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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 19:09 
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28324408

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The penalty for using a mobile phone while driving could be doubled from the current three points, the transport secretary has suggested.

Patrick McLoughlin's suggestion comes after Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for offenders to get six points on their licence.

The increased sanctions would mean a driver could get banned if they got caught twice in three years.

A government spokesman said it was "considering a number of options".

It has been illegal to use a mobile phone while driving since December 2003.

As it stands offenders get three points on their licence and an initial £100 fine, which could increase to a £1,000 fine should the case go to court.

Mr McLoughlin's suggestion was made during a lunchtime briefing with journalists on Tuesday.

The Daily Mail reported that he said: "We've got to change this. I want to alert people to what they are doing.

"The person who is using their phone doesn't realise the damage or the danger that they could be in, so it ends up ruining different people's lives."

Figures released by the Department for Transport show that in 2012 there were 17 fatal accidents involving mobile phones and a further 67 "serious accidents".

Home Office figures show that in 2012 in England and Wales more than 92,500 fixed penalty notices were issued for using a handheld mobile phone while driving, which is a fall of 32% on 2011 when more than 123,000 notices were issued.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of road safety charity Brake, said she would welcome the proposal should it ever become legislation.

She said: "We hope the government will implement it. Brake has long campaigned for tougher penalties for mobile phone use at the wheel because of the suffering we see the bereaved and injured victims of road crashes put through as the result of such a senseless and unnecessary risk."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous which is why we are considering a number of options to deter drivers."

In August 2013 the department increased the initial fine drivers received for getting caught using their phone from £60 to £100.

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said: "Sadly under this government we have seen the first increase in motorway deaths in nearly a decade.

"Using your phone while driving is illegal and Labour will be pressing the government to take firm action to prevent these avoidable deaths."

Last week research by the motoring group the RAC suggested that a fifth of motorists did not know it was illegal to check social media websites on a phone while driving.

Seems a rather pointless gesture if people perceive the risk of being caught as so low.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 19:52 
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You will know that I am totally opposed to the use of mobiles while driving but...

The thing I hate about reports like this is the slack language. What does "...fatal accidents involving mobile phones..." mean? Pedestrians crossing the road engrossed in their mobiles and walking under a bus?

The number of incidents said to involve phones is extremely small given the very extensive usage you see every day.

You might as well make the penalty a mandatory 5 years inside for all the good it will do.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 20:04 
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malcolmw wrote:
The number of incidents said to involve phones is extremely small given the very extensive usage you see every day.

Yes, I don't defend the use of mobile phones while driving either, but that suggests it isn't remotely the major killer on the roads that is often suggested.

You wonder how many pedestrians end up being injured because they were looking at their phone rather than the road :roll:

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 12:46 
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I'd like to see figures released for persons injured by cyclists texting whilst cycling, causing damage to other road/ path/ etc users.The other day I was almost hit by texting cyclist( in a park ,on a narrow path whilst I was on a mobility scooter with limited room) .Next in line would have been Mrs B , then my dog and my GS. Whilst I agree with hitting the texting motorist, perhaps we need to look into other aspects of road safety. The texting idiot was more concerned with his text than what was in front of him . It was only when I shouted a warning that he stopped,but not in a controlled manner.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 09:45 
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botach wrote:
I'd like to see figures released for persons injured by cyclists texting whilst cycling,


I would imagine that it is of the dame order of magnitude as the number of cyclists injured by texting pedestrians. Amd several oom less than the numbers injured by texting motorists.

What does "using a mobile phone" mean in the context of the legislation. Presumably it original meant texting and phoning but a modern smart phone allows you to do a myriad of other things.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 15:32 
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DCB- long posts ago ,you questioned my use of the language, as you professed to be a"proof reader ". In that context please explain in simple language "dame order of magnitude"I'd suggest you hit the "d" key rather than the "s" key ,and missed the error when proof reading your post. QED( in maths terms :D ,as a fellow engineer. :shock: ).

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 17:55 
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botach wrote:
DCB- long posts ago ,you questioned my use of the language, as you professed to be a"proof reader ". In that context please explain in simple language "dame order of magnitude"I'd suggest you hit the "d" key rather than the "s" key ,and missed the error when proof reading your post. QED( in maths terms :D ,as a fellow engineer. :shock: ).


No. Dame order of magnitude means as measured by a female statistician :-)

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 14:51 
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dcb- I'd then suggest it's a lot lower than we blokes find, as ladies "of the opposite sex" ,(a la "allo, allo) think that we blokes can't read a tape measure ( :shock: ).
But on a more serious note(mentioned elsewhere)- Hasn't Cameroon taken heed of what happened under the Blair/Brown fiasco with laws brought in with no powers of enforcement. Cameras only catch those registered ,and to police the roads we need officers on the roads to enforce the law. If in doubt-Peters Avocat says it all - 1192 caught speeding, no burglars caught.

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