Drivers face new phone penalties


HOW ABOUT ? smoke a cigarette, drink a coffee, shake your fist at another driver and punch a destination into your GARMIN, turn left .... and make a call at the same time -- yep these drivers are out there

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Motorists who use hand-held mobile phones while driving will now face tougher penalties. The maximum fixed penalty fine has doubled to £60, and three points can be added to offenders' licences. Motorists will also be prosecuted for using a hands-free phone if they are not in control of their vehicle. Transport minister Dr Stephen Ladyman said those who flouted the law were "selfishly" endangering others, but a drivers' group criticised the move. 'Robustly enforce' In 2005, 13 deaths and 400 injuries were blamed on drivers using hand-held mobile phones. The Department for Transport says 21% of drivers admit breaking the law, introduced in December 2003. Road safety minister Dr Ladyman said the new penalties would be combined with a "hard-hitting" television campaign. He added: "There are many things motorists can do to ensure they are safe and responsible drivers. "I am clear that we must continue to educate and encourage motorists about how to achieve this, as well as robustly enforce the law to discourage those that think it is OK to break it." A recent survey commissioned by Direct Line suggested one million people in the UK were flouting the law at any one time, with drivers in Cardiff, Newcastle and Southampton the worst offenders. There are quite a lot of people out there who are perfectly capable of holding a conversation on a mobile phone Nigel HumphriesAssociation of British Drivers Inspector Douglas Kirkham, from Lothian and Borders Road Policing Branch, warned drivers should not assume they were immune from prosecution if they were using a hands-free or Bluetooth kit. He said: "If while making or having a conversation, even if you're using a Bluetooth, you are not in proper control of your vehicle, then an offence has still been committed." But Nigel Humphries, from the Association of British Drivers, argreed people whose driving is affected by mobile phone use should be prosecuted. But he argued those who could use a phone in a responsible way should be free to do so. He said: "There are quite a lot of people out there who are perfectly capable of holding a conversation on a mobile phone while the driving comes first. "That's why you need the police to be concentrating on the people who clearly aren't doing that, and they're obvious if you're driving along." The maximum fine rises to £1,000 if the police or the driver choose to take a case to court rather than use a fixed-penalty notice, rising to £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches.