Can you afford a £200 fine and six penalty points? Top tips from GEM to avoid mobile phone temptation while driving

ROAD SAFETY and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is reminding motorists to ensure they commit 100 per cent of their attention to their journeys and to avoid using their phone while on the move.

Avoiding mobile phone temptation is the responsible choice, according to GEM, as it reduces the risk of being distracted on a journey.

GEM says using a hand-held mobile phone is an offence punishable by a £200 fine with six penalty points.

Hands-free use may be legal but drivers still risk being distracted when dialling, talking, texting or browsing their phones during journeys.

Government figures for 2021 (the latest available)1 show that 1.0% of drivers were observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. The worst group of offenders were van drivers (1.9%) compared with car drivers (0.8%). Males aged 17 to 29 were the most likely to be observed using a mobile phone.

GEM chief executive Neil Worth appeals to all drivers to see the safety benefits of leaving the phone alone while at the wheel.

“By ensuring you don’t take part in a conversation or try to read and respond to data on your phone, you’re reducing the risk you face and the risk you pose to others,” he said.

“You can focus on the journey, the road ahead and the hazards that may be developing. What’s more, it just takes a bit of planning to ensure you build in time to break your journeys and check voicemails, texts and emails.”

GEM has a number of simple tips regarding mobile phones and driving:

You’re allowed to use a mobile phone when you are safely parked, with the engine off and the handbrake on.

Please do not pick up your phone in any other driving situation, including when you’re stationary at traffic lights or queueing in traffic.

The only exception to this is if it’s an emergency and it would be unsafe or impractical to stop, in which case you may call 999.

Don’t assume that using a hands-free kit means you have dealt with the risk. You are still allowing yourself to be distracted from the task of safe driving, and you could still be prosecuted for not being in control (an offence that carries a £100 fine and three penalty points).

Take a few minutes before a journey to make important calls or to check voice messages and emails. Work together with friends, family, colleagues and work contacts to remove the expectation that we should all be available, all the time.  

Plan journeys to build in breaks from driving, where you can call, text or email or interact with social media in a safe environment.

*Article Source http://www.motoringassist.com

Britain’s drug-driving crisis puts pressure on A&E departments

Britain’s decade-long drug-driving epidemic could be adding further pressure to already beleaguered A&E departments across the country, according to the UK’s leading road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart.



Indeed, the charity has analysed Department for Transport (DfT) statistics to discover that there were almost 2,500 casualties in relation to drug-driving in 2021, representing a surge of over 260 per cent since 2012.

The issue has also been felt in the courts, as Criminal Justice System Statistics (CJSS) have disclosed that the number of drug-driving convictions has increased year on year, reaching 12,500 in 2019. Worryingly, nearly half (44 per cent)* of these crimes are perpetrated by repeat offenders, with many of these cases occurring within one year.

Such troubling trends come amid worrying reports* that, due to inefficient testing protocols, which requires blood samples to be taken by a healthcare practitioner, some police officers are resorting to bringing drug-driving suspects to hard-pressed A&E departments to take a sample. This comes at a time when hospitals are facing record waiting times, placing extra pressure on NHS nurses and doctors.

IAM RoadSmart’s survey of 2,028 motorists found that this problem is also set to deepen, with 1-in-10 respondents stating that they have driven, or been a passenger in a vehicle where the driver has been under the influence of illegal drugs.

The survey also discovered that 6 per cent of people would be comfortable driving while under the influence of illegal drugs, and 14 per cent of those surveyed stated that they would not stop a family member or friend who was planning to drive while under the influence of drugs.



IAM RoadSmart’s most recent annual Safety Culture Report showed that motorists consider drink and drug-drivers as one of the biggest risks to their personal safety – more than other issues such as speeding on residential streets, people driving aggressively or not wearing a seat belt.

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, commented: “With cases surging and attitudes as they are, Britain’s drug-drive picture is a bleak one. IAM RoadSmart has already proposed a smart package of solutions to help address this issue, including: developing a dedicated drug-drive course, prescription reform and for the government to finally release the outcome of its own drug-driving consultation.

“If these are actioned, we might finally see progress made on this critical road safety issue before more lives are tragically lost.”

IAM RoadSmart recently called on the government to reform the approach to drug-driving. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/3JZ2dsT.

*Article Source http://www.iamroadsmart.com