The Easter long weekend rolls around, and with it, the prospect of double demerits for drivers caught using mobile phones while driving. There’s a very easy way to avoid being fined.
Really, really easy.
Just don’t do it.
Yeah, that might not have been the advice you were looking for per se, but it’s the stark practical reality of it. Using your phone while driving in a hands-on way isn’t a particularly safe activity, but it’s something that I see people doing nearly every single day, whether it’s that curious slightly-canine-style cock of the head that suggests they’re taking a call while driving, to the folks tapping at their mobiles in their laps while in traffic.
At least, I hope they’re tapping at their mobiles. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.
Ha ha. How do I drive legally while using my phone?
However, there’s also a clue there in the above sentence for how you can, quite legally use your phone while driving. Namely that you’re going to get done for using it with your hands, but it’s legal enough to use in an approved mount in a hands-free way. The rules for these vary state by state, so it’s well worth researching what’s legal throughout Australia, especially if you travel interstate a lot.
These days, with virtual assistants such as Siri or Google Now, the range of what you can do with your voice is quite wide, but should easily encompass the basic stuff you might want to do while driving, like taking a call, sending a brief SMS or adjusting your music. Pretty much anything else can and moreover should wait until you’re done driving.
This isn’t rocket science, people. Equally, if your passion is calling, consider dropping a hundred bucks (or less) on an in-car Bluetooth speaker if your existing ride doesn’t already have inbuilt Bluetooth. It (mostly) works, it’s easy, it’s legal and it’s safe.
How Do I? covers the basics, because we’ve all got to start somewhere.
Image: sv1ambo