The enforcement took place at safety camera sites and around towns across Kent and Medway between 16 and 22 February. Drivers spotted on camera using a phone were pulled over by Kent Police Officers who issued Fixed Penalty Notices of a £60 fine and 3 points on driving licences. Not wearing a seat belt resulted in a £30 fine. Shockingly, 14 of the seat belt fines were issued to drivers who had unrestrained children in their vehicles.
Besides the obvious consequences of being fined or facing a prison sentence, talking or texting on a phone has been shown to impair a driver's ability to the same extent as if they were above the legal alcohol limit.
Similarly, despite continued advertising about the dangers of not wearing a seat belt, around 10 per cent of people in vehicles recently surveyed in the county had failed to belt up. Last year 95 people died in road traffic collisions in Kent and Medway - 18 of them had not been wearing their seat belts and may have survived if they'd belted up.
| District |
Seat belt offences |
Mobile phone offences |
Total |
|
East Kent |
36 - adult
1 - child |
9 |
46 |
|
Medway |
47 - adult
1 - child |
7 |
30 |
|
Mid Kent |
23 - adult
0 - child |
2 |
25 |
|
North Kent |
90 - adult
6 - child |
13 |
109 |
|
South Kent |
30 - adult
13 - child |
12 |
48 |
|
West Kent |
13 - adult
0 - child |
5 |
18 |
Chief Inspector Roscoe Walford, Head of Roads Policing at Kent Police said: "This shows the extent of the problem. There are four main factors that contribute to collisions that end with serious consequences - speeding, being distracted while driving (for example talking on the telephone), not wearing a seat belt and drink driving. By enforcing these offences we aim to reduce the number of casualties on our county's roads. Enforcement levels by Kent Police will remain high and motorists are warned that they will be caught if they are using their phone or not wearing their seat belt."