60% slump in drivers using phone at wheel after Mail’s campaign

TOUGHER penalties have helped to slash the number of drivers using their phone at the wheel, an official study suggests.

The proportion of motorists caught using their handset fell to 0.6 per cent in England and Wales in the latest survey by the Department for Transport – almost two-thirds down on the 1.6 per cent from the previous study in 2014.

However, younger drivers and cabbies are far more likely to commit the offence – particularly at rush hour.

The figures released yesterday, covering October 2017, follow the introduction of tougher penalties in March that year after the Daily Mail launched its End the Mobile Madness campaign. Ministers doubled the punishment for the offence from three penalty points to six, with the fine rising from £100 to £200. However, the message does not seem to be getting through to everyone. Some 2 per cent of Scottish drivers were caught in the ‘ roadside observation survey’ – three times the rate of those in England and Wales.

In addition, those aged 17-29 were twice as likely to be caught using their mobile at ‘stationary sites’ such as junctions and at traffic lights. Some 4 per cent in this age group were spotted, compared with 2.1 per cent among all motorists. Based on types of vehicle, taxi drivers were the worst offenders, with 3.3 per cent being caught out. Motorists were most likely to use their phone at the wheel in the evening rush hour, the research found.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: ‘Using the phone to decide what to get for tea or making arrangements for the evening pushes common sense out of the car window for too