Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman calls for a ban on "dangerous" Sat Navs
Nov 19, 2013 15:33 By Charlotte Cox
Road safety charity Brake has called for hands-free mobile phone use by drivers to be outlawed - and Mr Freeman thinks this should be extended to Sat Navs
Controversial: Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman has called for a ban on Sat Navs because of the "acute dangers" motorists face then using them
Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman has called for a ban on Sat Navs because of the "acute dangers" motorists face then using them.
Mr Freeman, from Knutsford, whose clients have included Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham, issued the controversial call after road safety charity Brake said hands-free mobile phones should be banned in cars.
But the lawyer - who has been nicknamed Mr Loophole - believes this should be extended to Sat Navs.
He said: “There is no difference between hands-free and hand-held and using a hands-free mobile is on a par with drink driving. If you do get caught with a phone you should be disqualified.
“Sat navs are of equal distraction. I’m a user myself but at the same time I’m acutely aware of how dangerous they can be.
“People are not being aware and education is needed so they are advised of the potential acute dangers.
“A balance has to be drawn, but if we want to completely prioritise road safety above all else then we should completely change our sat nav devices, remove the screen when the vehicles is moving. And if the primary concern is road safety then I would encourage the banning of sat navs.”
He said other distractions were incomparable, adding: “When you start a journey you don’t say to your kids ‘I want you to argue for the next three hours’. You tell them to shut up.
“The problem is people are blissfully unaware of the danger.
“I use sat navs all the time and when I get in my car I have 30 calls to make, but I drive gingerly. I’m acutely aware. Phones should be for emergencies.”
Mr Freeman's comments have criticised as ‘extreme’ by driving safety experts.
Jeremy Dent, chairman of the Manchester branch of the RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders Association, says it’s all about skilled driving – not removing specific distractions.
Mr Dent, a driving tutor from Stockport who has been driving for 43 years, said: “I think the sat nav suggestion – even for the screen to be off when moving – is extreme. Good driving is about overcoming a number of distractions. I don’t think one specific distraction like sat nav is critical in itself. Suggestions like this are gut feeling, not based on any research.
“There is no research that says, for example, that sat navs cause 75 per cent of collisions.
“It’s about a safe approach overall to driving.”
He said it is more important to make sure the sat nav is positioned safely.
“It’s more dangerous to have a map on your lap and trying to drive at the same time.”
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This is pointless and a waste of time. Motorists ensuring that all attention to their aids are done so only at safe and appropriate times.
Brake calling for all mobile use to be banned would only drive it into more dangerous levels. Making things illegal doesn't prevent their action if people see that action as safe or necessary.