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4 October 2005 - Don't Speak To Your Hand
Held Mobile Whilst Driving
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Road Safety Minister, Stephen Ladyman, has today released
figures from the Department for Transport's research into the use of hand held
mobile 'phones whilst driving, which concluded that 1.5% car drivers and 2.4%
lorry and van drivers had been spotted using their mobile 'phones whilst
driving.
Commenting on the figures, Mr. Ladyman said:
"Using a mobile phone while you're driving makes you four
times more likely to have an accident, and it's a shame that a small minority of
drivers are still using their hand held phones.
"Missing a call won't kill you, but a road accident might. I urge people to
switch off their phones while they're driving to make the roads safer for us
all. The police are on the road looking out for drivers using phones and they do
prosecute those they catch.
"The Road Safety Bill currently going through Parliament will mean that in
future people using a hand held phone will get a £60 fine and 3 points on their
licence. But I don't want people to be caught and risk losing their licences, I
want them to stop using their phones while they drive."
Although Mr. Ladyman comments that "only a small minority of
drivers are still using their hand held 'phones", we the general public, are
seeing more and more drivers flouting the law without being "spotted" by police.
The research correctly states the figures released were of
drivers "spotted" using mobiles whilst continuing to drive. Perhaps
more crackdowns, such as the month long crackdown by Welsh Police in August this
year are required, results of which are as follows:
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199 drivers were caught using hand held mobile 'phones.
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8 of the 199 drivers were taken to court for the offence.
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173 drivers were given fixed penalty notices.
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18 were issued with warnings.
Commenting on the Welsh crackdown, Mr. Nigel Whitehouse, South
Wales Police Road Safety Officer said:
"Clearly the message still hasn't got through to a lot of
people.
"I hope this crackdown will serve as a reminder to south Wales' road users who
continue to break the law, that we are looking out for them.
"Two years after legislation banning hand-held phones was introduced, drivers
should now be aware of how phones could legally be used while driving..
"By now people are aware of the measures they can take to ensure their own
safety and that of other road users when using a mobile phone whilst driving.
"There are no longer any excuses, so anyone caught can expect to be penalised.
"The message is simple - using mobile phones whilst driving not only endangers
the driver but innocent road users as well."
The Clunk-Click Every Trip campaign which succeeded in making
drivers belt-up every trip has now become a matter of form to us all.
Why don't we start doing the same with our hand held mobiles and
"Switch off before turning on". We would enjoy our music or radio
better and it would guarantee no interruptions which could cause stress and
anxiety.
The survey can be accessed from the TRL Website by clicking the
following:
TRL - Creating the future of transport
A guidance, in pdf format, on the use of mobile 'phones for employers of fleet
drivers, can be accessed from RoSPA by clicking the following:
Driving for Work: Mobile 'phones
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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