Taxi Driver Online

Cabbie banned for using mobile

Friday, June 08, 2012

A cabbie has been banned from driving for six months after being found guilty of using a mobile phone while driving.

Jagjit Singh (42), of Gainsborough Road, Knighton, Leicester, pleaded not guilty to the offence, in Vaughan Way, Leicester, on November 1.

However, he was convicted at Leicester Magistrates' Court and fined £75, with £75 costs and a £15 victims of crime surcharge.

Because three penalty points imposed on his licence took the total to 15, magistrates had to disqualify him from driving all vehicles for six months.

He had previously claimed – in October 2010 – that being disqualified from driving would cause him exceptional hardship due to loss of employment, so this option was not available to him a second time.

Prosecutor Ian Johnson said police saw Singh holding a mobile phone to his right ear at 3.05am.

Mr Johnson said: "He told the officer who cautioned him that he was phoning a customer but was not driving. He said he had been parked."

Pc Lee Eckersley told the court that street lighting made vision clear and there was nothing between his car and the taxi driven by Singh.

"He was using a hand-held mobile phone as the taxi was driven towards me in Burleys Way," he said.

"Throughout the journey he had his hand to his ear."

Singh, a taxi driver for six years, said he worked from a base in Braunstone Gate and regularly picked up fares from around Church Gate. At the time of the offence, he had been asked to pick up a fare from outside Liquid Envy nightclub.

Singh maintained that he made a phone call to check whether the woman he was due to collect was still there.

He said he saw the police car coming towards Church Gate from Vaughan Way, and was waiting for the traffic lights to change.

He said: "I was stationary. The police vehicle passed me. I had no reason at all to use my mobile phone when I was driving."

After sentencing, his solicitor, David Rhodes, said the six-month ban would have a devastating effect on Singh and his family.

He said: "He has a mortgage which needs paying. His wife's job is manual, in a bakery. They are going to find life very difficult from now on."

Source; http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/C ... story.html

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We've got the same problem round here with the Asian drivers, many customers are saying they are on their phones from the minute they get in the car until they get out at journeys end, they seem to think they are immune from driving laws.

Good another driver off the road, get a blue tooth headset £9.99 from tesco, but for me i wonder why on earth he had a taxi badge in the first place! 12 points already on his license, surely because of the point he is not a fit a proper person to carry passengers?

I see drivers all the time on their phones and it really annoys me.

This is one of many reasons why our trade is in a bad state and that we all have a bad reputation.

I wouldnt give this driver his badge back!

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Si

It does not always follow that 12 points on a license means someone is a bad driver it may just be that they are bad at avoiding getting caught or just unlucky

That said many of the asian drivers round here regularly spend a lot of time on phone calls often whilst driving although most have hands free

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

12 points unlucky?

Unlucky for getting caught speeding, jumping red lights, driving without due care and attention, driving with no insurance, drink driving, driving using a mobile phone im sure this list is endless, im not saying non of us dont break the law but 12 points, some people dont learn their lesson

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Si

And of course you never speed or push through a junction on an amber light ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

This is laughable tbh, 12 points and some are defending him, his profile says serial abuser of any rules, good riddance he's been removed from the road.

So you don't break the law then or is it just that you are better at not getting caught?

In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.

Hunter S. Thompson

Are you on a wind up? I never said non of us didn't do it but really any more than 6 points and I would take the badge away no questions!

The guy is trying to make a living agreed but driving whilst on his phone, I use a blue tooth! That's asking for trouble, it's a shame it doesn't mention what the other 12 points were for.

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Si

i cant be arsed to rush, i can guarantee no matter what time i leave home to drive 8 mile to the real roads some twot will come right up my rear end, WELL MR, TOUGH, MY CAR, MY RULES

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

In other words he took the right royal pi** out of the bench that gave him the benefit of the doubt last time.

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IDFIMH

And that ppl is about the long and short of it, a liberty taker through and through.

Seen the rozzers try fit up plenty of drivers on this in london and they got their arse kicked over it mind all the other points take some explaining ?

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Quick lets force a cabby to place the phone to his ear while moving sah we cayn book im Danno

Don't tell me Reagan & Carter are back on the streets of London and on the look out for dialing driver's

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