The penalty for drivers who use a mobile phone at the wheel could be doubled to six points.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said yesterday that the high death toll from accidents caused by motorists texting or making calls had made him consider a fresh crackdown. “The amount of casualties has been absolutely horrifying,” he said. “We’ve got to change this. We’ve got to get that message across.”
The new penalty follows research showing texting at the wheel can be more distracting than the effects of drink or drugs. The Transport Research Laboratory found sending a text slows reaction time by 37 per cent. Using drug delayed it 21 per cent, and drinking to the legal limit 13 per cent. Speaking on a phone slowed it by 46 per cent.
Using a mobile at the wheel has been illegal for a decade, with the fine initially £30. In 2007, it was increased to three points and £60, and last year it rose to £100, and a possible £1,000 on conviction in court. Between May 2012 and August 2013, the number of drivers with points on their license for using a mobile phone fell by 14 per cent, from 677,500 to 583,700.
Mr McLoughlin said one difficulty is that drivers who have passed in the previous two years lose their license if they get six points – compared to 12 for other drivers. This means a new driver could be banned for one charge. A Department for Transport source said one way to prevent this was to give three points for a first offence, six for a second.
The latest RAC(Royal Automobile Club) Report on Motoring said 51 per cent of motorists think they will escape accusation for texting in traffic as they see others “getting away with it”. There are not enough police patrols, it said.
Automobile Association president Edmund King said: “Tougher penalties such as six points and bigger fines are only part of the solution. They won’t be effective unless accompanied by more cops in cars to enforce the law.”
本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！
13980503458
13980503458
admin@qisuen.cn
