As we see the government announcing tougher sanctions for those using mobile phones behind the wheel (plenty of strong forum feeling against the habit) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37389800 Two drivers claim "hardship" to escape bans under totting up rules http://www.manchestereve...tant-15-penalty-11905272 http://www.manchestereve...pes-driving-ban-11902311 Would your company policy "dismiss" an individual with similar poor driving history or contiunue to place the public and co-workers at risk?

The problem is getting worse, and I am far from convinced that simply increasing the fines and points is going to achieve much. Persistent offenders will simply see this as an occupational risk, and not a particularly high one, as the likelihood of getting caught is pretty slim. The only way to tackle this silliness is to use technology to physically prevent anyone from using a mobile or other such device whilst the vehicle is moving. I would have thought this would be quite possible, although there seems to be no impetus from the mobile phone companies to do this, obviously for commercial reasons, so they would have to be compelled by law to do so. In the meantime, a hefty fine and short driving ban if caught once, if caught a second time a ban for life, and if someone is injured or killed as a result of their actions, an automatic long jail sentence, simple.

For £150 I can apparently activate a connectivity between my mobile and the cars sat-nav screen. "We" consumers are apparently driving such improvements in vehicles so it is highly unlikely manufacturers would install a signal blocker activated by a running engine more is the pity. That said some countries do implement measures contrary to manufacturer desire - seem to recall the use of cruise control is/was illegal in Belgium

<p>We are consistently making vehicles that are easier and more comfortable to drive. This creates a disconnect between what we do in the car and what happens out there on the road which is why some people do stupid things like talk on the mobile or try to send an email on a laptop or have a shave while driving ( have seen all of these things) .</p><p>Perhaps instead of making cars “safer” we should have of responsibility entirely put on the drivers. Vehicles should be the sort of thing that they drive in Mad Max or Judge Dredd!</p><p>No windscreens or doors or heating/air con/side impact protection etc so you get a really feel for the road and its climate</p><p>Rubbish to non-existent brakes to encourage people to think about how they are going to slow down a bit more and maybe discourage driving too close</p><p>An open exposed engine so they can actual see what car is actually doing</p><p>And finally if you have an accident you don’t get an ambulance or recovery vehicle to come and pick you up: you just get scrapped off the road and pushed into the ditch.</p>

Spot on. The best safety device for a car is a big spike sticking out of the steering wheel. Cars are offering more and more protection against drivers' stupidity, which to me seems to be missing the point completely. Plus with all of the features (e.g. lane sensors, for goodness' sake!) appearing now, they give drivers even more licence to do more and more things apart from driving the car. I was starting to think that driverless cars would make a better job of it, but the recent accident in America where the car system couldn't tell the difference between the sky and the white side of a lorry has reinforced the view that the only way to improve driver safety is to improve the drivers.