Met police firearms

[Fedster + 1,307]

Some have been caught using a phone at the wheel as much as five times.

More than 6,000 motorists have been caught at least twice driving while distracted, including using a mobile phone, in the past four years.

Freedom of Information figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have highlighted the problem of repeat offenders.

Over 400 drivers were caught three times, 20 were caught four times and three were even caught five times.

Motoring groups warned the data illustrates how drivers are ignoring the ban on hand-held phone use because they don’t believe they will be caught.

The data relates to the number of CU80 endorsements held on driving records.

They are handed out to drivers found not in full control of their vehicle, such as by using a phone illegally. The endorsements are only erased after four years.

Almost 174,000 drivers have at least one CU80 endorsement but just 309 were disqualified as a result.

RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said responsible motorists will be "shocked" to discover the number of drivers persistently using a hand-held mobile behind the wheel.

He said: "The threat of a second endorsement and the possibility that they will lose their licence is clearly not enough to deter this hard core of drivers."

Since March 1, motorists caught using a hand-held phone face receiving six points on their licence and a £200 fine - up from the previous penalty of three points and £100.

Drivers can lose their licence if they receive 12 points within three years, or six points in the first two years after passing the test.

Mr Williams added that repeat mobile phone offenders often believe there is "little chance of seeing a traffic police officer".

The number of road police officers in England and Wales has declined by 27 per cent in the past decade.

Josh Harris, director of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, called for "the menace of distracted driving" to be urgently addressed.

He said: "Six thousand repeat offenders in the past four years is truly staggering and makes a mockery of the points system.

"The laws clearly need tightening alongside stricter enforcement."

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[SimonT + 1,185]

They are quite right. 

[HazRat 762]

2 hours ago, Fedster said:

He said: "The threat of a second endorsement and the possibility that they will lose their licence is clearly not enough to deter this hard core of drivers."

This is the problem. Despite everything we do to highlight the issue, people just aren’t bothered as they don’t see the deterrent. Couple that with going to court and running a sob story you’ll be good to go again.

Drivers with 30+ points shouldn’t happen, but they do.

[James255 + 26]

34 minutes ago, HazRat said:

This is the problem. Despite everything we do to highlight the issue, people just aren’t bothered as they don’t see the deterrent. Couple that with going to court and running a sob story you’ll be good to go again.

Drivers with 30+ points shouldn’t happen, but they do.

That's the problem. Common sense dictates that it's not the severity of the punishment that is most impactive but it's the chance of being caught, I'm sure I've heard about research that backs this up. 

[David + 4,981]

The deterrent can be five years minimum, it can be £10,000 fine, it can be anything you like, but it's not going to be any sort of deterrent unless the police are actually out there catching these people and then imposed by the courts.

I've said it before and I will say it again.

There is no point in talking about deterrents unless there's a mechanism to actually impose them.

Until then everyone might just as well be whistling into the wind.

[David + 4,981]

In fact it's not even limited to using devices when driving is it. It's going through amber and now speeding through on red lights, it's parking up on zigzags on pedestrian crossings, it's a whole raft and plethora of appalling driving standards now, but there are no officers out there clamping down on it. It's all 'me me me me'. Nobody was taught to drive like that, so why do they do it now?

I have said for years that our driving standards are falling shockingly and that it wouldn't be long how we'd all be driving like continental Europeans - I was ridiculed as I usually am for such outlandish comments, but here we are, increasingly going that way.

[MajorDisaster + 579]

I would love to go out and take part in the regular campaigns that are mooted 'mobile phone month' 'seatbelt fortnight' but the only time I see road users in action is when I'm on my way to a job or back from a job with attendant admin to carry out.  That's just the way it is at the moment.

[Growley + 2,436]

I've been wondering for some time why we don't rely more heavily on the huge network of cameras around the roads to help enforce many traffic offences.

With mobile phones, it would obviously only catch people silly enough to hold it to their ear, but that is still preferable to what we have now. Currently the problem is so widespread, if we stopped to deal with every phone we saw in use, we genuinely wouldn't get anything else done.

[bigboyblue + 18]

the other half's flat is next to a set of traffic lights. Without fail, every single set of red's, there is someone texting. They may be doing it in their lap, but being 3 floors up, the angle is excellent.

Until people start getting done for it, nothing will change.

[Radman + 2,163]

It boils down to not enough cops.

It's that simple.

[Hyphen + 693]

Totally right @Radman. It’s rare that cops are actually pro actively patrolling. Usually when on the road cops are on their way to another job. Usually you aren’t going to divert from a domestic assault job for example to deal with a minor traffic offence. The only time for me would be if a car was all over the road and I thought they were drunk.

There just aren’t the patrols anymore, traffic units have been cut to the bone to almost non existence due to the large areas they cover.

Its like most things, there just isn’t the resources to act as any form of deterrent.

[Growley + 2,436]

Totally right [mention=22]Radman[/mention]. It’s rare that cops are actually pro actively patrolling. Usually when on the road cops are on their way to another job. Usually you aren’t going to divert from a domestic assault job for example to deal with a minor traffic offence. The only time for me would be if a car was all over the road and I thought they were drunk.

There just aren’t the patrols anymore, traffic units have been cut to the bone to almost non existence due to the large areas they cover.

Its like most things, there just isn’t the resources to act as any form of deterrent.

Well that, and the fact that if you're on proactive patrol, you should usually be targeting the bigger issues like violence and weapons; as much as you may like to deal with mobile phones, it's not tackling the bigger issues.

 

[Radman + 2,163]

6 minutes ago, Growley said:

4 hours ago, Hyphen said:

Totally right [mention=22]Radman[/mention]. It’s rare that cops are actually pro actively patrolling. Usually when on the road cops are on their way to another job. Usually you aren’t going to divert from a domestic assault job for example to deal with a minor traffic offence. The only time for me would be if a car was all over the road and I thought they were drunk.
There just aren’t the patrols anymore, traffic units have been cut to the bone to almost non existence due to the large areas they cover.
Its like most things, there just isn’t the resources to act as any form of deterrent.

Well that, and the fact that if you're on proactive patrol, you should usually be targeting the bigger issues like violence and weapons; as much as you may like.to deal with mobile phones, it's not tackling the bigger issues.

Until that mobile phone user plows into the family saloon killing the occupants.

With more resources in place the serious issues could be tackled alongside mobile phone use whilst driving but I don't see it as that much of a none issue.

[Hyphen + 693]

12 minutes ago, Radman said:

Until that mobile phone user plows into the family saloon killing the occupants.

With more resources in place the serious issues could be tackled alongside mobile phone use whilst driving but I don't see it as that much of a none issue.

I don’t disagree with you @Radman. It should be deterred and dealt with. Resources tend not to allow it as there are unfortunately higher priority things to be doing with the finite resources we have.

[Radman + 2,163]

5 minutes ago, Hyphen said:

I don’t disagree with you @Radman. It should be deterred and dealt with. Resources tend not to allow it as there are unfortunately higher priority things to be doing with the finite resources we have.

No I totally understand - with the way policing is at the minute you're between a rock and a hard place with enforcement.