Drivers ignoring mobile phone laws
/v3-uk/news/1948893/drivers-ignoring-mobile-phone-laws
01 Feb 2008, Iain Thomson , V3
The Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association claims that drivers are largely ignoring tough new penalties for using a mobile phone while driving.
Penalties for talking on a non-hands-free mobile phone were increased in January from £30 to £60 with an additional three penalty points.
While every member of the Association thought this was a good idea, three quarters said it was ineffective.
Malcolm Burns, chairmen of the Association, said: "The message here is that the tougher penalties are clearly not having the intended effect. Our members are continuing to see people flaunting the law by using mobile phones while driving.
"Using a hand-held phone behind the wheel means that you are not concentrating 100 per cent on driving and that is putting your own life at risk and the lives of other road users.
"Even using a phone with a hands-free kit means you are not paying full attention and we urge drivers to take advantage of voicemail systems and switch their phone off before starting any journey."
Around 85 per cent of the Association's members thought that mobile phones were the most dangerous distraction for drivers, worse than smoking or listening to music. Over 90 per cent called for the police to be much tougher in enforcing the law.
David Frost, press and PR spokesman for the Association, said: "At the moment a significant number of drivers are choosing to ignore the ban as they consider there isn't a big enough chance of them being caught.
"We know that the police are working hard to enforce the legislation where they can, but we believe that the government needs to provide more resources to allow the law to be enforced."
Do you agree?
2 way radios just as bad
Whilst I agree that penalties for mobile phone use need to be tougher I think legislation needs to encompass 2 way radios.
On more than 1 occassion HGVs were sverving across the road whilst the driver used a CB radio.
Obviously yes this will affect the police as well and so it should.
For example a program broadcast several times now on BBC1 shows a police driver driving at high speed through a housing estate whilst talking into a radio, and more than once he nearly crashed the car as he couldn't turn the wheel properly.
Legally this meant he wasn't in control and if internet (youtube etc) videos can be used for prosecutions then BBC1 film evidence can and should also be used.
The police can't complain about bad driving or a lack of respect from the public whilst they apply this double standard.
Going back to the lorries, consider the damage an out of control lorry can do, as evidenced by the fact that police escort and clear a path for a lorry failing to stop rather than boxing it in as they would with a car. Look at the damage, injuries and deaths the time the cement lorry went out of control and hit the bus stop and ploughed on into the shops.
Posted by Ian Carson, 07 Feb 2008