Transport secretary promises tougher penalties for drivers misusing mobile phones

Motorists who use their mobile phones while driving will face much tougher penalties, transport secretary Chris Grayling has promised. He indicated he would be announcing new sanctions against the illegal use of handheld mobile phones while driving and in coming weeks.

“We are developing a hard-hitting THINK! campaign to tackle this issue, to make it socially unacceptable like drink driving or not wearing a seatbelt,” he said.

Mobile phone use while driving was a contributory factor in 21 fatal accidents in 2014 and 22 in 2015.

The Department for Transport is expected to announce that drivers caught calling, texting or using an app while driving will face higher on the spot fines and more points on their licence than they do at present.

In a statement sent to Local Transport Today, the DfT stated: “If drivers get caught and accrue 12 points, they automatically appear in court and face fines of up to £1,000 and at least a six month driving ban. New drivers face their licence being revoked if they accrue six points on their licence in the first two years of driving, rather than the usual 12. To regain their licence they must reapply for a provisional licence and may drive only as a learner until they pass a further theory and practical driving test.

Speaking over the weekend, Grayling said: “As technology develops, mobile phones are common place, but we need to take responsibility for our actions and as drink or drug driving has become socially unacceptable, so must using mobile phones at the wheel. It may seem harmless when you are replying to a text, answering a call or using an app, but the truth is your actions could kill and cause untold misery to others. We all have a part to play in ensuring our family and friends do not use their phones while driving. I will be announcing a tougher new penalty regime shortly.”

The transport secretary has pledged to bring tougher sanctions in as soon as possible. “We expect them to take effect in the first half of 2017,” the DfT told LTT. “The government’s recent consultation on bringing in tougher sanctions received near unanimous support for tougher penalties.

“Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, tougher rules will make them even safer. Research shows reaction times are up to 50% slower than normal when driving and using a mobile phone. Offenders involved in road accidents while using a mobile phone already face serious offences such as causing death by dangerous driving, which can carry a substantial prison term.”

Use of a hand-held mobile phone device while driving has been illegal since 2003. The level of a fixed penalty notice was increased to £60 from £30 in 2007 and further increased to £100 in 2013.

Official statistics on proceedings at Magistrates Court shows a downward trend in the number of prosecutions for the mobile phone offence. Recent data from the Ministry of Justice suggests that the number of offenders prosecuted each year has ranged from 17,000 to 24,000 (based on annual estimates for 2012-2014 in England and Wales).

A 2014 observational study found that a higher proportion of male car drivers were observed using hand-held mobile phones than female car drivers. Of the male car drivers in England and Scotland, 1.5% were observed using a hand-held mobile phone compared to 1.3% of female car drivers. The study also found a higher proportion of 17 to 29 year old drivers in England and Scotland were observed using hand-held mobile phones (5.%) than both 30 to 59 year old drivers (2.4%) and drivers aged 60 and over (0.7%).