A Freedom of Information request has revealed that more than 500,000 people have had points on their licence for using a phone or being otherwise distracted.
This has lead road charity Brake to call for a ban on the use of hands-free phones while driving.
Drivers are putting themselves, their passengers and pedestrians on the road at risk as a survey conducted by the charity reveals that 62% of children have reported being driven by someone talking on their phone.
As it is National Road Safety Week, it is worth considering the dangers of using a phone while driving, a year after using handheld devices behind the wheel was banned. It is illegal to drive using a hand-held phone while driving, even if you are stationary at traffic lights on waiting in a queue.
But in our always-on lives, receiving a call or a text message while driving makes it all too tempting to check the phone or pick up the call.
Brake wants to encourage drivers to turn off their phones while on the road to discourage such behaviour, as research suggests that 98% of motorists were unable to divide their time without it affecting their driving ability.
Despite the campaign, which is being covered by many major news outlets, the government claims it is not looking into banning hands-free technology.
Under current UK law, if caught using a phone while driving, you can get an automatic fixed penalty notice with 3 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £100.
The law currently states that you can use hands-free devices while driving, as long as they are not distracting: ‘You can use hands-free phones, sat navs and 2-way radios when you’re driving or riding. But if the police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle you could still get stopped and penalised.’
