The government proposed to increase the fine from £100 to £150 and increase the penalty points from three to four along with it. This means that a certain driver will be banned once he is caught three times as opposed to the previous frequency that is four times.
On the other hand, those driving heavy goods vehicles will be subjected to six penalty points, which means they will only have two chances of being caught before they get banned. Like other motorists, they will also have to pay the increased penalty fee of £150.
"Using a mobile phone at the wheel is reckless and costs lives - I want to see it become a social taboo like not wearing a seatbelt," Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport in the United Kingdom, said. He added that "The message is clear: keep your hands on the wheel, not your phone. If you keep taking calls while at the wheel, you could end up being banned from the road."
The penalty was proposed due to the fact that being distracted while using mobile phones has caused 21 fatalities and 84 serious vehicle accidents in 2014 according to the records of authorities. The proposal was also supported by groups that support road safety. But they also felt the need to increase the limit for alcohol intake among drivers from 0.08g/dL to 0.05g/dL. They believe this as so because the policy of mobile use during driving is created for the purpose of vehicle safety.
There are skeptical about the newly imposed penalties, especially in terms of its implementation. They believe that increasing fines won't be effective if there aren't much police visibility. The police will also need to have their own vehicles capable of pursuing offenders. Drivers will continue to use their phones, despite it being dangerous and illegal, if they think they can get away with it.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
