Drivers using mobiles at wheel drops by 40 per cent

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Tougher penalties are having the right impact on drivers who use their mobile to text or call while on the road, according to new government figures which show the number of people who use such devices at the wheel has dropped by 40 per cent.

Last year, 1.7 per cent of car drivers were found to be using hand-held mobiles when they should have been concentrating on driving, while that figure has now dropped to just one per cent, research commissioned by the Department for Transport has revealed.

Some 100,000 vehicles were studied for the research, which was carried out by TRL between September 2006 and August 2007.

In addition to the drop in driving a car while phoning/texting, the study also found that the number of drivers using hands-free mobiles has fallen from 0.9 per cent to 0.4 per cent. Similarly the level of other drivers using mobile phones or hands-free mobiles while driving fell slightly from 2.9 per cent to 2.4 per cent and 1.2 per cent to 0.6 per cent, respectively.

"Since February, drivers illegally using their mobile phone have risked three points on their licence and a £60 fine. The government introduced this tough penalty to stamp down on mobile phone use at the wheel and this survey suggests more and more motorists are getting the message," Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said at the Annual Lecture of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety.

"Using any mobile phone when driving is distracting - it stops you giving the road your full attention and slows reaction times. Research shows it can make a crash four times more likely, so it is vital motorists do not use their phones while driving."

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