We’ve all got a responsibility to keep our roads safe. For professional drivers following the law is more important than ever. The consequences for not following the rules could result in you losing your vocational licence, or in the worst case causing a fatal accident.
From March 1st 2017, the penalties for driver caught using a hand held mobile phone while driving doubled – to 6 points and £200 fine.
Risks and dangers
Unfortunately, the use of mobile phones while driving remains a problem. 31% of the public admit to using their hand held mobiles whilst driving, even though 96% of people agree it’s unacceptable.
We all know how dangerous drink driving is, but did you know that research shows that you are twice as likely to crash text-driving as you are drink driving?
Using your phone while driving is distracting and requires you to concentrate on two thinking tasks at once. Our brain is not programmed to do this effectively.
Looking down at your phone for only a few seconds means you’re taking your eyes off the road. This causes a driving blind spot where accidents can happen.
Put your phone away.
In 2015, 22 people were killed and 99 seriously injured in incidents involving drivers using mobile phones.
Whether you’re an operator licence holder, transport manager or driver, please tell your employees about the change in the law. You can remind them that it’s not just 6 penalty points and a £200.00 fine. Traffic commissioners can also call professional drivers to conduct hearings for mobile offences.
For the first mobile phone offence in a commercial vehicle, the starting point is a 4-week suspension of a driver’s vocational licence. So whether it’s you or your employees driving, THINK! And put your phone away
- Make the glove compartment the phone compartment
- Use hands free devices responsibly
- Put your phone away before driving so you won’t be tempted to use it
