Switch off before you drive off
22/03/2011 13:36:09
USING your mobile phone while driving is dangerous – that’s the message from Surrey Police and Surrey County Council’s latest Drive SMART campaign, which launches on Monday, 23 May, to help improve road safety and tackle anti-social driving.
Research has shown that reaction times for drivers using a hand-held mobile phone are around 50 per cent slower than when driving under normal conditions.
During the campaign enhanced operational activity will focus on educating drivers of the danger of using a hand-held phone at the wheel, in line with the Surrey Police policy on discretion.
Between 1 January and 31 December 2010, Surrey Police issued 3,841 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving (compared to 3,102 during the same period in 2009) plus five for doing so while supervising a learner driver (the same number as in 2009). This compares to 3,513, plus four while supervising, in 2008.
Figures for December 2008 to December 2010 show that people aged 25-44 account for just under 60 per cent of the FPNs issued in Surrey. Within this age range, men account for 77 per cent of FPNs.
Drive SMART was launched in September 2009 by Surrey Police and Surrey County Council to tackle anti-social driving, which has been consistently raised as a priority by Surrey residents. Fifty per cent of respondents to the Surrey ‘Driving You Mad’ survey (August 2009) felt the use of hand-held mobile phones was a top anti-social driving issue, making it second only to drink-driving at 67 per cent.
Inspector Chris Colley of Surrey Police Roads Policing Unit said: "Bad driving in the county won’t be tolerated. Although we want to educate motorists about the serious consequences of using a hand-held mobile at the wheel, Surrey’s Roads Policing officers will be prosecuting motorists caught doing so, which could result in a £60 fine and three penalty points on their licence. If the case goes to court they could also lose their licence and, potentially, their job. The priority for Surrey Police and partners is to reduce the number of casualties on the roads.
“Our advice is to turn off your mobile phone for the duration of a journey, or use it only when safely parked. If you call someone who is driving, please take responsibility and hang up.”
Dr Andrew Povey, Leader of Surrey County Council, said: "I'm concerned that more people were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel in 2010 than in 2009. Despite the obvious dangers it seems not enough people have got the message yet that it's an incredibly dangerous thing to do. I'm particularly concerned to see people are using mobile phones while supervising learner drivers. This is both reckless and sets a very bad example. Through this latest Drive SMART campaign we will try and persuade people that abandoning bad and selfish driving habits will make our roads safer for everyone who uses them."