The government had introduced the ban on using mobile phones while on the driver's seat to prevent more fatal accidents from taking place. But it seems like using your mobile phones on hands-free mode, which is legal, is equally as dangerous.
34-year-old Samantha Ayres was in the middle of a hands-free conversation when her vehicle drifted to the other side of the road in Lincolnshire, hitting 26-year-old motorcyclist, David Kirk, head-on, ultimately killing him.
Ayres has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by the jury, and the judge stated that a prison sentence was inevitable. Judge John Pini QC said, “There has to be an immediate custodial sentence. The fact that using a phone (hands-free) is lawful does not alter the fact it is an actual distraction. The guidelines make that clear.”
Pete Williams, RAC road safety spokesman expressed, “Just because it is legal to use a phone hands-free does not mean it is always safe to do so. If a driver feels they will be distracted by talking, they need to take responsibility by declining when and when not to speak, or to pull over to somewhere safe, switch the engine off and then have the conversation.”
