DRIVERS flouting mobile phone laws now face an automatic £60 and a three-point penalty on their licence.
The increased penalties came into force on Tuesday – up until then the fine was £30 and licences were not endorsed with points.
And the new reg
ulations could see more motorists being banned under road safety laws. Any driver attracting 12 points in three years can be put off the road – leading to a likely hike in insurance premiums once their licence is returned.
On the first day of the new laws, two drivers were nabbed by police in the Borders. That number was expected to rise yesterday when more officers were on patrol.
And even drivers using hands-free sets still face fines and endorsements if it is deemed they are not in proper control of their vehicles.
Bosses that require workers to make or receive calls while driving can also be prosecuted if they do not make hands-free equipment available.
Driving while handling a mobile phone has been illegal since December 2003. But results of a survey published by the RAC in November the following year revealed that four out of 10 drivers admitted they were breaking the law – compared with one of 10 in the early days of the ban.
And researchers in the US claimed that using a hand-held or a hands-free phone while driving was just as dangerous as getting behind the wheel after drinking.
A survey carried out by police last month revealed that a driver breaks the hands-off ban every five minutes.
Inspector Colin Shillito of Lothian and Borders Police said the message is simple.
He told The Southern Reporter: "It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. The best advice to all drivers is to switch off before driving off."
And the force's road safety manager Paul Richardson warned: "It is hard to do two things at once. Research shows that if you are using your mobile phone while driving, you are four times more likely to crash.
"If you use any type of phone – hands free or hand-held –- while driving, your reaction times are worse than if you drive under the influence of alcohol."
The ban on hands-held mobiles applies even if a driver is stuck in a traffic jam or stopped a lights.
Road safety organisation IAM's chief examiner Peter Rodger endorsed claims that hands-off phones are also dangerous.
He told us: "Some drivers will think they should buy a hands-free kit and the problem will go away. That would certainly suit the manufacturers. But drivers should be aware that they are potentially buying trouble.
"If you do have a hands-free kit, keep conversations short and simple. Nobody calling you should expect you to risk your life – or your licence – to talk to them while you are at the wheel."
The totting-up ban kicks in at 12 points. Careless driving can attract between three and nine points; driving without insurance 6-8 points; without a licence 3-6 points; fixed penalty speeding three points and up to six if the case goes to court.
