Crackdown on using phones while driving
SAILORS and buxom wenches celebrated the birthday of a 400-year-old former pub in Caernarfon on Sunday.
Revellers dressed in period costume at the former Packet House pub - now known as Clwb Canol Dre - in the town’s Stryd Fawr, where the 1616 date can be seen under its roof.
The celebration was among a weekend of events all part of the the Open Doors programme, which provides free access to buildings not normally open to the public.
The series of events in Caernarfon were arranged and organised by Cymdeithas Ddinesig Caernarfon Civic Society.
The first Open Doors Day was held in France in 1984, and the event has since spread to other places in Europe, as well as North America, Australia and elsewhere.
Organiser Emrys Llewelyn said: “This year, the Caernarfon Civic Society has arranged that more of these sites will be made accessible than has happened in previous years.”
A total of 13 hidden architectural gems were revealed as buildings in the town opened their doors.
Among them were the old prison, which is now part of Gwynedd Council offices, and its cells and hanging tower. MOTORISTS in North Wales face a new crackdown on motorists who use their mobile phones and smart devices when they’re driving.
North Wales’ police and crime commissioner Arfon Jones has pledged to make road safety a priority in his Police and Crime Plan which will set out a blueprint for policing the region.
Mr Jones, a former police inspector, was speaking after a visit to North Wales Police’s roads policing unit in St Asaph.
Using a mobile or smart device is one of the “fatal five” factors when people were killed or seriously injured on the roads – the others being speeding, being under the influence of drink or drugs, dangerous or careless driving and not wearing seatbelt.
Drivers caught using a hand-held device when driving can expect anything from three penalty points on their licence to a fine of up to £100.
If the case goes to court the maximum fine increases to £1,000 and it can result in a disqualifi- cation from driving.
Causing death by dangerous driving can lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years and a disqualification for a minimum of two years.
It has also been revealed some of the drivers who have been caught have had increases of 300-400 per cent in their insurance premiums.
Mr Jones said: “Using a mobile phone whilst driving is one of the fatal five offences and I think it’s a big part of accidents.
“It’s as dangerous as speeding in causing accidents and, of course, part of my brief is to reduce the amount of people who are injured or killed in accidents and I like to see more being done about the use of mobile phones.
“If people were dying because of another type of crime, there would be much more resources going into it than goes into roads policing.”
Chief Inspector Darren Wareing, who is in charge of the roads policing unit, is passionate about making the roads of North Wales safer.
He said: “We spend a lot of time researching what we as police need to do in respect of affecting people’s behaviour.
“The only thing that affects people is the fear of being caught, not the fear of the consequences.
“We all think, ‘I’m going to be okay, it’s not going to happen to me’.
“But in a heartbeat that can change, and it’s those people that actuallyy cause those collisionsons and accidents onn the road.
“We havee our strategyy around reducing the risk of a collision and it iss aimed aroundd ● the fatal five strands, andd the use of mobile phones is one of them.
“We’re fully supported by the communities because they see drivers on their phones and they think that they’re at risk.
“It’s more than phone calls. People are also using smart devices, Facebook, What’s App, Messenger whilst driving, emails.
“People live their lives on social media and it doesn’t stop in the car.
“People use mobile phones and think they’re doing no harm. They want to take that call that they think is so important and, let’s be honest, it’s not is it?”
He added: “We’ve had one where somebody was on a phone and we’ve had the recordingg and they’ve passedpassed awaway. It was awful.awful.
““SSo, if we seesee somebobody who’s ddistracted anand not in pproper contrtrol of their vv ee h i c l e , wewe’ll take pp oo s i t i v e actionaction. ““WeWe mmight give them three points, we might give them a £100 fine or they might go to court, but as soon as they disclose that to their insurance companies there’s a higher chance of them crashing, so their premiums go through the roof.
“Some people have had