Mobile phone use on the up
New figures show higher fines are proving no deterrent
MORE than 200 drivers a day were caught illegally using their mobile phone behind the wheel in the month after new, tougher laws for the offence were introduced.
Police in Britain penalised nearly 6,000 drivers in March this year, as part of a major crackdown on the practice, according to figures obtained by the Press Association. From 1 March, the penalty for drivers illegally using their mobile phone was doubled from £100 to £200, and the licence endorsement also rose, from three penalty points to six.
Of 44 forces, the Metropolitan Police in London registered the highest number of offenders, at 2,037. Thames Valley Police recorded the second highest total at 478, followed by Police Scotland at 339.
The 5,997 drivers caught in March is a huge increase from previous years. Figures from the Home Office show police in England and Wales fined just 16,900 drivers using a phone at the wheel in 2015, or roughly 1,400 a month.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said police in Britain are increasing efforts to catch offenders. A spokesman for the NPCC said: “These new penalties reflect the seriousness of the offence and will strengthen the deterrent against using a phone at the wheel. We need people to understand that this is not a minor offence that they can get away with.”
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “These latest figures are a cause for concern, but are not surprising. The RAC identified that the use of a handheld mobile phone by drivers is at epidemic proportions, and it is going to take a combination of factors to get the message across that anyone breaking the law will be caught and prosecuted.”
“Police in Britain penalised nearly 6,000 drivers using their mobile phones at the wheel in March this year”