Phone Driving a danger to all road users
We all know that driving and using a mobile phone is a big no no, nearly all of us (if not all of us) know that doing so is illegal. Yet a lot of the public continue to do so. Legislation was introduced in the UK in December 2003 that allows police officers to punish drivers if they are caught using a hand held device whilst driving. Originally this figure was £30, but has since been raised to £60 with a maximum of £2000 if the offence goes to court and 3 points on your licence, as the offence is seen to be dangerous.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) know that between 1998 and early 2003 there have been 20 deaths on Britain’s roads involving mobile phones. This doesn’t sound particularly high however a spokeswoman for RoSPA states this could be the "tip of the iceberg" as road accidents are not recorded systematically & on most occasions its extremely difficult to detect if a mobile was being used at the time of or before the accident. Further in-depth searching into phone records can be carried out by the police if they believe this to be the case.
David Jamieson, Road Safety Minister at the time stated: "You are four times more likely to be involved in an accident when using a mobile phone and driving – and this new offence will help make our roads safer" Its thought that the physical act of using the mobile phone and breaking contact with the road induce a lack of concentration while the offenders drive, which is ultimately the cause of the accident.
However David Jamieson goes on to say "Today’s new offence applies to hand-held mobiles – but using any type of phone while driving increases the risk of having an accident. Remember the police can use other powers to prosecute a driver if they are distracted by a call on a hands-free phone."
Bluetooth Car Kits are seen as a better and safer option than manually using the mobile, however it important to remember that distractions can come in many forms especially when we become engrossed in a conversation, it’s the drivers responsibility to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Modern bluetooth car kits allow the drivers to control devices in a much more user-friendly way, many of which can now be operated via voice command & without having to remove your hands from the steering wheel. However it is the drivers responsibility to drive safely and judge road conditions, if the conditions are dangerous its wise not to use your mobile phone at all.
