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Prosecutions for mobile phone motorists drop by half in five years

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Author: | Updated: 19 Oct 2015 13:39

Police officers have been accused of ignoring motorists using their mobile phone illegally behind the wheel after the number of prosecutions more than halved in the last five years.

According to figures published by the RAC, 17,414 motorists were caught using their mobile phone in 2014, 50.6% fewer than the 35,255 in 2010.

This goes against recent findings from the DfT that a persistent number of drivers are still using their phone at the wheel, with 1.6% of all drivers in England (representing more than half a million people) – were observed using a mobile phone in 2014, an increase from 1.4% in 2009.

Mobile phone use was a key factor in 492 accidents in 2014, up 40% on 2010, according to Government figures.

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Enormous gulf

Under current law, motorists caught using a mobile phone can face a £100 fine and three penalty points. They may be summoned to a magistrates’ court if they ignore or challenge the fine, or if the offence is deemed too serious for a fine.

The number of full-time road police officers dropped by 23% between 2010 and 2014, amounting to 1,279 fewer officers patrolling UK roads., and Pete Williams, RAC’s head of external affairs, cites these cuts for creating the “enormous gulf” between the law and what motorists actually see on the roads.

He commented: “With budgetary constraints, roads policing officer numbers are not going to dramatically increase in the near future, but we believe that now is time to halt the decline and stop further year-on-year cuts.”

He also urged the Government to see if technology can play a greater role in helping catch offenders, and to consider a ‘hard-hitting’ campaign to make mobile phone use as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.

“With this the number one road safety concern for motorists, coupled with official data showing fewer people are being caught, there will be an overwhelming frustration that too many drivers are simply getting away with it,” he added.

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