Road Safety Minister David Jamieson said yesterday:
"Driving whilst using a mobile phone is dangerous. We are all too familiar with the sight of people driving along while holding and talking on their mobile phones. Any driver will be distracted by a phone call or text message. 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 for us all. Missing a call won't kill you - an accident quite possibly could."
Research carried out on behalf of the Government has shown that drivers are four times more likely to have an accident when they are using a mobile phone, than when no mobile is being used.
This is reflected in research published in Sweden on Monday. According to Reuters, the Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA) split 48 people into two groups and tested both groups in driving simulators. One group were using hands-free mobile phone devices, the other used hand-held mobiles.
Both groups drove for 1.5 hours in varying conditions and received around 10 phone calls each. According to Reuters, both groups showed similar reaction times.
Ingemar Skogo, the director general of the SNRA, told Reuters, "It is the distraction of the phone conversation that is the problem."
The Government has decided to ban only the use of hand-held mobiles, but users of hands-free kits will still be subject to current legislation. They still risk prosecution for failing to have proper control of their vehicle, or for careless or even reckless driving if use of a phone adversely affects their driving.
The new offence will take effect from 1st December 2003. Initially offenders will be subject to a £30 fine, which can be increased to a maximum fine of £1000 if the matter goes to court.
The Government is planning to legislate to make it an offence that will add three penalty points to a driver's licence each time they are caught holding a phone.
The Government research is available at:
www.rospa.com/pdfs/road/mobiles/report.pdf
