Drivers still not aware of higher penalties for using mobiles
Two in five fail to realise fines and points to double
TWO in five drivers are unaware they face tougher punishments from this week for using a handheld mobile phone while driving, a study has found.
Some 39 per cent do not know that penalty points and fines will double to six and £200 respectively from Wednesday, according to a Co-op Insurance poll of 1,500 UK drivers conducted last week.
The firm described the findings as “very worrying”.
Drivers can be banned from Scotland’s roads if they receive 12 points within three years, while new drivers can have their licence revoked if they get six points within two years of passing their test.
Stricter penalties for illegal phone use are being introduced following a series of high-profile cases and research suggesting the practice is widespread.
Twenty-two people were killed and 99 seriously injured in accidents on Britain’s roads in 2015 where a motorist using a mobile was a contributory factor, figures show.
Last October, lorry driver Tomasz Kroker was jailed for 10 years after killing a woman and three children by ploughing into their stationary car on the A34 near Newbury, Berkshire, while distracted by his mobile phone.
Motoring groups believe a sharp decline in the number of drivers caught using a hand-held phone is partly due to police budget cuts affecting enforcement.
The Co-op Insurance survey found almost one-third (30 per cent) of drivers admit to using their phone behind the wheel and over half (54 per cent) do not believe the tougher punishments being intro- duced this week will deter offenders. James Hillon, head of products at Co-op Insurance, said: “We welcome the penalty changes because anything that helps make our roads safer can only be a good thing. However, it is very worrying that a significant proportion of drivers are unaware of the changes given how significant they are.
“While it seems as though the increase in penalties may encourage better behaviour, with a quarter now less likely to phone and drive, much of the driving population believe the increase could have gone further.”
Police Scotland has launched an awareness campaign of the new mobile phone law.
Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston, the force’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 it 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 drinkdriving, making drivers much more likely to cause deaths and injuries. Drivers who think they can multitask are fooling themselves.
“The law says a driver must at all times be in proper control of their vehicle. If at any time they are not they may be guilty of an offence.”
The new rules come as ministers are feeling increasing pressure to introduce roadside testing for drug- driving.
Road safety and motoring groups have expressed disappointment that almost a year after England and Wales enforced tough drug-drive laws, the legislation is nowhere near being implemented north of the Border despite its success.
Figures show from 2012-2015, one in five road accidents tested positive for alcohol. The same number tested positive for cannabis, with one in five deaths linked to it. Doctors are now calling for the Scottish Government to implement a drug-driving ban, similar to the onedown south.
BMA Scotland said measures were necessary to cut levels of drug-driving.