Our Mr Simpson was recently interviewed by Radio 1 about mobile phones and the law
Our Mr Simpson was recently interviewed by Radio 1 about mobile phones and the law.
The following is part of the story as published by BBC:
In 2003, the law banning the use of mobile phones while driving was introduced.
It came in at a time before smart phones - when calling, texting and maybe the odd game of snake was the norm.
Now that law is being reviewed.
"The general rule is that you cannot hold your mobile in your hand and use it whilst driving, so hands-free tends to be ok, but texting is not," says Ronnie Simpson, who's a lawyer specialising in road, traffic and dangerous driving.
"If you're not looking at the camera and not engaging - and you're engaging with the road - I suppose there's no difference in making a telephone call."
But if you're holding a camera in front of your face and driving?
That's a no, according to Ronnie.
"It's simply dangerous driving and should be punished.
"The key issue is safety. If you're looking at your phone, you're not looking at the road."
Back in 2016, the RAC made it their aim to make illegal mobile phone use while driving as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.
"The bar to convict somebody under the current offence of using a handheld mobile phone while driving is high, making it difficult for the police to enforce," says Simon Williams from the RAC.
"Any mobile phone activity that doesn't involve telecommunications, such as checking text messages, recording a video or changing pre-downloaded music, is bizarrely not covered by the set mobile phone laws, although drivers could be convicted for not being in proper control of their vehicles."
The government says it's looking at closing that legal loophole.
You can read the full story by BBC at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
You can also listen to the full interview by following the link below, starting at around 10:40
