50% drop in drivers on their mobiles after fines doubled

THE number of motorists caught using a mobile phone illegally has almost halved since penalties for offenders were doubled.

Statistics released one year on from the law change show a dramatic fall in the number of drivers caught using their phone at the wheel.

Around 39,000 fixed penalty notices were issued between March and December last year, compared with 74,000 during the same period in 2016.

The 47 per cent slump in the total could be a result of both harsher punishments and effective road safety campaigns, the AA said.

But it also warned that falling numbers of traffic officers may have led to a lack of enforcement on the road.

The figures were obtained by the breakdown rescue firm after it submitted requests under Freedom of Information legislation to the UK’s 45 police forces, receiving responses from 41.

The most dramatic drop in penalties occurred in and around London.

City of London Police handed out only 165 fixed penalty notices last year, a fall of 80 per cent from 824 in 2016.

Thames Valley Police saw the greatest reduction in the total number of drivers punished for using their phones, from 8,248 in 2016 to 2,941 last year.

Other forces that issued significantly fewer penalties were South Wales Police,

‘Some have got the message’

down 54 per cent; Police Scotland, down 51 per cent; and West Yorkshire Police, down 50 per cent.

Since March 1 last year, motorists caught using phones face six points on their licence and a £200 fine – up from three points and £100.

Drivers can lose their licence if they receive 12 points within three years or six points in the first two years after passing their test.

March last year saw the most penalties issued for mobile phone use at the wheel as many police forces cracked down on the offence.

The 8,500 caught that month compared with 1,400 in December, when police focused on drink-driving over the festive period.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: ‘It will take time for a wholesale change in attitudes to really take effect.

‘While some have got the message and changed their behaviour, many drivers still believe they won’t get caught.’

Separate research from the RAC found that nearly one in five companies say that employees have been involved in an accident while using a phone illegally on their commute.

A survey of 1,000 businesses in the UK found that 5 per cent admit that this happens ‘on a regular basis’.

Data from the Department for Transport shows that 780 people were injured in accidents when a driver was distracted or impaired by their phone in 2016 – up 10 per cent on the year before.

Men are the biggest culprits, committing some 81 per cent of offences, according to insurance company Admiral.

The firm also warned that guilty drivers could see their insurance premium almost double and that their cover may even be withdrawn.