A Briton fined every 3 minutes for using phone while driving
December 12th, 2011 - 9:52 pm ICT by IANS
London, Dec 12 (IANS) At least one motorist in Britain is penalised every three minutes for using a mobile phone while driving, it has been revealed.
According to Freedom of Information requests made to 43 forces in England and Wales, over 171,000 drivers were stopped by police and given fixed penalty notices in 2010-11, the Daily Express reported.
The figure is more than double the 74,000 offences recorded in 2004, a year after the introduction of a ban on talking over phone while driving.
The statistics were compiled by car insurance provider swiftcover.com.
Police have made it a priority to tackle the problem, with fines due to rise up to 100 pounds (over 155 dollars) next year, said Road Safety Minister Mike Penning.
A survey found that almost seven million British drivers had used their mobile phones while driving over the last seven months, suggesting that fewer than three percent of drivers who break the law are caught. And 12 percent of people aged between 18 and 34 admitted logging on to Facebook or Twitter while driving!
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