Safe Speed Forums

Drivers face new phone penalties

Motorists who are caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving will have three penalty points added to their licence, the government says.
Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said the maximum fine would also double to £60 from 27 February.

He added that it was "impossible to do two things at once" and that using a mobile while driving was dangerous.

But the Liberal Democrats say only about one in 100 offenders are being caught by police.

Mr Alexander said: "Research shows that talking on a mobile phone while driving affects your concentration and ability to react to dangerous situations.

"It's quite simple - it's impossible to do two things at once and do them well.

"That is why in December 2003 we introduced new laws preventing motorists from driving while using a hand-held mobile.

"We have seen a groundswell of support for this move.

"But, worryingly, while 92% of people agree with the law, 21% of drivers admit to breaking it."

Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is a perfectly sensible change and we support it.

"But the trouble with changes like this coming from ministers in ivory towers is that they have left our roads to be policed by speed cameras rather than real traffic officers - and so people will carry on getting away with offences like this."

Home Office figures for 2004 show that nearly 74,000 fixed-penalty notices were issued in England and Wales for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving.

A Liberal Democrat study last year suggested this meant only 1.1% of those who admitted to the offence were being caught.

The party combined the Home Office figures and an insurance firm's survey on driving habits to calculate that 6.7m people use mobiles while behind the wheel.

If the police or the driver choose to take a case to court rather than use a fixed-penalty notice, the maximum fine is £1,000, or £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6287005.stm

No, they introduced new laws to allow them to make money from people using mobile phones while driving. They haven't prevented anyone from doing anything.

The mobile phone law will only penalise people who can use a mobile phone while driving safely because, by definition, if using a mobile phone while driving causes you to drive dangerously then you are guilty of "dangerous driving".

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Andrew.

Possibly the wrong place,but as it's about mobile phones & penalties etc ---

Anyone heard the new "ad " about the risks of accidents using a mobile whilst driving --"the risk of an accident is fourfold " it says ---

How /where did they get this info -or is it the mobile version of the "one third " ???

I wonder what his definition of "thing" is... And how many "things" can be collected together to form a single macro-thing? After all, the act of driving consists of steering, pedal control, gear shifts, indicating, observation... is he suggesting it's impossible for anyone to drive well? If not, where does the line get drawn between things that can ge done well together and things which can't?

I guess this explains the near-total takeover of the motorway matrix signs with "Don't phone whilst driving" messages this week... talk about drumming the message home, aren't there any other safety messages they'd like us to heed, or have driving whilst tired, driving too close to the vehicle ahead, driving whilst drunk etc. etc, somehow become non-issues?

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Chris

I can pat my head and rub my tummy!

I can also manipulate three different controls simultaneously whilst talking to a crewman, air traffic and controlling an underslung load.

Not sure I can drive safely whilst devoting half my attention to my speedo and the other half to scanning to roadside for yellow vultures though.

I don't think enough study has been put into the relative merits, or lack thereof, of handsfree kits compared to handheld phones, and by damning them as equally evil off the cuff risks putting ourselves into the same league as the 'Speed Kills' brigade.

They say we can't do two things at once and then put up signs for us to read while driving...?

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Andrew.

What, like be a member of the labour party and govern?

Or to tells us that their safety policy is working, without laughing, or getting embaresed

As matter of course some time ago (about 18 months) the company I then worked for received a statement from (allegedly) the local police that with immediate effect in the North West Traffic Area ALL HGV & PCV drivers reported for using hand held mobile phones while driving would be reported to the area traffic commissioners and they (The Traffic Commissioners) would impose a 28 day driving ban and the traffic commisioners would also consider revoking the drivers "Vocational" HGV / PCV licence !
Is this a blatant situation of discrimination as not only do you lose your licence you also lose your job something that doesn,t happen to car drivers!
A bit draconian considering car drivers just get a fixed penalty of £30.00 and no ban or endorsement!
Stormin