Over 900 motorists caught using phone at the wheel

Figures from a Freedom of Information request showed Dyfed-Powys police officers stopped a total of 925 individuals between January 2016 and December 2016, for using their phones while driving.

In the first month of 2017, a total of 143 motorists were stopped for being on their phone, with a total of 253 people stopped across January, February and March.

In May new laws were introduced, that lead to six points and a £200 fine if you are caught driving while on your mobile phone.

West Mercia Police, which covers Shropshire and Telford, revealed that 105 motorists had been found using their mobile phone at the wheel in the four weeks after tougher punishments came into effect in May. Police forces across Britain penalised almost 6,000 motorists in that time. Dyfed-Powys Police Chief Inspector Mike Melly said these crimes won’t be tolerated and they have been running campaigns throughout the year to crack down on the problems.

He said: “Mobile phone driving is one of the Fatal 5, meaning there is a direct link between driving while using a mobile device and fatal road traffic collisions.

“We continuously police the roads to discourage illegal behaviour, educate and prosecute people who break the law. I hope the higher penalties for mobile phone driving reinforce that it is a serious offence which won’t be tolerated.

“There are campaigns throughout the year to target mobile phone driving and other Fatal 5 behaviours (drink /drug driving, speeding, careless driving, and not wearing a seatbelt) in an effort to reduce casualties on our roads.

“We are committed to make our roads safer, working with our partners and reducing collisions.”

The figures come after a survey revealed that many motorists are still unable to turn off their mobile phones when driving.

More than one fifth of 19,308 drivers interviewed by the AA said that they couldn’t bear to switch off their devices while behind the wheel.

Close to half of younger drivers admitted that they are so addicted to their phones that they won’t turn them off.

Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “Many drivers even think the use of mobiles in cars is getting worse, rather than better. Drivers need to take responsibility for their own actions and the police need to clamp down on those who don’t.”

Seventy per cent of those questioned believed that there would be more risk involved when texting and driving than getting behind the wheel while over the drink-drive limit.

Despite these figures, 24 per cent of respondents think that mobile phone use is the biggest road safety issue affecting drivers in the UK.