How important is it to take a call at the wheel?
To tens of millions of us, driving is second nature. Getting behind the wheel is something we do without thinking, even though it is potentially the most lethal thing that we do on a regular basis.
Too many of us don’t take driving anywhere near seriously enough and the situation has worsened over the past 20 years.
Roads are busier for starters and, perhaps most crucially, motorists are faced with many more distractions than their predecessors.
There is the seemingly obligatory hands-free system, which allows the driver to both take and make phone calls, a task which many car owners consider to be their human right.
Now a group of MPs is making moves to ban the use of hands-free systems, amid concerns they are a distraction that is no longer worth the risk to motorists and other road users. Already there are those who think the recommendation of the cross-party parliamentary group is another example of the Nanny State in action, but
how important is it for us to take a call at the wheel?
It is the best part of 15 years since the law banning the use of hand-held phones at the wheel was passed and many of us abide by this, most of the time.
The latest statistics show that 53,000 drivers a year faced enforcement for using phones at the wheel, which is down two thirds on previous figures. In 2017 there were 773 casualties where mobile phone usage was said to be a factor, but it is unclear how many of these involved hands-free systems.
The central argument to ban hands-free is the distraction they pose.
If you find yourself embroiled in a heated discussion with the boss, or heaven forbid, the mother-in-law while doing 50 miles per hour, does it matter whether you are doing it while clamping your mobile between your ear and chin or your space-age dashboard? Either way is still a distraction.
The law should also be tightened to deter people from eating or smoking at the wheel.
Phone calls, food, and nicotine can all be put on hold when it comes to the serious business of driving.