Fines for drivers on phones

Drivers caught using mobile phones at the wheel face £30 onthespot fines under a clampdown announced by the Government today.

Anyone who fights their case in court and loses will be ordered to pay up to £1,000.

A law will also be introduced to give offenders three points on their licence - so that anyone caught four times can be banned from driving.

Road Safety Minister David Jamieson set out the proposals in the Commons today with a warning that drivers who use their mobiles are putting lives at risk.

The fines take effect on 1 December and the penalty points regime is expected by 2005. Text-messaging while driving will also be banned.

Most hands-free kits will still be permitted, despite claims by safety campaigners that their use is just as distracting to drivers as calls on handheld phones. However, the Government will caution against using them.

Mobile phones have been blamed for at least 19 fatal crashes in Britain since they came in 15 years ago. The Government's Transport Research Laboratory has reported that talking on a mobile while driving is more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel. It can slow driver reaction times by 50 per cent.

Mr Jamieson said it was now common to see drivers slow down, speed up or weave between lanes while talking on mobiles. He said: "The vast majority of road users, whether pedestrians or motorists, are fed up with seeing other people driving about using a mobile phone and putting other people at risk.

"It affects the ability to concentrate and anticipate the road ahead, putting the driver and other road users at risk.

"Our decision to introduce this new offence will make the roads safer us
for all. Missing a call won't kill you - an accident quite possibly could."

The new offence of driving while using a mobile will not give offenders a criminal record but in the most serious cases cases, police will still be free to bring an alternative charge such as dangerous driving. Drivers of lorries, buses or coaches will pay £30 - the same as ordinary motorists. But if they lose a court challenge they will be fined up to £2,500 to reflect the seriousness of the offence.

Holding a mobile between ear and shoulder while keeping both hands on the wheel will be banned. Under current laws, drivers who use their mobiles can be prosecuted for failing to maintain proper control of their vehicles, but few have been charged.

More than 1,000 people and organisations replied to a a consultation exercise by the Department of Transport, with 88 per cent supporting a specific offence of driving while using a mobile. Under the Government's original plans only hands-free kits built into the car would have been permitted. Now off-the-shelf assemblies of headphones and microphones will also be allowed. Rebecca Bell of the RAC welcomed the climbdown, saying: "The original proposal did not adequately deal with all available technologies." Two recent studies have suggested that hands-free technology may not reduce the risk of accidents. It is more dangerous than talking to a passenger who is aware of the road conditions.

Mr Jamieson said he had a hands-free set in his own car but tried to avoid using it. He said: "I take the advice in the Highway Code that if you need to make a phone call you find a safe place to pull in. If you are on a motorway, you go to a service area."

Last year Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell was caught by the Standard driving in Notting Hill in his Ferrari Spider while chatting on his mobile. He agreed his behaviour was setting a bad example and said: "I'm very sorry. I don't usually use my phone when driving."