Mobiles put the vice in device
Police have launched a one-week campaign targeting mobile phone users behind the wheel.
Officers in unmarked vans will use helmet cameras and high-seated vehicles to identify offenders.
The campaign will also include messages on road signs and social media videos and messages to raise awareness of the dangers of driving while using a handset.
A similar campaign last year caught 2,323 offenders in a single week, but the number of people using phones while driving hasn’t gone backwards with 31% of respondents to an RAC survey in September admitting they were guilty of the practice compared to eight per cent in 2014.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said the campaign aims to make ‘driving distracted as socially unacceptable as drink driving.’
The penalties for using a phone while driving are due to double early next year, rising to six points and a £200 fine.
