Stiffer penalties for using mobile devices while driving

Drivers caught using their mobile phone behind the wheel now face tougher penalties.

From today (1 March 2017) both the fine and penalty points will double - from £100 to £200 and from 3 to 6 points.

Between 1 and 7 March Devon and Cornwall Police and Dorset Police roads policing alliance will be out on the region’s roads ensuring compliance with the new legislation. The option of taking an awareness course and not receiving points on the driving license will no longer be offered.

Chief Inspector Adrian Leisk, head of the roads policing alliance, said: “These tougher new penalties reflect the seriousness with which the police, public and the government hold the illegal activity of using a handheld mobile device while driving.”

“It has been illegal to use a handheld mobile device while driving since 2003, yet 31% of the population still admit to doing it. We want to be very clear that there are no excuses for doing so and that we will enforce the new penalties.”

“We cannot understate how devastating the consequences of driving while distracted can be. Just a moments distraction from the road can have tragic results as national figures and recent high profile cases show.”

Anyone who gets caught twice using a mobile device while driving will, with the new tariff of six penalty points, find that their license will be revoked. Newer drivers, if they get caught within two years of passing their test, will have their license taken for a first offence and will have to retake their driving test.

Chief Inspector Leisk continued: “The public now overwhelmingly see drink or drug driving, or not wearing a seatbelt, as socially unacceptable. It is the same for using a handheld mobile device.

“This has gone beyond answering phone calls. Texting, checking social media accounts and even people streaming video of themselves are now achievable. Let us be clear that there is no aspect of social media, or any text message or phone call that is important or urgent enough to risk distracting yourself and losing control of your vehicle.

“If you do it, you are a danger to yourself and innocent road users. People need to understand that this is not a minor offence that they can get away with.”

In January, during a week of action in Devon and Cornwall the roads policing team gave out 49 TORs (Traffic Offence Reports i.e. fixed penalties, previously known as OSCOs) for illegal use of a mobile device by drivers. The roads policing team in Camborne accounted for six of these in one three hour period alone.

Chief Inspector Leisk concluded: “If you are driving, the most responsible thing to do, and safest for you and other road users, is to put your phone in the glove compartment and leave it there until you have arrived safely at your destination. The penalties have got tougher and so have we. If you use your phone handheld while driving you will get caught and you will be fined and have points on your licence. Put your phone away.”

More information about using mobile devices while driving can be found on the Devon and Cornwall Police website: www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/on-the-road/driving-while-using-a-mo...

Statistics from the national THINK! campaign

Mobile phone use was a contributory factor in 22 fatal and 75 serious road accidents in 2015, and was revealed as one of top 4 public concerns for road safety in a 2016 survey.
Research shows that there is growing concern about the number of people using their mobile phone while driving – 96% of the public agree that it is unacceptable – but 31% still admit to doing it.

Why is it dangerous to use a handheld mobile device while driving?

Cognitive distraction – driving while using your phone requires you to concentrate on two ‘thinking’ tasks at once which our brains are not programmed to do effectively.
Physical impairment – holding your phone leaves only one hand in control of the steering wheel.
Visual impairment – when you glance down at your phone you take your eyes off the road ahead. Looking away for just a couple of seconds mean you can miss whole stretches of road which increases your risk of a collision.

How dangerous is using a handheld mobile phone or other device while driving? Figures from the Transport Research Laboratory

An undistracted driver typically reacts in 1 second. A texting driver’s reaction time is 2.8 time greater when compared to a driver who is at the drink-drive limit in England and Wales.
Percentage increase in in distracted drivers response times are as follows: 13% drink-drive limit, 21% ‘high’ on cannabis, 27% using a hands-free phone, 37% texting, 46% using a handheld phone.

It’s illegal to use a handheld mobile phone (or other device) while driving.

This includes holding and using your mobile to make a call, look at a text or check social media. It applies even if you’re stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic.

If you’re caught using a handheld phone (or other device) while driving:

You’ll get 6 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £200.
For new drivers, if you get 6 points in the first two years after passing your test, you will lose your licence.

Using hands-free devices

You can use a hands-free phone while driving but you can still be prosecuted if you’re not in proper control of your vehicle.
Hands free for calling is permitted when used safely, through technology such as Bluetooth and in-car voice activation.
Mobile phones may also be connected to car “infotainment” systems –but the driver must not hold the phone at any time while driving.
A mobile phone can be used for navigation if it is hands free and should be securely mounted in a cradle.