During March Lincolnshire Police will be focusing on the offence of using a mobile phone use while driving.

Research shows it’s a minority of drivers who still continue to use mobile phones. It risks the lives and safety of others and is now widely seen as socially unacceptable. The law was introduced because research shows using a mobile phone while driving causes impairment.

Using a mobile phone while driving causes impairment similar to that of a drink driver.  If you use a mobile while driving you are:

• Are 4 times more likely to be involved in a collision
• Are far less likely to notice and react to hazards
• Take much longer to react to any hazards you do see
• You can look directly at hazards yet fail to see them
• Show poor lane discipline
• Make more variable speed choices

Anyone who is tempted to use their phone should remember the risk of crashing increases four-fold and a driver distracted by a phone can be impaired to the same degree as a drink driver. This is often a real surprise to people who would never drink then drive but would consider using a phone.

Police target drivers who use mobile phones all year, in March we will aim to highlight the offence to help improve road safety in Lincolnshire.

Drivers risk a £200 fixed penalty ticket and 6 penalty points if they use a mobile phone while driving. If the matter is dealt with at court, the penalties can increase with car drivers being fined up to £1000 and HGV and bus drivers up to £2500, they may also be disqualified from driving.

If you have passed your driving test in the last two years, you’ll lose your licence. https://www.gov.uk/penalty-points-endorsements/new-drivers

We can all play our part in keeping our roads safe.

Drivers can put their phone in the boot or glove box, there are apps available that block calls when driving which will send a text to the caller that the person being called is driving.

The simple choice is to not use your phone while driving. If you know someone is driving decline to speak or engage with them until they stop their car and park or finish their journey.

Drivers using their mobile phone while driving has been the top driver concern in the RAC Report on Motoring for four of the last five years.

Unless you are safely parked you cannot use your phone while in traffic or queuing at lights or if you are supervising a learner driver.

You can only use your mobile phone in a vehicle to call 999 in response to a genuine emergency where it is unsafe or impracticable to stop.

Hands free means you can’t pick the phone up. You will need to set up any hands free settings before driving. Drivers are still distracted by the use of hands free phones and may still commit offences of careless or dangerous driving. Our advice is turn it off and put it out of reach.

Chief Superintendent Paul Timmins, Head of Specialist Operations, Lincolnshire Police, said: “Any driver who uses a mobile phone risks the safety of others as well as their own. It’s socially unacceptable and the research show the majority of drivers won’t use their phones.

“We use a range of tactics to identify drivers who disregard the law throughout the year. In March we will be focusing on this offence as part of our work to reduce the number of people killed or injured in Lincolnshire.”

Officers across the county will be targeting the minority of drivers who continue to disregard the law during their patrols.

They will also be completing traffic checks and working with Highways England utilising their HGV where we are able to get a clearer look at all types of drivers who may be committing offences.

Note to Editors:

Please find below the number of fixed penalty tickets issued over the last 5 years:

Mobile Phone Tickets
Year	Issued	Difference
2015	1164	–
2016	672	-42%
2017	423	-37%
2018	452	7%
2019	456	1%