Disappointingly almost 200 motorists were caught using mobile phones behind the wheel during a two-week clampdown targeting dangerous drivers. The figures include 29 professional HGV truckers and a coach driver in charge of 40 passengers. Officers from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) carried out dedicated patrols from 22 September to 5 October on the look-out for people making calls, texting or accessing the internet from devices whilst driving. In total, 182 people were caught − including a 58-year-old man wanted for skipping court in Cardiff on traffic offences and a coach driver caught using his phone on 26 September between junctions 4 and 4a of the M5. It left operation lead Inspector Sion Hathaway “very disappointed that so many people are flouting a law introduced 10 years ago. Drivers still seem to be ignoring the law and continue to put themselves and other road users in danger by using mobile phones whilst driving. It’s particularly disappointing that such a large number of offenders caught were HGV drivers − people who are paid to drive and are expected to be professional behind the wheel. Government figures suggest mobile phone use will become the biggest killer on our roads by 2015, so it’s about time the message started to get through and it’s a simple one − don’t do it. If that phone call or text message can’t wait then pull over and do it safely. The campaign was launched last month alongside the mother of a young woman killed by a lorry driver whilst he surfed the net on his mobile phone. Lisa Thomas’ daughter Laura died on a grass verge on the A5 in Shropshire when a HGV slammed into her broken down car and catapulted it over road-side safety barriers. The 44-year-old delivery driver was later jailed for five years. Officers from West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire Police − under the CMPG banner − carried out marked and unmarked patrols on the region’s motorways and A-roads, whilst an HGV tractor unit was used to spot lorry drivers flouting the law. Offenders were handed £100 fines and three points or the opportunity to attend an educational course, emphasising the dangers of mobile phone use behind the wheel, as an alternative to prosecution. Studies have found driver reaction times when using a phone are double what they would be normally. By using your phone behind the wheel you’re putting yourself and other road users in real danger and, ultimately, you could be responsible for causing someone’s death. Its not worth the risk. A 51-year-old woman caught using her phone was also found driving without insurance…her vehicle was seized under the Road Traffic Act.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:18:23 +0000