Time to crack down on deadly mobile menaces

I’M pleased to see that Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, has ordered a police clampdown on drivers using mobile phones, and that he’s threatened tougher action – six points instead of three – if drivers continue to defy the law.

It’s an offence that ‘bugs’ me when I’m driving, but terrifies me when I’m cycling. Getting too close to cyclists is clearly on the increase! Why? A polystyrene helmet offers next to no protection against ‘mobile menaces’, especially those in huge SUVs and HGVs. How many deaths are needed before we get tougher action?

Mr McLoughlin’s Department for Transport warns us that:

You’re four times more likely to crash if you use a mobile phone while driving;

Reaction times for drivers using a phone are around 50 per cent slower than normal driving;

Even careful drivers can be distracted by a call or text – and a split-second lapse in concentration could result in a crash.

With the reaction time of a driver at the drink-drive limit only slowed by 15 per cent (figure from Transport Research Laboratory) the mobile phone offence is clearly equal to, if not worse than being twice the drink-drive limit. Why then not the same automatic driving ban for mobile-menaces? Given the recent 100 vehicle pile-up on Sheppey Bridge – caused by slow reaction time for sure, and a “miracle no one was
killed” – it’s an absolute must, is it not?

David Cameron once said: “Drink-drivers are people who are beyond the pale.”

Accordingly “mobile menaces” must be one and the same. Why keep relying on miracles?