Mobile crackdown catches thousands
Almost 8,000 drivers were caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel during a week-long crackdown by police according to reports by BBC.
Officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland issued more than 40 fines an hour during the campaign in November. They also issued 68 court summonses, delivered hundreds of verbal warnings and identified 117 other distraction offences such as eating while driving.
Police chiefs said the results were ‘encouraging’ and another week-long campaign was to begin today (23 January 2017).
Matt Butler, a traffic inspector for Dorset Police, one of the forces involved in the crackdown, told BBC Radio 5 live that it was not yet socially unacceptable to use a mobile phone while driving, but ‘we will get there’.
‘Although you may get away with it [using your mobile phone] a few times, sooner or later you are going to have a crash and that crash is going to hurt somebody really badly,’ he said.
‘So it is not just about ‘I’ve been naughty, I’ve been caught doing something’, it’s about the end effect and that is what we need people to remember.’
The Department for Transport announced plans last year to double the punishment for using a mobile phone while driving. Under new rules expected to be set this year, drivers could face fines of £200 and six penalty points.
