By Tim Ferguson, 1 February 2008 12:12
NEWS
The government is urging drivers to switch off their mobile phones before setting off on a journey to cut down the number of motorists still flouting the law by using a mobile while behind the wheel.
Road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick launched the latest £1.5m
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The launch takes place almost 12 months after the introduction of tougher penalties for mobile use while driving.
Fitzpatrick said talking on your mobile while driving is "distracting and affects your ability to react to dangerous situations" with research suggesting it makes you four times more likely to have a crash.
Despite research showing there has been a 40 per cent reduction in the number of people using a mobile phone while driving, Fitzpatrick said many drivers continue to flout the law.
He explained this is why the Road Safety Act 2006 raised the penalty for using a mobile while driving to three penalty points and a £60 fine (from £30) last year. Using a mobile phone while driving was first made illegal in 2003.
If a driver is found guilty in court there is also the possibility of a driving disqualification and a maximum fine of £1,000 - rising to £2,500 for commercial vehicle drivers.
People can also be fined for failing to have "proper control of a vehicle" which sometimes applies when using a hands-free set up.
Comments
There are 7 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
I find all this talk and statistics regarding mobile phones whilst driving to be getting boring and anoying. There are far greater distractions which have not been banned.
How about banning smoking whilst driving, how about banning pasengers from talking to drivers.
2. MusicFan
1.5million spent on a campain to say switch off your phone while driving, because people are still flouting the law?
I have to work for the tax money the government wrestles off me. This is a discraceful misuse of funds.
How about a simular campaign :-
"Burglars, please stop stealing"
or
"Please stop spamming, its bad!"
or
"Stop downloading free mp3's, please pay for them instead"
1.5 million...wasted!
Wont make any difference, people will do what they can get away with if it makes their life easier.
3. Brian Burkill
Biggest distraction of all in a car...
Two fighting kids,
One back seat mother in law
One arguing passenger (wife, partner etc)
4. anonymous
Bans are not on the use of mobiles, but on the use of hand-held mobiles. I have very frequently seen drivers doing either dangerous or rude and inconsiderate things while using a hand held mobile, mainly because they cannot properly operate the vehicle. Frankly if you can't run to a hands-free device, you shouldn't use a mobile in a car - It is selfish and dangerous.
5. Norman Offield
Why can't motor manufacturers install a device inside the car or cab of a lorry, to prevent a signal from a mobile being received or sent. I am sure that if this can be done in some supermarkets and other buildings, it is not impossible for a device to be installed.
6. Karen Challinor
Mr Offield - nice idea but how are you going to get one installed in every vehicle currently on the road, then how are you going to prevent the owners of those vehicles from disabling the jammers and finally who will pay for the device and it's installation
don't get me wrong, using a hand held mobile phone while driving is a very bad idea but I don't see how installing jamming devices would work
7. Andrew Meredith
Re: Norman Offield's Comment
In addition to the other sensible comments ...
1 - Jammers are illegal unless under a very specific license.
2 - What happens when the driver wants to make a 999 call.
3 - How are you going to prevent the jamming signal from leaking outside the car and squashing other mobiles in marginal signal areas.
Sorry, nuclear power sledge hammer to crack a poppy seed.