At the time this article was written drivers only face prosecution for careless or reckless driving if using of a mobile phone means they do not have proper control of their vehicle. From December 1 2003 any driver using a mobile phone at the wheel will face fines of up to £1,000 (£2,500 for drivers of goods vehicles or passenger carrying vehicles with 9 or more passenger seats).
Fines will start at £30 but could increase to a maximumof £1000 if the matter goes to court. The practice is already illegal in more than 30 countries. Further legislation is expected to be introduced in the near future to make the offence subject to three penalty points.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) claim they know of at least 17 deaths on Britain’s roads where mobile phones have been implicated, but believes there could have been many more. The Society fears thousands of accidents have taken place because of mobiles, but they do not appear in official statistics. Hands free kits are also considered dangerous to use while driving although the new legislation doesn't cover handsfree kits.
Many people agree mobile phone use by other drivers is dangerous but have the attitude they can do so safely. We will have to wait to see how effective the new legislations is in changing peoples habits.
