Court summons for South Yorkshire drivers in mobile phone clampdown

Four people have been summoned before the courts following a week-long police campaign in South Yorkshire to raise awareness of new penalties for using mobile phones at the wheel.
New penalties have been brought in to deter motorists from using mobile phones at the wheel.New penalties have been brought in to deter motorists from using mobile phones at the wheel.
New penalties have been brought in to deter motorists from using mobile phones at the wheel.

Under new rules, drivers caught using a handheld mobile phone while driving will receive six points on their driving licence and a £200 fine. Meanwhile, any new drivers caught in the act, who have held their licence for less than two years, will revert to provisional licence status.

As the changes were brought in at the start of the month, a seven-day operation carried out by officers from South Yorkshire Police’s Joint Specialist Operations (Uniformed) Unit as part of a national campaign saw 293 vehicles stopped, of which 52 drivers were suspected of committing a specific mobile phone related offence.

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Eighty-eight penalties were handed to drivers, either Fixed Penalty Notices or Traffic Offence Reports, as well as four people being reported on summons to attend at court to be charged.

Around 50 people received verbal warnings and advice from officers.

One driver was stopped for using a mobile phone while driving and was then arrested for being over the prescribed drink-driving limit.

A second car was stopped containing a man wanted in connection with a theft of a motor vehicle. He was arrested and the vehicle was seized for having no tax.

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A third driver was stopped on the motorway heading to Doncaster, after officers witnessed him using a mobile phone. He was found to be wanted in connection with a robbery in the Manchester area, as well as having a revoked driving licence. He too was arrested.

Sergeant Lee Beck said: “This week of targeted activity was a real success and we saw a significant number of vehicles stopped where drivers were using their mobile phones.

“National campaigns like this exist to save lives – a split second’s distraction while driving can have fatal consequences. It is not worth the risk, so I’d stress to drivers please do not use your phones while driving.

“While the campaign has concluded, this does not mean our work to tackle this issue concludes as well. Our officers will continue to patrol the region and will take action to stop any driver suspected of or seen using their mobile phone while driving. Drivers can continue to expect higher penalties for using handheld devices.”