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500 drivers a week flout phone ban
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard18.09.08
More than 500 people a week are caught using mobile phones while driving in London, figures reveal today.
London-wide, more than 28,600 motorists were caught using their phones to make calls or send texts in 2007/8 - compared with 24,145 the previous year.
In Westminster more than 2,700 people received a £60 penalty for the offence, the highest number of any borough. In Waltham Forest more than 1,800 people were fined.
The lowest level was in Redbridge - 150 during the year. The Metropolitan Police figures were revealed by Boris Johnson at the Mayor's Question Time, in response to an enquiry from Green Party member Jenny Jones.
Ms Jones said the figures showed discrepancies in how seriously police took the offence in different parts of the capital. She said: "Driving while using a mobile phone can be more dangerous than drinkdriving and is completely reckless behaviour.
"It is shocking that in the last two years some boroughs have hardly made any improvement in enforcing the mobile phone ban. Some boroughs are clearly taking this issue more seriously than others but the police must enforce this consistently across the capital."
Using a hand-held mobile while driving was made illegal on 1 December 2003. Initially the fine was £30 and there were more than 75,000 penalty notices in 2004.
However, many drivers blatantly flouted the law and in February last year the fine was doubled to £60, with three penalty points added to the offender's licence.
An AA spokesman said: "People have got into the habit of using their phones when driving and we need to change that. Hopefully the stronger penalties will help to do that."
Reader views (14)
Name and shame them!
- Frederick, London
Barbara, I think you're being a little cruel to nitpick on spelling... Mark has a point regardless of how he writes it.
I would blatantly say to all those that challenge this law - you wouldn't drive around with your eyes closed. So why do some of you chose to drive with heavy distraction inside the vehicle? You know the law, the research and the past court cases and yet you chose to ignore all of this. You deserve everything a judge may well throw at you!
- Dan, southampton
Simon, how many drivers break the speed limit? Shouldn't that 'ridiculous law' (speeding) be scrapped too? It won't be, because it is a matter of safety - same as the phone use,amongst others. About the only people who are against the ban are those who contemptuously disregard those others they share the road with.
- Rogan, DFW TX
The police have been too lenient for too long. Drivers need to be re-educated, and the penalties changed. Where anyone is convicted of careless driving the peanlty should be doubled if the offender is on the phone. And damages in civil cases doubled too. And wait a minute, technology can track where any call was made. If that tracking shows the phone moving chances are that person is driving. Why not send a caution through the post saying "We're watching you"
- Jeremiah, London
Liz, London
Unfortunately these are not easy targets, especially if they're from some remote region of this world and do not even have a licence or a passport, then the police run into trouble with the diversity brigade.
- Pinkie, London, UK
Why aren't cameras picking up on these idiots? Surely they are more dangerous than someone going 5 mph over a speed limit in a designated speed trap but then does anybody still believe the police are concerned with road safety anymore?
- Pinkie, London, UK
Barbara of Pedantland, when you wrote "say" did you mean wrote...or can you hear the words coming off the screen?
Get out of your glass house, mate.
- Md, London, UK
We need £100 fines plus 3 points plus coppers on the roads to actually enforce the law - speed cameras don't catch drunks or people on mobiles!!
- Matthew, Grays, UK
surely you have to ask yourself, if so many people are routinely being seen 'flouting the law' isn't it worth scrapping this ridiculous law ?
when do the actions of the majority constitute 'lawful'
- Simon Bucknell, enfield
If this were a banning offence like drink driving then I'm sure it would cut the amount of idiots flouting it.
- Suzy, London
Mark of London, when you say 'discrete' do you by any chance mean 'discreet'? Get an education, mate!
- Barbara, London UK
According to the insurers Direct Line, there are 1.4 million uninsured drivers on Britain's roads. It would be nice if the police caught some of those too!
- Liz, London
I was behind a car who's driver was yapping on a mobile phone and making no effort to be discrete about it. He stopped to let a police car out of Twickenham police station. The police stopped right next to him and he was still yapping on the phone completely oblivious. The police just shook their heads smiled and drove off..!!
- Mark.H, London
tip of the iceberg if you ask me. If there were more police on the road more people would be caught.
- Fly, london
