Handsfree Or Scot Free?

The ministry of transport is convinced we all know the new handsfree phone law comes in at the end of this week – but could you sit a test on what it actually means?

Even among tech-savvy and smart friends, I’m amazed how much confusion there is about what you can and can’t do and when. Besides confusion,  there’s indifference.

Many people shrug their shoulders about whether they will bother to change their habits, certainly immediately.

And when I did the round of shops this afternoon asking about handfree set options,I was amazed at many shop assistants’ lack of knowledge (one couldn’t explain what Bluetooth is – I was just curious to know if they did) . I thought I would trip over a display and hard sell in the entrance of the shop but it was difficult  to even find what section of the shops the kits were stored – and no-one seemed to know which suggests they haven’t been swamped with interest.  (“Umm.. try the Telecom phone section… Umm.. try where we have iPod cases… Umm..handsfree? You mean iPod in your car? OK, I will have to ask”).

None of the shops actually displayed information about the new law.

And if you do sit a test about the new law, you might find some of the correct answers are still a little nuts.

On the current wording of the act, it’s still illegal to use a phone GPS system or app or play iTunes music on your mobile while driving, despite the recent net controversy about it.

You can do so if you have a standalone Navman/ TomTom or whatever GPS or if you play music off your iPod , or radio but not your iPhone. Transport Minister  Steven Joyce, had said the act will be amended so the GPS and music thing can be allowed if off a mounted phone but why isn’t this nonsense changed before the law comes into effect? Try explaining that technicality to a confused revenue-collecting cop when he stops you and spotted you skipping an Abba track on your iTunes favourites because the people in the car next to you are yelling out names at you!

In fact, you are not allowed to touch a phone unless you need to”manipulate the phone infrequently and briefly. ” What one earth does that mean and what defines infrequently?

Legal experts apparently suggest  that it means that its OK pressing a button to activate a call, pressing a button to end a call or use a speed dial. But again this seems to remain a matter of interpretation. If you crash while pressing the “answer” button when a call comes in, the insurance company no doubt will have a different view on what “manipulate” the phone “briefly” means.

I’m all in favour of the new law – but the education process has been woefully simplified and undersold if what I overhear is the norm.  And the wide range of solutions available – from cheap coffee cup type holders to flash Bluetooth devices costing several hundred dollars  – not only confuse but also make you wonder, from conversations I had at the train station this morning,  if some motorists think they can get away with some plastic holder from the $2 shop that pretends to give them handsfree and compliant with the law but doesn’t really make them any safer on the road.

One salesperson I spoke to said most people walk out of the shop when they take a look at the prices of handsfree kits. The cheapest he was selling was $79 “and “people say that’s more than my phone’s worth.” That model rated poorly in a TV3 Target programme test last week. That store tried to sell me the most expensive -almost $300 worth.

The police have also been making noises in the last few days that they will go soft at first. That’s hardly an incentive to comply.

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