Taxi Driver Online

Hi to everybody on the forum. I'm a newbie both on here and as a taxi driver.

Can any of you tell me whether using and talking on a bluetooth earpiece whilst driving is illegal?

No, your free to use them as long as you don't have the phone in your hand, you would be better getting a parrot hands free kit fitted to the cab, keep your phone locked, so you don't accidentally press the buttons and in your pocket if you go about 10 yards away from the cab it will automatically disconnect from the parrot unit so you can answer in the normal fashion and soon as your go back into the cab it reconnects automatically

Free fitting at halfords

Earpiece is good. Jabra are a reasonable make. I have a suction cup phone holder on a stalk so the phone is in view. It's also sat-nav, internet, word, excel, etc...... Also, if you are out of the car, but standing close by it still works.

It is still legal to use a phone with bluetooth. The test is whether you are driving with due care and attention which is subjective, until plod decides otherwise!

The condition for our school contracts strictly forbid the use of hands free mobiles whilst working on school runs. But the driver has to be contactable at the same time.

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Grandad,

Fully legal as far as I know.

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IDFIMH

Ta muchly for your replies....I think cabbyman has hit the nail on the head and its all about interpretation of your driving by the powers that be. The way I read things is its in the grey area.

If you touch the phone you break the law, i set mine to "auto answer"

some have voice recognition to dial out

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I have not looked it up but I believe the offence is commited by holding the device. You are allowed one touch dialling and answering but there is no time frame specified. So, is it one touch per minute or one touch per second? That's one the courts will decide in due course.

If you do get one, remember to leave it in your ear at all times (flashing), even when you're in the cafe having a drink, filling up with fuel, or going to the toilet.

nothing wrong with that! My earpiece is light enough that i actually forget it's there.

I think you are supposed to turn the phone off and the bluetooth whilst filling up.

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Grandad,

Or is it because your head is so heavy?

If you want a lighter head, look no further than the RMT!

I picked up a copy of their magazine yesterday (RMT news - essential reading for today's transport worker!) from Euston, out of 31 pages, 27 relate to railway issues, one is about a cycle ride to Cuba to meet up with their fellow left wing socialists, one is about a pub in with railway connections in Newcastle and one is about their credit union.

Not a mention of the 700 London Taxi drivers who are being led up the garden path for their £15 every month, apart from a few lines on the 'toilet campaign'.

Love it.

Sounds about as interesting as TAXI magazine (or indeed any other)...............what we need in the trade is an independant trade paper that tells it how it is from a neutral viewpoint; none of this "we done this, they did that" nonsense.

But...............we digress!!

As far as i know, using a bluetooth earpice is not illegal, well at least i hope not as i use mine every night.

What was that bluetooth one that was in the taxi paper in a post on here last week before it was deleted