UK police have launched a 2-week campaign to catch drivers using their phones at the wheel, with the threat of a hefty £200 fine and a penalty of 6 points added to their license if caught.
The nationwide clampdown is being coordinated by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) across all regional police forces, beginning last Monday (Feb 8) and running all the way through until February 21.
The NPCC have launched their driving-safety campaign ahead of a significant change to driving law due to come into effect later this year, that will ban drivers from being able to touch a device at all when on the move.
Current law dictates that motorists can only be prosecuted for using a phone behind the wheel if they're performing an 'interactive communication', such as making handheld calls, texting, or using the internet.
However, the law does not currently apply to drivers filming videos behind the wheel, a loophole that ministers are reportedly keen to put an end to.
According to a report on in-car phone usage from the RAC last year, it found that 23% of all drivers – the equivalent of just under 10 million UK motorists – confessed to making or receiving calls on a handheld phone while they were driving, at least occasionally.
Furthermore, among drivers aged between 17 and 24, this rate of usage jumps up to a staggering 51%.
The report also found that 17% of all drivers – and a shocking 35% of under-25s – say they check texts, email or social media whilst at-the-wheel, despite the heightened level of risk involved in looking away from the road, even for seconds at a time.
Only a small minority of drivers (15%) said that they follow the official government advice to put their phone in their glove compartment whilst driving: most people either keep their phone in a pocket or bag (45%), or put it on the seat or console next to them (25%), and 24% of respondents told the RAC that they usually leave their phones switched on with the sound on when driving.
The police crackdown on offending drivers is likely to cause a rise in penalties and insurance premiums – or a complete loss of license for anyone with a license less than 2 years old – for many motorists.
Jem Mountford, a police inspector from the Warwickshire force, said: 'We are seeing a worrying shift in attitudes to mobile phone use behind the wheel and this is raising many safety concerns.
We are seeing more drivers looking down to use a handheld mobile phone to use social media apps, select music, check emails or texting while driving when they should be focussing on the road ahead. We are asking these drivers to consider how their actions could affect themselves and other people.”
The inspector added: “Whoever you are texting or calling, whether parents, family, or friends, they would not want you to have a collision potentially injuring yourself or someone else.”
Chief inspector Stephen O'Keeffe, head of the tri-force Roads Policing Unit, said: “You might think glancing down at your phone is ok but not looking where you are driving is incredibly dangerous.
At that moment you are not aware of what is happening around you. It only takes a second for circumstances to change and for you to be involved in a collision, either with another road user or a pedestrian.”
“At a time when emergency services are under unprecedented strain, we must do everything in our power to look after ourselves and those around us. That includes not putting lives at risk by driving dangerously,” he added.
Keyword: Police launch crackdown on drivers using mobile phones at the wheel