Ayrshire drivers still not getting the message

Oct 31 2008

Danger drivers are not getting the message

ALMOST 2000 drivers have been busted for using their mobile phones.

And the figures are getting worse instead of better.

Since legislation came into force in December 2003, more and more drivers have been caught pulling the danger stunt.

In 2004, 213 people were busted chatting on their phone in South Ayrshire.

But last year, a whopping 609 drivers were caught red-handed by eagle-eyed cops.

Ayr’s Prestwick Road and Whitletts Road were the scene for many of the law breakers. While cops in Ayr Road in Prestwick also saw dozens of danger drivers.

Traffic cops say they’ll come down hard on those caught driving while using their mobile.

Inspector Drew Robertson from Ayr police station said: “A lot of people have settled into bad habits and it’s become prolific for some people. They just can’t resist answering their mobile phone if it rings while they are driving.

“The figures have increased over the years because we are enforcing the legislation as much as we can. We have focus days targeting motorists who use their mobile while driving and we work hard to educate the public on the dangers.”

Driving while using a mobile slows your reaction time by 50 per cent and you are four times more likely to crash.

Inspector Robertson hopes that a change in the law will make drivers think again.

He continued: “Up until last year, driving while using a phone was a non-endorsable offence. But now, people will get three points on their licence as well as a fine so hopefully we’ll see the figures coming down.

“The concentration needed to drive safely is much higher than a lot of other processes. That level of concentration is compromised if you are holding a mobile phone.”

And he warned that cops are wise to the stunts drivers pull attempting to get away with it.

Inspector Robertson said: “It’s amazing the amount of times we see a phone getting launched across the car, dropped or disguised as a sudden scratch of the head.

“We even see people stopping on the hard shoulder of the motorway to answer their phone, it looks like they’ve broken down but often we discover they are taking a call.

“The bottom line is, driving while using a mobile phone can kill. And if you cause a collision doing it then you could be charged with dangerous driving and even jailed.”