Police in Wales are cracking down on motorists who use their mobile phone while driving as part of a new campaign.
The enforcement campaign, which runs until 20 November, urges all road users to ‘keep their eyes on the road’, with police officers speaking to drivers about the dangers of being distracted by mobile phones.
The campaign, which involves all four Welsh police forces with support from Road Safety Wales, has been launched in response to a national rise in the number of motorists making calls, texting or social media updates when driving.
The campaign heralds a clamp down on ‘distracted driving’, which Road Safety Wales says has been the biggest cause of death and injuries on Welsh roads in 2016.
During a similar campaign across Wales in 2015, more than 500 motorists were caught using their mobiles.
Chief inspector Huw Jones, Gwent Police, said: “Smartphones are a key part of modern life and we are also seeing drivers being distracted whilst checking social media, reading their emails or accessing the internet.
“Drivers need to be aware that these actions carry the same danger and the same penalty.”
Susan Storch, chair of Road Safety Wales, said: “Driving a vehicle requires us to multi-task so anything above and beyond that needs to wait until we are safely parked up or until our journey has finished.
“Campaigns such as this demonstrate the resolve of all the Road Safety Wales partners in tackling this issue and we will continue to work together to drive home the message of not using your mobile phone behind the wheel.”
Photo: Go Safe (@GoSafeCyrmu) via Twitter.
Want to know more about mobile phones and road safety?
Key facts and summaries of research reports – visit the Road Safety Observatory
Online library of research and reports etc – visit the Road Safety Knowledge Centre
All that you need to do is stand a police officer or PSO in civvies at a street corner, busy junction, roundabout or traffic lights and then watch carefully where the drivers are looking whilst stopped or moving slowly. They can then be stopped further down the road or enquiries made by post. Having the use of a camera would be a good idea also for evidential purposes.
Bob Craven Lancs
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I did hear of a technique proposed and possibly put into practice by a police force, where mobile numbers displayed on the side of a commercial vehicle would be telephoned to see if the driver then took the call.
Also, driving around in the hope of spotting offenders can be a bit hit and miss, whereas parked up in a camera van or unmarked car is better. Typically, one or two in a hundred drivers will be on the ‘phone, slightly more will not be wearing their belt and typcally one or two in every ten will be exceding the speed limit, so sometimes waiting for the offenders in one spot can produce results.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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