Well no point arguing over it chaps, before you know it cars will be driving themselves meanwhile your up to whatever shenanigans in the back stains.... stains everywhere!
I have no issues with using hands free tbh, there's far worse things that can be seen daily on the roads that need to be addressed. Mandatory 2 year eyesight tests should being one of them the amount of people that can't see properly is astonishing.
I don't there's any phone call important enough that can't wait until you find somewhere to pull over personally. My father is a Windscreen fitter of 25 years and he's used all the crap under the sun as someone who spends several hours a day driving a van. The only thing he can use is one of those Bluetooth handsfree visor things.
In theory I favour an outright ban; in practice however it seems it's already difficult enough to enforce the current rules, because I lose count of how often I see someone blatantly holding their phone up to their ear when they're driving. Usually when they're cutting me up or tailgating (you know how damn dangerous that is when it's a motorbike you're tailgating?). Someone on their phone nearly took me out yesterday: I'm pootling along on my motorbike, coming back from the shop, and I see someone approaching a junction on my left. I can see they're on the phone so I slow down a bit, but it looks like they're going to stop and wait. But no, they pull out as I am literally about to go past the junction. Even if I hadn't already seen them on the phone I could see the phone in their hand when they made surprised "what? what's your problem" gestures at me as I beeped the horn. Shame it didn't happen 30 seconds later, as a little ways down the road I went past a police car. Although at the time the police car in question was chasing helmet-less rider on a scrambler which had no number plates. Talking to passengers can be just as bad as being on your phone, but as pointed out earlier your passengers can see what's going on and you can more easily tell them to STFU. Why the hell are you trying to solve maths tasks while you're driving?!
The talking to another passenger it does, or one I read along the way does. Handling the stereo is hardly comparable, it can be done without looking, an again studies show that whilst it's a minor distraction it doesn't come close to phone calls. We shall have to disagree. But I agree on that, however one must recognise that the above are far less frequent occorances (sp) so lower exposure = reduced risk. Oh, like taxis & buses do......... You can't reduce the risk if distracted driving to zero, it's never gonna happen, what about everything outside the vehicle let alone inside. But mobile phones have been proven time and time again to be a big factor, so ban the use for calks, text n Facebook. Makes no difference though, no police on the roads to catch anyone either way.
Ban it outright. I was run over in college by an ass that plowed into my bike at a crosswalk and embedded me in the front end because he was too special to get off the phone. I have no sympathy for it whatsoever. A 3x4" plate, six strokes and a seizure disorder later I reject any and all arguments on the subject. I got off lucky. Some don't survive, I was wearing a helmet and did that.
