Auto Express – August 20, 2019

18 SpecialIssue http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

Edmund KingPresident of the AA

MPs urge Government to ban

‘distracting’hands-freecalls

MAKINGhands-freemobilephone

callswhendrivingshouldbeillegal,

whilecurrentpenaltiesforusingmobiles

behindthewheelshouldbetoughened

up,accordingtotheHouseofCommons’

TransportSelectCommittee.

Thecross-partygroupofMPslaunched

anenquiryintothesubjectofphoneuse

whendrivinginMarch2019,consulting

withanumberofacademicsandroad

safetyexpertstodrawtheirconclusions.

Thecommitteeheardthatmakinga

hands-freephonecallisasdistractingas

makingacallwhenholdingthehandset,

andaffectsdrivingstandardsasmuchas,

ifnotmorethan,beingatthedrink-drive

limit.Whilerecognisingthatenforcing

ahands-freebanwouldbedifficult,and

thatbusinessesoftenneedtobeable

tospeakwithstaffoutontheroad,the

committeesaystheGovernmentshould

consider“extendingthebanondriving

whileusingahand-heldmobilephone

orotherdevicetohands-freedevices”.

Thecommitteealsorecommendedthat

despitethepenaltyforusingahand-held

mobilewhendrivingdoublingtosix

pointsanda£200fineinMarch2017,the

authoritiesshould“considerwhether[the

penalties]shouldbeincreasedtobetter

reflecttheseriousriskscreatedbydrivers

committingthisoffence”.TheTransport

SelectCommitteedoesnotsetlegislation

itself,butitisresponsibleforscrutinising

theDepartmentforTransport’spolicies,

anditsfindingsaretakenseriously.

MPsalsosaythelawonusingmobile

phoneswhendrivingshouldberewritten.

Currentrulesprecludeusingahand-held

mobilebehindthewheelfor“interactive

REPORT

Hugo Griffiths

[email protected]

@hugo_griffiths

communication”,andarecentcourtcase

overturnedamotorist’sconvictionbecause

hewasfilminganaccident,notusinghis

phonetocommunicateinteractively.

Thenumberofpeoplekilledorinjured

incollisionswhenadriverwasusing

amobilehasincreasedby52percent

between2009and2017,butconvictions

forusingamobilebehindthewheelhave

fallenbymorethantwothirdssince2011.

Thecommitteeheardthatfallingpolice

trafficofficernumbershaveleddrivers

tobelievetheycouldgetawaywiththe

offence;andtohelpcombatthis,using

aphonewhendrivingshouldbecomeas

sociallyunacceptableasdrinkdriving.

Commentingonthereport,Edmund

King,presidentoftheAAsaid;“Itis

crucialthatwecontinuetoraisepublic

awarenessofthedangersofusinga

phoneatthewheelandchangeattitudes,

aswehavedonewithdrinkdriving.

“Enforcementisalsokeybecause

offenderstendtothinkthechance

ofbeingcaughtisminimal.”

PAGE114:Rutherfordonhand-heldphones

NEWS Hands-freecallsbanproposal

Casualties in reportedaccidentswherethe driver

using amobile phone wasacontributoryfactor

Year Killed SeriouslySlightly All

injured injured casualties

2009 15 68 426 509

2010 28 74 449 551

2011 23 74 474 571

2012 17 79 452 548

2013 26 95 539 660

2014 24 111 634 769

2015 22 99 585 706

2016 35 137 608 780

2017 43 135 595 773

●Higher penaltiesproposed

●Mobile laws‘need work’

“It is crucial that we continue to raise public awareness

of the dangersofusing aphone at the wheel and change

attitudes to itsuse as we have with drink driving”

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