Dozens of drivers caught using phone

DOZENS of motorists have been caught in a crackdown on illegal mobile phone use.

Police in the East Riding caught 34 motorists using their phones while driving in just six days. The majority were making phone calls.

PC Simon Carlisle, casualty reduction officer for the county, said a large number of crashes have been caused by a driver using their phone.

He said: "It does appear to be a bigger problem than we realise and it is something that is seriously increasing. Several of our fatal accidents across the force area last year involved use of a mobile phone in some way.

"This is not necessarily people using the phone to call someone, but texting, use of the internet and social media. All these seem to involve the driver looking down at their phone and becoming engrossed."

The drivers were stopped during a week-long campaign by traffic officers from May 13 to May 18.

Most are likely to be offered the chance to go on a considerate driving course, which costs £95 but means they do not receive penalty points.

Others will be fined £60 and given three points.

Official statistics do not record whether a mobile phone was being used during an accident and instead describe the cause of a crash as a lack of attention or lapse in concentration.

However, after examining dozens of individual crash reports and speaking to traffic officers, PC Carlisle found many drivers were using their phones before an accident.

The officer pointed to a case in Lelley when Nikita Ainley crashed head on into another car while using her Blackberry.

The collision killed Mary Rutherford, 68.

Ainley was jailed for three-and-a-half years for causing death by dangerous driving.

Passing her sentence, Judge Stephen Ashurst, Recorder of York, said: "No message is so urgent that it requires someone to lose their life."

PC Carlisle said: "When you are using your phone, immediately part of your mind is distracted. All it takes to cause an accident is a momentary lapse of concentration to cause a collision which, as the Lelley case shows, can have terrible consequences.

"That has had a huge impact on the victim's family, has ruined the driver's life and affected her family too. The consequences can go much deeper than just one or two people."

A man recently crashed his car head-on into another on the A1079 at Barmby Moor after using the internet on his mobile while driving, breaking his leg.

PC Carlisle said: "He sailed straight into the path of an oncoming car. Straight away, he admitted that he was looking up something on the internet at the time.

"Now everybody has a smartphone, we run our lives by them. When people hear them going off, the temptation to glance over is strong, which is why I advise people keep it out of sight while they're driving.

"No phone call or text message is worth the potential consequences."