicle moving towards them or white lights on a vehicle moving away from them.

For further information refer to a Motoring Organisation or local police.

Fog Lights      

Front fog lamps are not obligatory, but if fitted:

• must be white or yellow in colour,
• used in a pair and
• must not cause undue dazzle or discomfort,
• nor be used except in seriously reduced visibility. (100 metres or less)
• they must be clean and in good working order.

The clue as to when to use them is really in the name


Rear fog lights are obligatory on a vehicle first used on or after 01.04.86

• They must be red in colour and
• must not cause undue dazzle or discomfort,
• must not be lit whilst vehicle is parked,
• nor to be used except in seriously reduced visibility. (100metres or less)
• Where two are fitted both must work.
• Where one is fitted it must be fitted to the centre or the offside of the vehicle.
• They must be clean and in good working order.
• The driver must be able to see the lights are on by way of a visual indication (warning light) inside the vehicle. Again the clue as to when to use them is really in the name!

Spot Lights

Spot lights or additional headlights can only be used in a pair and in conjunction with full beam headlights and should not be capable of being illuminated without the operation of the obligatory headlights.

Taken & Adapted from Sussex Police Information Centre

 

 

Lights are easier to check on a dull day or when daylight is fading.

SIDELIGHTS Two white at the front; two red at the back. Should be bright and of equal intensity. If there is a dim glow from the brake lights, indicators or high-intensity fog lights — this may mean a poor earth to the car body on the nearest sidelight. If the front sidelights are small bulbs set in the headlight reflector these may be dim — these little bulbs tend to overheat and go black inside. Not a MOT fails point as such if they are both equally dim.

HEADLIGHTS Headlights on dipped beam. Both should shine with equal brightness — failure to do so means a bad electrical supply or earth at that bulb. The reflection from the lights on a wall or garage door should show the two beams pointing slightly down to the left and level.
There are adjusting screws or knobs behind each headlight, but unless a beam is so far out of line as to cause a hazard, it is probably best to leave adjustment to the MOT tester, who will usually use a beam-setter to set them spot on. Switch to main beam and make the same check —

REAR FOG LIGHT(S) If fitted, fog lights must work, and so must the interior 'tell-tale' light on the instrument panel.

DIRECTION INDICATORS Check that there is a flashing 'tell tale' light on the instrument panel. Check that front and rear indicators are flashing.
The flash rate should be between 30 and 90 per minute. If it's just fewer than 30 it may speed up once the engine is running, though not if the flasher unit is an electronic rather than a mechanical unit. Side repeater indicators on the wings must be working if fitted.

HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS Check the warning light and/or tick inside. Walk round the car to ensure that all four hazards are flashing, and that no other lights are glowing dimly.

BRAKE LIGHTS Both brake lights must be equally bright, with nothing else glowing.

LIGHTING REPAIRS If a light isn't working, chances are the bulb is blown. Bulbs are standard items, so replacement is easy (in most cases).

If you have a vehicle handbook, it usually shows the correct procedure for removing and fitting bulbs.

LENSES & REFLECTORS Headlamp reflectors must be bright and not obviously misted, tarnished or corroded. The headlamp lens should not have any hole or a crack that could let in water. All plastic lenses covering the other lights should be the correct colour and not excessively faded.

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