Although I believe this is illegal, I still see people doing it, and not only the stereotyped teenager. I have also seen slick business types doing it.
My opinion is that it should have the same penalty as driving whilst drunk.
I would like to hear your opinions.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. This illustrates the problem pretty well. (Warning: some might find this disturbing)

If you are refering to the BBC film, here is the bbc link or you can view it on YouTube below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8203091.stm

Drinking, eating and driving, smoking when driving and texting or reading when driving are similarly smae dangerous as any other activities that keep one distracted from paying attention on the road.

Not that I haven't done neither one of them in the past, which btw I am badly ashamed of but there comes the time when we need to look into ourselves and revise our habit that in the long run might happen to be lethal.

In that case, so should driving while yelling at your kids over your shoulder, driving while singing so loudly that you're not paying attention to the road, and driving while getting a piece...

In short, any kind of driving while not paying attention is dangerous and irresponsible. But if a person is incapable of understanding that, they're probably incapable of comprehending the penalties as well. ;-)

What goes on the roads in Switzerland never ceases to amaze me. [I should say that I so rarely drive in the UK these days that I have no ideas how it compares.]

Texting and phoning are common place, as is drink driving, moped riders without helmets (this is Swiss Post speciality). Also not wearing seat belt and the ultimate example of bad parenting and bad driving: having children lose and standing up in the back of the car.

I've even seem children on the knee of parents in the front seats...

I've even seem children on the knee of parents in the front seats...[/quote]

That really really gets my goat - and the adults are always wearing their belts but the kids are loose.
In my previous life as a Met Police Officer I regularly pulled over cars in West London with that set up - five adults with seatbelts on and a load of kids thrown in on top loose.
My opening line was frequently "Do you love your children?" Harsh but to the point - 30mph and the kids will be straight out the windscreen.

Some people just do not engage their brains in cars

caz

for a culture that so likes to tell other people what to do when (with all the rules and stuff...) the driving in general but kids and cellphone use in particular has amazed me as well.

on friday on the way home, a lady waiting with me for the Affoltern onramp was reading the newspaper - i don't find that amusing!

at home we had an add about using your kid as an airbag on your lap - really shocking, but factually accurate!

this morning on my 12km drive to the nearest Coop the guy behind me, sitting on my bum, never put the phone down!

the fact that they talk on the phone and then insist on having ZERO distance from the next car is really irratating!

ok, i'll stop yelling now, but had to get that off my chest...

While I was driving shootgun a friend of mine started reading a text message behind the steering wheel at night. Without my intervention he'd have collided with a big stray dog that crossed the street, at 60km/h. Never have I come closer to a frontal collision and it was a rather scary moment.

Does anyone know what's the story is with cab companies here? A few times over the Summer I booked a 7 seat taxi including a baby seat and boosters for older kids. Twice I wrote e-mails to make sure they knew the ages of the kids for the booking and so have the appropriate seats but each time the cab called to the door with no baby seat only booster seats to take my friends back to the airport. This happened 3 times with 2 different cab companies (WTF?!).. and so my friend had to sit in the back with the seat belt on over the baby and herself.. it struck me that they probably would've been safer on the bus with the child in a buggy.

I would take camera prior driving, and leave it on, filming the back of the road.

So if a nutcase is doing like your guy, I'll report him to police immediately.

Should teach the guy a lesson.


I honestly believed it was only teenagers or women teenagers' 20's doing that SMS thing!

This driver strapped in his crate of beer instead of his kid:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky...20080641315823

Why don't you take your car up to Bristol UK and drive it down to London say around 7 in the evening on a Sunday night. I'm sure all of you would be ever so happy to be back in Switzerland on these 'crazy' roads.

What crazy roads? Is this thread not about how unsafe people are whilst they drive: eating, texting, not wearing seat belts etc.

Unfortunately, people die in car accidents here in Switzerland too and not just in the UK.. Sadly, more care and attention given solely to the task of driving would prevent many deaths here and elsewhere.

Yes, has happened to me from the airport - specifically asked for a childseat for a toddler. Ended up with a booster seat which my toddler wriggled out of in less than 15 seconds.

Also seen lots of texting by drivers (incl lorry drivers ) on Swiss roads. Wouldn't mind if they just kill themselves because of their stupidity but they have the annoying habit of taking out innocent passengers and other road users.

People doing this needs counseling. And yeah I agree that same punishment should be given to people caught texting while in the high way. But the problem is how can we detect people texting while driving?

I know that most of us are aware of safety precautions while driving but we tend to neglect it maybe because of our confidence in our driving skills. Well it is still about priority. If we care for our life and the lives of other people then then don't drink, don't text, don't make a call, etc.. while driving.