View Full Version : Illegal to drive a car with an Ipod on?
Action Jackson
01-04-2007, 02:10
Sitting at traffic lights today and there's a woman in the car next to me and she's 'head bobbing' with her Ipod on (being a champion head bobbing interpreter, I deduced she was listening to Cliff Richard's 'Wired For Sound').
Apart from being irresponsible (surely it must be too distracting to have an ipod on whilst driving and would also prevent you from hearing noises like Ambulances/ Fire Engines etc approaching - or screaming pensioners that you have just hit with your car) I had always assumed this was illegal, but I can't find anything conclusive on the web about it. Does anyone know for sure?
And while I'm at it (to get double value for my thread), is it actually illegal to drive with your courtesy light on in the car at night, or is it just a recommendation? People always seem to insist this is illegal but I have never actually seen anything official about that one either.
Thanks in advance. :)
Was your car fitted with a radio/stereo/CD/MD player when you bought it (or was it the 1930's?)??
If you've removed yours then I'll take this seriously (or if your car was made before 1932) if not then I think you're a troll.
Not "groovy" for someone "inventing the cool"!!!!
As far as I know you are not allowed to drive a vehicle whilst wearing headphones/ ear pieces that stop you hearing what is happening outside your car as it stops you hearing sirens. As for the interior light I do not believe it is illegal to drive with it lit.
aliferste
01-04-2007, 06:37
Was your car fitted with a radio/stereo/CD/MD player when you bought it (or was it the 1930's?)??
If you've removed yours then I'll take this seriously (or if your car was made before 1932) if not then I think you're a troll.
Not "groovy" for someone "inventing the cool"!!!!
Hey, as I was reading his thread I actually thought what interesting questions :erm:
@paul
deaf people are allowed to drive so how can it be illegal for a hearing person to be effectively "deaf" to the outside world?
Was your car fitted with a radio/stereo/CD/MD player when you bought it (or was it the 1930's?)??
If you've removed yours then I'll take this seriously (or if your car was made before 1932) if not then I think you're a troll.
Not "groovy" for someone "inventing the cool"!!!!
Why a troll? It's a valid question i thought!
It's different listening to the radio to having earphones in, an iPod blocks out other sounds.....
@paul
deaf people are allowed to drive so how can it be illegal for a hearing person to be effectively "deaf" to the outside world?
Being deaf is a disability not a circumstance, deaf people probably are more observant than many hearing drivers. Add to that the fact that people with disabilities should not and can not be discriminated against means that deaf people are allowed onto the roads as long as they complete the same training and pass the same tests as their hearing counterparts.
Loud music or music being played into earphones/ headphones is also looked upon as a distraction to the driver which is probably why it is viewed differently.
Action Jackson
01-04-2007, 11:02
Was your car fitted with a radio/stereo/CD/MD player when you bought it (or was it the 1930's?)??
If you've removed yours then I'll take this seriously (or if your car was made before 1932) if not then I think you're a troll.
Not "groovy" for someone "inventing the cool"!!!!
:confused:
You're clearly insane.
As far as I know you are not allowed to drive a vehicle whilst wearing headphones/ ear pieces that stop you hearing what is happening outside your car as it stops you hearing sirens. As for the interior light I do not believe it is illegal to drive with it lit.
That's what I thought, but couldn't find anything official on the web about it. Iirc, it's definitely illegal to use on on a motorbike (I think - maybe someone can confirm).
As for the interior light, I've heard 2 different stories about why it's illegal to use it at night.
1. It distracts other road users.
2. By illuminating the interior of your car at night, it distracts you and impairs your view of the road.
I've never seen anything official about it though. Might just be a myth.
zing_deleted
01-04-2007, 11:04
why would a small light in a car distract other road users ? do the not use headlights at night? unless of course your thinking maybe its a UFO maybe ;)
Action Jackson
01-04-2007, 11:07
why would a small light in a car distract other road users ? do the not use headlights at night? unless of course your thinking maybe its a UFO maybe ;)
To be honest, I think that possibly my old man made that one up himself because I remember asking him to put on the light so I could read my comic in the car at night and that's the excuse he would always use. :D
The second one is the more common reason I keep hearing.
I-pods can be played through the car radio, or do you want to ban that?
I can't see anything in The Highway Code regarding these two questions. The closest is:
82: At night or in poor visibility, do not use tinted glasses, lenses or visors or anything that restricts vision.
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/
Action Jackson
01-04-2007, 12:04
I-pods can be played through the car radio, or do you want to ban that?
Eh? Calm down, I don't want to ban anything. I also use an ipod through my car stereo. Just asking if anyone knew the legalities of actually wearing one whilst driving.
Having an ipod plugged through your stereo is obviously different from actually wearing one, because when you wear one then it would cancel out all other noise, which could be dangerous I reckon.
---------- Post added at 12:04 ---------- Previous post was at 12:00 ----------
I can't see anything in The Highway Code regarding these two questions. The closest is:
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/
Yeah, checked there as well and couldn't see anything.
Only one thing for it. I'll have to put my ipod on at night, jump in the car, put on the courtesy light and continually drive past the police station to see if I get arrested. :D
No more comments about trolls please, if you wish to report a thread then use the correct system. The team will decide if a thread should continue.
papa smurf
01-04-2007, 13:18
well i suppose its better than numpties with 3 million watt amps, 50 speakers and the windows down ,so we can all benifit from there total disreguard of other peoples feelings at 3am
Action Jackson
01-04-2007, 13:51
well i suppose its better than numpties with 3 million watt amps, 50 speakers and the windows down ,so we can all benifit from there total disreguard of other peoples feelings at 3am
That's a good point.
Wouldn't be so bad if they played some decent music, instead of that 10,000 bpm happy hardcore nonsense that makes your ears bleed.
As far as I know it isn't an offence for either of these although you could be done for careless/dangerous driving if the police felt an accident was caused by your listening to earphones or your vision was impaired with the inside light on.
CycoSymz
01-04-2007, 14:34
well i suppose its better than numpties with 3 million watt amps, 50 speakers and the windows down ,so we can all benifit from there total disreguard of other peoples feelings at 3am
Nice one.
LSainsbury
01-04-2007, 14:54
why would a small light in a car distract other road users ? do the not use headlights at night? unless of course your thinking maybe its a UFO maybe ;)
I always thought this had more to do with dilation of the pupil. i.e. you walk into dark room from the light and you can't see anything until you eyes adjust to the dark. I think it would be kinda the same if you had a light on the car on a dark night - you eyes would need to re-adjust to the road when you switched it off.
Of course - may all be BS!!
PS - I had some numpty cut me up at a roundabout the other day - three lanes - at traffic lights - numpty in the middle lane and me in the outside lane. My lane goes straight on and so does numpty's.
So what does he do? He decides that he wants to be in the lane I was in when the lights changed. So lights change and the a*** cuts me up...I take avoiding action -on the brakes to let him have the lane and me? I go around the roundabout again - and he had the nerve to give me the finger. Pillock. So Mr Numpty Pillock if that was YOU - I suggest you go back and check the line markings at the M3 / J6 roundabout and see which lane goes where.
And the reason for telling you that?
He had some headphones on...well I say headphones - it could have been a phone wired headset...but the cable et all was white. Now I wonder what that was plugged into!
jumbo159
01-04-2007, 16:28
Taken from highway code.
It doesn't specifically answer the question, but is close.
Also 128 is interesting. Maybe they'll ban sat-nav usage soon... You'll only be able to switch it on once you reach your destination? :confused:
126: Safe driving needs concentration. Avoid distractions when driving such as
loud music (this may mask other sounds)
trying to read maps
inserting a cassette or CD or tuning a radio
arguing with your passengers or other road users
eating and drinking.Mobile phones and in-car technology 127: You MUST exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times. You MUST NOT use a hand-held mobile phone, or similar device, when driving or when supervising a learner driver, except to call 999 or 112 in a genuine emergency when it is unsafe or impractical to stop. Never use a hand-held microphone when driving. Using hands free equipment is also likely to distract your attention from the road. It is far safer not to use any telephone while you are driving - find a safe place to stop first.
Laws RTA 1988 sects 2 & 3 & CUR regs 104 & 110
128: There is a danger of driver distraction being caused by in-vehicle systems such as route guidance and navigation systems, congestion warning systems, PCs, multi-media, etc. Do not operate, adjust or view any such system if it will distract your attention while you are driving; you MUST exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times. If necessary find a safe place to stop first.
papa smurf
01-04-2007, 17:03
thank you my friend a legal reason why i cant take the nagging b**ch shopping[no arguing with passenger]
why would a small light in a car distract other road users ? do the not use headlights at night? unless of course your thinking maybe its a UFO maybe ;)
If your eyes are having to switch from viewing light to dark and back again continually (as they would if your interior light was on), then the effectiveness of your night vision is reduced.
This is why in PSVs (such as Busses and Trains) they often have low, blue lighting around the driver (not sure what the point of the blue is, I suspect it affects our vision less).
Eh? Calm down, I don't want to ban anything. I also use an ipod through my car stereo. Just asking if anyone knew the legalities of actually wearing one whilst driving.
Having an ipod plugged through your stereo is obviously different from actually wearing one, because when you wear one then it would cancel out all other noise, which could be dangerous I reckon.
:D
Calm down? I asked a question quite calmly. Are you getting ruffled?
Your OP made no mention of how the I-pod was being used.
bob_a_builder
01-04-2007, 17:53
I-pods can be played through the car radio, or do you want to ban that?
Not yet, but they might want to soon ...
"using an iPod while driving makes you more likely to have an accident. According to a study conducted by Philadelphia's Drexel University, it's as dangerous as handling a mobile phone"
LINK (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/03/30/ipod_driving_survey/)
Next they'll try to ban blinking whilst driving as it impairs your vision.
jumbo159
01-04-2007, 20:26
Next they'll try to ban blinking whilst driving as it impairs your vision.
You might be right, a blink lasts for about 0.25 seconds, and the average adult blinks 10 times a minute. Thats 2.5 seconds in every minute, which equates to 2.5 minutes every hour. So on a good run round the M25, you got your eyes closed for maybe 10 minutes.:shocking:
jellybaby
01-04-2007, 20:49
You might be right, a blink lasts for about 0.25 seconds, and the average adult blinks 10 times a minute. Thats 2.5 seconds in every minute, which equates to 2.5 minutes every hour. So on a good run round the M25, you got your eyes closed for maybe 10 minutes.:shocking:
Far too much time on your hands.....
lol :) :angel:
Next they'll try to ban blinking whilst driving as it impairs your vision.
You might be right, a blink lasts for about 0.25 seconds, and the average adult blinks 10 times a minute. Thats 2.5 seconds in every minute, which equates to 2.5 minutes every hour. So on a good run round the M25, you got your eyes closed for maybe 10 minutes.:shocking:
Read the article, you might find it interesting. Basically the problems occur not because people are listening to music, but because they are happy to actually take their eyes off the road to change tracks/stations etc. They even found a sizeable percentage who appeared happy to watch videos while driving.
Blinking won't make an awful lot of difference to driving safety, and, indeed, is a necessary part of our body's maintenance.
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