Dial and drive? It’ll cost you six points and £200
‘People continue to lose their lives’
MOTORISTS face a £200 fine and six points on their licence under a crackdown on mobile phone use behind the wheel.
At present, drivers who are stopped while using a mobile phone are issued with three points on their licence and a £100 fine.
But under the new legislation – which comes into force on Wednesday, March 1 – the penalties will double. In more serious cases, police officers have powers to prosecute drivers for careless or dangerous driving.
Police are launching a campaign to raise awareness of the new law and yesterday urged motorists not to risk using a hand-held internet device or a mobile phone while driving.
The moves f ollow a Mail campaign for tougher deterrents to curb needless injury and death caused by the problem.
An average of 27 mobile phone offences are recorded each day, according to Scottish Government figures.
But conviction rates are falling amid fears officers struggle to tackle the problem because of cuts. Last night, Chief Superint endent Andy Edmonston, Police Scotland’s head of road policing, said: ‘The risks associated with using a phone while behind the wheel have always been very clear.
‘Any driver will be distracted by a phone call or text message as i t affects the ability to concentrate and anticipate the road ahead, putting the driver and other road users at risk.
‘Distraction reduces hazard perception and increases reaction times in a similar way to drink- driving, making drivers much more l i kely to cause deaths and injuries.’
The new penalties apply in Scotland, England and Wales. Scots are the worst in the UK for using mobiles while driving, research found last year.
Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: ‘Sadly, people continue to lose their lives on our roads in crashes caused by drivers who are distracted because they use a mobile phone.’ Gary Rae, of road safety charity Brake, said: ‘While we welcome the Government’s intent to double the penalty points for those caught using a mobile phone when behind the wheel, the financial penalty needs to be significantly increased.
A cut in specialist traffic police had had a ‘dramatic impact’ on enforcement, he added.
Last year, lorry driver Tomasz Kroker killed a mother and three children when he ploughed into their vehicle near Newbury, Berkshire, while s crolli ng through music on his phone.
The 30-year-old was jailed for ten years at Reading Crown Court last October after admitting four charges of causing death by dangerous driving.
Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, of the Association of Chief Police Officers in England, has said people caught using mobile phones at the wheel more than once should be banned from the roads. But motoring organisations say tougher penalties are redundant without proper enforcement.
Police Scotland Chief Constable Phil Gormley said earlier this year: ‘Enforcement alone is not the answer – people have to take responsibility for themselves.’