Government to double penalties for mobile phone offences - but can it be enforced?
I think we were all taken by surprise by the announcement over the weekend that the penalty for mobile phone offences is to double next year. As an aside, I though Liz Brooker was terrific on BBC News when representing Road Safety GB on this topic. My big concern is about enforcement, or rather lack of it – though hopefully the size of the fine and number of penalty points will be a deterrent in their own right, even if people think it unlikely they will get caught. What do others think?
I think that this possible increase in penalties for this offence has got to be a good thing. It seems that you can't go on a short journey without seeing a driver trying to juggle the demands of driving with using a hand held phone.
I do hope that the increase in penalties will be enough to act as a deterrent, but fear that they won't unless people are being caught and receiving these penalties and word gets around...
In light of the nurse who received a five year jail sentence yesterday for causing an awful crash and killing people, I think penalties should be higher. The only thing about the announcement at the weekend is that it only refers to New drivers. This nurse who assumed that talking to her husband and friend while driving down a motorway was acceptable should have been given a much harsher sentence than only five years. That woud hopefully deter other drivers from taking the risk.
I was pleasantly surprised to be asked to do the interviews for the BBC.
The coverage was brilliant particularly as it was a suggestion rather than an actual change in law. Just shows, we can never know how much the press will pick up a story. This came after a tough court case for a bereaved family. Human interest and a possible change in law - gave road safety a great opportunity to spread the word.