A report released by the RAC this month shows that the number of drivers admitting to breaking the law by using their mobile phone without a hands-free kit while driving has more than trebled in a year*.
Kent Police has reacted to the findings by warning motorists not only of the dangers of this activity, but also of their increasing chances of being caught.
Inspector Paul Sellwood from Kent Police's Roads Policing Unit said:
"Motorists need to realise that it is not just highly visible police cars and motorcycles that are catching drivers talking, texting or looking at emails and websites on their phones: Kent Police has a fleet of unmarked cars and motorcycles that are increasingly catching drivers thinking they can get away with it.
"In addition, the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership’s camera vans are enforcing phone offences as well as speed, so there is an increasing chance of being caught using your mobile. This is particularly poignant for young drivers who will lose their licence if they get six points in the first two years of passing their test.
"Many people still do not realise it is an offence to use a mobile phone while a vehicle is stationary in a lay-by, traffic jam, traffic lights or at the side of the road, with the engine running."
The penalty for being caught is a £60 fine and three penalty points on your licence, however the consequences of using your phone at the wheel can be much more devastating: in the last three years there have been at least 46 crashes on the county’s roads involving someone using a mobile phone while at the wheel. Of these there were 4 fatalities, 10 serious injuries and 48 slight injuries.
Katherine Barrett from the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership said: "It is incredibly worrying that people still don't take seriously the dangers posed by using, in any way, a phone while driving. More and more people are using smart phone technology, so it is not just ringing and texting that people are using their phones for – one in five people (21%) admitted to accessing email, Facebook and Twitter while driving. Quite clearly, drivers do not think they will get caught, but that kind of attitude can lead to tragic and even fatal consequences."
The law banning the use of hand-held mobile phones came into force in December 2003, and in February 2007 the penalty was increased to a £60 fine and three points on your licence. Since the punishment increased, Kent Police has issued over 17,000 fixed penalty notices.
Tips on how to use your mobile safely:
- Put your phone on silent, or even better turn it off while you are driving. That way you won’t be distracted by incoming calls and text messages.
- If you need to have your phone on then put it out of arm’s reach so you are not tempted to look at it. If you need to use it pull over to a safe place and turn off the engine.
- If you are using your phone as a Sat-Nav and need to make a change to your journey, pull over in a safe place and turn off the engine.
Notes :
- The RAC’s 2010 Report on Motoring showed the percentage of drivers admitting to breaking the law by using their mobile phone without a hands-free kit while driving has more than trebled from 8% to 28%, with the proportion of those who text while driving climbing from 11% to 31%, or nearly one in three motorists.
Drivers aged 25-44 were the worst offenders, according to the report, with 14% of them admitting taking a call while driving and 26% while their vehicle is stationary, but nearly half of those – 46% - claimed it did not distract them. Younger drivers were also the most likely to text while at the wheel, 14% of them saying that they had done so while actually driving, and 40% while their vehicle was temporarily stationary.
- Number of tickets issued by Kent Police:
2007 3487
2008: 4077
2009: 5472
2010 (to September): 4114