Phone driving going unpunished


One hand on the wheel, the other clamped to the ear, mobile-phone drivers are increasingly going unpunished according to new figures from the Home Office.

Recently released 2008/9 conviction figures show that 116,000 drivers were prosecuted in England and Wales, a five percent drop from the previous year, which was also down on the 167,000 figure from 2006/7.

However, as any ordinary motorist will corroborate, phone use without a hands-free kit is actually going up according to Department for Transport figures. Earlier this year a roadside survey conducted for the DfT discovered a 27 percent RISE in phone use between 2008 and 2009, with truck and van drivers singled out as the worst offenders.

Last week Children’s Secretary Ed Balls was fined £60 and given three points for driving on the phone, excusing his actions by saying he took the phone out of its cradle to avoid waking his children in the back seat.

Motoring organisations have long criticized the poor conviction rate. The Institute of Advanced Motorists told us: “There is insufficient enforcement. Drivers don’t think they will get caught.”

The charge of driving while using a handheld phone was made an endorsable offence in 27 February 2007. However, prosecution figures could increase after the local safety camera partnerships have been granted to expand their remit beyond speed policing and to also prosecute offences such as driving without seatbelts and mobile phone use.

What do you think? Is it time for increased penalties? Or should the police just be enforcing the law more tightly? Tell us here:



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Submited at Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 at 4:00 pm on Uncategorized by admin
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