100 phoning drivers caught

Police are ‘‘really disappointed’’ with Christchurch drivers after catching more than 100 people using their cellphones at a single checkpoint.

Police are clamping down on distracted drivers across the country as part of a two-week operation.

Canterbury road policing team Senior Sergeant Scott Richardson said he saw people eating, doing their makeup, having small dogs on their laps, and even reading while driving during the first week of the operation.

‘‘I saw one girl driving the other day holding a steering wheel with her knees and texting with both thumbs.’’

It was ‘‘disappointing’’ to see motorists still breaking the law, he said.

‘‘We thought people would have got the message but for all the publicity people are finding these habits hard to break.

‘‘That’s why we are going to continue to do it until we get some inroads.’’

More than 100 people were stopped by police for using their cellphones while driving along Riccarton Rd.

Several other drivers were stopped for driving without wearing seatbelts, running orange lights, and drink driving during the day.

‘‘A lot of people appear to be driving with their mobile phones in their laps which creates a temptation to check your phone when it sounds or when you are stopped at traffic lights and intersections, both of which are illegal,’’ Richardson said.

‘‘That moment of looking away is when a cyclist or a child might appear in front of you.’’

The police operation would continue throughout September and those caught using a cellphone while driving would receive a $80 fine and 20 demerit points.

Ministry of Transport data showed ‘‘diverted attention’’ con- tributed to 1053 crashes in 2014 – 12 per cent of all crashes. Of those, 22 people were killed and a further 191 suffered serious injuries.

The social cost of crashes involving diverted attention was about $297 million.

Although legislation allowed the use of hands-free mobile phones, it was recommended drivers minimised the potential for distraction by switching phones off while driving, or pulling over to make or receive calls.