Warning! You will be caught if using your phone while on the move

Department of Transport (DfT) figures have showed number of motorists using a phone behind the wheel is up from 2009 levels with most texting or using social media. It also saw 14 per cent rise in the use of mobile phone behind the wheel in the last five years despite measures to cut it.

Checks were conducted at almost 100 sites in England and Scotland and spotted 1.6 percent of drivers using a mobile phone while driving up from 1.4 per cent in 2009. Motorists were more likely to be texting, surfing the web or checking social media apps than holding a phone to their ear, the research found.

Van drivers were the biggest law breakers according to official figures and most men were most likely to be seen using a phone. Under-30s were the big offenders, too, more than double any other age group.

Department of Transport (DfT) figures also revealed mobile phone usage fell after laws were introduced in 2004 before rising again until the £60 fine and three penalty points punishment was introduced in 2007.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “In 2013 the use of a mobile at the wheel was a factor in 22 fatal accidents and this is likely to be underreporting of the true figure.

“The big concern is that with more and more technological and visual distractions in our lives and in our cars, the risks will increase. Research for us shows that texting whilst driving impairs reactions more than being at the drink drive limit.”

One explanation is the reduced number of traffic officers on patrol. Neil Greig, director of policy and research for the Institute of Advanced Motorists says drivers just don’t believe they’ll be caught.

“Campaigns need to be revived and invigorated with stronger messages,” he said. “It must be a Government priority for 2015.

“People must have a fear of being caught as we believe this is the only viable deterrent but that needs an increase in visible policing. Mobile phone usage at the wheel can kill – there’s no two ways about it.”

Solution

So what to do, well one possible solution is the increased use of technology. Signs that can detect the use of a mobile phone in a vehicle are being rolled out in Norfolk. The Mobile Phone Detection System (MPDS) is a portable sign that identifies people using a phone in a vehicle whether they’re making a call or texting.

A sensor monitors vehicles and sends the information to the sign further along the road which then flashes when a mobile is detected. There’s interest in this being used UK-wide if successful.

No Seatbelt

The Government research, carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory, also found almost two per cent of drivers in Scotland and England didn’t wear a seatbelt while driving. Around 10 per cent of rear passengers were spotted without one, too.

Prof Glaister said: “The study also shows a persistent minority of people still not wearing seat belts. The consequences can be lethal. A fifth of car occupants who died on Britain’s roads in 2013 had not belted up. It is particularly worrying that the proportion of children wearing belts has dropped as this could be a reflection of parental behaviour.”