WASHINGTON-Drivers in the United Kingdom caught talking on handheld mobile phones could face fines up to $1,700 under a new government proposal announced today and set to be enacted later this year.
First offenders would be subject to a $50 fine, but the penalty increases dramatically if the matter goes to court.
“Driving while using a mobile phone is dangerous,” said U.K. Road Safety Minister David Jamieson. “We are all too familiar with the sight of people driving along while holding and talking on their mobile phones. Any driver will be distracted by a phone call or text message. It affects the ability to concentrate and anticipate the road, putting the driver and other road users at risk … Missing a call won’t kill you-an accident quite possibly could.”
The United Kingdom would join nearly 40 countries that restrict handheld mobile-phone use by drivers.
In the United States, New York is the only state where it is illegal to operate a handheld phone while driving. California is expected to put such a ban into effect later this year, while Massachusetts and other states also are considering similar driver-distraction legislation. A handful of U.S. towns limit handheld phone use by drivers.
In Congress, House and Senate lawmakers have renewed efforts to pass a national law that would restrict handheld phone use when people are behind the wheel.
The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association favors education over legal restrictions, though its largest member-Verizon Wireless-supports statewide crackdowns on handheld phone use by drivers.
After investigating a deadly accident involving an inexperienced driver who was talking on her cell phone, the National Transportation Safety Board earlier this month recommended novice drivers not be allowed to have wireless conversations while driving. But NTSB stopped short of calling for a statewide or national prohibition on driver use of handheld phones, saying more research is needed.
Despite the flurry of legislative activity, there is some question whether curbs on cell-phone talking and driving get to the root of the problem.
A new Swedish government-sponsored study says hands-free wireless devices do not reduce distraction risks to drivers, a finding that is consistent with other research data.
Meanwhile, a trial should begin next month in Corpus Christi, Texas, for a man accused of criminally negligent homicide for killing two people while he was talking on his phone and driving.
