What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Emailing with mobile phone while using stop start technology
I am having a disagreement with someone who was driving a car and using their phone while I was a passenger. We were stopped in traffic (not a long time) and the car had the handbrake on, gear in neutral and car engine off. The engine was off because of the automatic stop start technology and not because the ignition had been turned off. The driver checked their email and a discussion ensued about whether they were in control of the car or not. I know using phones in traffic is not allowed, and that drivers should be 'parked' if using their phone but is the above classed as being parked or not?
Asked on 3 October 2015 by matthewd
Answered by
Honest John
No. He'd get done for that, even though, with the proliferation of touchscreen communication devices, the law about using a hand held mobile phone is outdated. If the phone was held in a cradle, what the driver did would not have been illegal because he was not using a 'hand held' mobile phone.
Similar questions
As the law is now taking a tougher line with drivers using mobile phones while on the move, are the same sanctions being used with those who use in-car touchscreen features, as are being found in more...
Recently I was a passenger in a car being driven in the outside lane, during rush hour, on a Friday evening. All three lanes of the motorway were busy with traffic moving at about 40mph. I looked across...
My wife owns a 2011 Kia Venga, which has been back to the garage three times, as the ISG stop-start isn't working properly. The garage keeps giving her what appear silly reasons - the first was not enough...
Elsewhere on 
.jpg)
