Ravi speaks:
UPDATED-25.08.2022.
“Use & Theft Of Mobile While Driving The Car.”
Something commonly observed that people invariably are seen talking on their mobiles while driving their cars. The habit of talking on a mobile phone is tantamount to dangerous driving.
Mobile Talk During Driving-Dangerous & A Crime.
Those caught may be arrested and sent to jail. Their vehicles can be impounded and driving licenses will also be punched by the traffic police officers. Offenders can be booked under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and punished with a jail term extending up to six months and a fine of Rs 1,000. But people do not seem to get affected by this fine of Rs.1000/- and continue talking or texting on a mobile phone while driving a vehicle, which doesn’t stop most Delhiites from repeating the same mistake.
Texting While Driving-A Crime.
Thus, the prospect of landing in jail may work where road safety education has failed. Thus, the possibility of a minimum of six months prison term, however, might do the trick- the Delhi Traffic Police believe. They have announced that now they plan a drive to prosecute those who use cell phones while at the wheel.
Following GPS While Driving-A Crime.
“We have seen major accidents take place as the drivers were busy with mobile phones. This is a serious issue related to road safety and people should know the danger it poses.” Delhi Police said.
If the driver is busy with the phone, he/she has only one hand on the steering. People also take their eyes off the road while talking on the phone.
The best way is to keep your moving car on one side of the road and stop it completely and then attend to your phone call. But hardly five to six persons in hundreds must follow that way and showing their maturity and realizing that way about their safety. One more common thing which has been observed is something which people out of inquisitive nature also cannot help. Suppose somebody is driving the car and has kept his mobile in front. Imagine a sudden message coming with a tinkle on his mobile -WhatsApp. Much as he would like to ignore the same -he would automatically reach his WhatsApp spot and start checking the message, etc. and not have any sort of realization of giving importance to his life immediately at that given point in time. This could also be a perilous proposition for the car driver. These things happen a lot and there are many instances where the car driver had to face severe accidents.
In such a case, one should either stop somewhere and check his mail or messages first and then, after attending to those, he should again move on. But people do not behave maturely that way and pay for such negligence badly. This is such a situation where the police too cannot catch a person with no evidence and the moment the police point out such negligence, the concerned people have many ways to prove him wrong and move on.
Young people often think this to be a fashion or a style if they had to pick up the mobile in one hand and control their vehicle’s steering with the other hand. They must shun off this dangerous practice.
Mobile Talk During Driving-Dangerous & A Crime.
Even now, the fashion of putting their mobiles on the Blue Tooth connected -people could loudly talk while driving the vehicle. Thus, to avoid detection, people have used hands-free devices, which is also an offense. Bluetooth devices attached with speakers are frequently fixed in the car and used for talking. In such a case the police cannot catch it whereas people are in a dangerous situation with their attention towards the talk on the phone and steering in their hands. Therefore, distraction is there even in such cases of hands-free systems. They too divert the driver’s attention from the road. The new devices have made it convenient for people, but they need to be aware of the risks. In such conditions, only self-discipline can be the real solution and one must refrain from using the mobile completely while he is behind the steering.
Mobile Talk During Driving-Dangerous & A Crime.
Not A Socialising Platform.
The second very important aspect is to be very careful while driving the vehicle about the safety and security of your mobile. I have myself till date in almost ten years lost my mobile while driving my car ‘twice’. Once I was driving my car in the East Delhi area and was standing at the red light signal in the long queue of vehicles waiting for the light to allow us to move on. Suddenly there was a big thud or noise of someone boxing on the right side of the car behind me. The moment there was this noise of someone attacking the left side I just turned my head towards the right side of-what I found my iPhone was picked up from the left front seat by someone easily and by the time I turned back to see towards my left seat the man had already disappeared with the mobile.
Picking Up The Mobile Neatly From The Driver’s Side.
When I talked about this incident to my friends-they said that it was very common in Delhi, especially in the signal-light-spots. They normally put a thud type of noise on the opposite side of the seat on which the mobile is normally kept by the car driver so that the driver’s attention is diverted and within seconds, the other guy picks up the mobile neatly and disappears. I had gone to the Police station for filing the FIR and all those formalities, but it was of no avail. The police station people file your FIR, but they indirectly hint to you that the exercise of filing an FIR is an exercise in futility and nothing was going to come back. Therefore, the lesson out of losing the valuable iPhone was not to use the costlier mobiles and also do not keep your mobiles and other important valuables like the wallet and even the laptops on your side seat while driving. Even if you had to keep them handy-then always make it a point that the window glasses were raised fully to close the entry from the windows.
Coming Out Neatly With THe Theft.
The beauty is that after relating the whole story at my home to my children too-my son lost his costlier mobile in the same fashion as I had lost it later, after a month. This time, the difference was only the spot change. He was driving his vehicle in South Delhi and coming from AIIMS road towards the IIT and at the Houz-Khas signal-lights-while waiting for the change in the signal his mobile too was picked up from the left window side-which he had kept on his left seat in the car exactly in the same fashion as I had lost.
Finally, following very simple-‘Six steps’ to be strictly taken for the safety and security of your Mobile Phones: –
1.Place Mobile In Plain Sight: Ensure you keep your phone in sight.
2.Help Keep Watch: It’s a mobile phone so endeavor to carry it with you everywhere you go & keep a watch.
3.Let Your Mobile Phone Be Hand-held: I have seen cases where people drop their phones mistakenly and the phone was nowhere to be found when they came back to look for it.
4.Do not Lose Guard: Wherever you place your phone, don’t lose your focus.
5.Pocket Sense: Your pocket is always the grabber’s target, so you need to safeguard it.
6.Create A Safe Inside Your Bag: A phone kept unzipped is easily seen by the grabber. Keep it always inside the bag-zipped.
==============================