Almost TWO-THIRDS of motorists still don’t know the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving
NEARLY two-thirds of British drivers still don't know the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving.
Only 30 per cent are aware of the £200 fine and six penalty points despite the law changes coming into force almost a year and a half ago.
A recent study conducted by the RAC found that the majority of drivers have no idea about the harsh consequences of using their phone while driving.
And of those drivers who still use their phone behind the wheel, 89 per cent thought it was fine because they did it while they were on their own in the car.
Bizarrely, 78 per cent said they still continued to use their phone despite worrying they will get caught by police, while 23 per cent thought they could still drive safely while on the phone.
Mobile phone use was responsible for more than 2,200 traffic collisions from 2012-2016, prompting harsher penalties to be introduced in March 2017.
The study also found that 31 per cent of drivers think penalties need to be increased even more to deter others from using their phones, while 18 per cent even called for mobile phone signals to be blocked from cars entirely.
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “It's remarkable that such a high proportion of drivers remain unaware of the current penalties for using a handheld phone at the wheel.
“The law around handheld phone use by drivers, and the penalties associated with ignoring it, could not be clearer.
"Yet every year there are dozens of fatal crashes caused by motorists who have allowed themselves to be distracted by their phone – and our own data suggests millions of drivers are continuing to put themselves and others at risk in this way.
“Our research clearly shows motorists believe the key to ending other drivers’ dangerous handheld phone use is greater enforcement and that tougher penalties are really only part of the answer.
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“What is also clear is that some drivers have a genuine addiction to their phone, given how many are prepared to use it illegally despite fearing they will get caught by the police. And the fact the vast majority of drivers who admit to offending do so when on their own suggests it is something they don’t really want others to see them doing.
“Picking up and using a handheld phone while driving is a personal choice that motorists make, albeit a dangerous and illegal one.
"While it is reassuring that a good number of motorists have decided to make a positive choice and stop doing it, there is still much more to be done to make everyone else change their behaviour.”