The Metropolitan Police are facing criticism for considering an increase of the penalty for using mobile phones while driving, instead of growing police presence on roads.
They have used X, formerly Twitter, to consult the public about the current penalties and fines in place.
It’s good to talk right?
Let’s chat for #StandUpForHangingUp. At the moment if you’re caught using your phone whilst driving, it’s can lead to 6 points & a £200 fine.
Do you think that’s enough?
Would you increase it or decrease it? Let’s chat. Not whilst driving though 👍
— Roads & Transport MPS (@MPSRTPC) February 26, 2024
Of the 759 votes on the poll, 70% voted to increase the penalty for drivers caught using a phone. But some users are arguing that the law in place is adequate, but its enforcement is not.
In 2013, driving while using a mobile would result in three points on a licence and a £100 fine. In 2017, this penalty was increased to six licence points and a £200 fine.
Decrease in road accidents of less than 2%
23,327 road accidents were also recorded in London in 2022 and 23,721 accidents in 2012. This shows a decrease of less than 2% since the penalty and fines were double.
17 people were killed and 499 injured in road traffic collisions in 2020 where the driver was using a mobile phone, according to government data. This has led to calls for change in how the roads are policed.
In recent years, there has been a rise in road safety campaigners using social media to expose dangerous driving on London’s streets. Michael van Erp, known as Cycling Mikey, gained notoriety in 2019 for sharing images of actor Guy Ritchie on his phone while driving.
‘More and stronger enforcement’
Tom Day uses social media to campaign for safer driving. He gave evidence in court seven times in 2023 against drivers he had reported to the police for using mobile phones.
In response to the Met’s suggestion of making the punishment more severe, he says: “I think the current penalty is about right. The solution, in my opinion, is just more and stronger enforcement.”
An X campaigner who uses the pseudonym ThatGuyOnTheBike, however, says that civilians can and should help to report road crimes:
“Third-party reporting does a great job of freeing up officers for situations that require their physical presence. A single motivated civilian can report hundreds over the course of a year.”
Walthamstow resident Flora Graham reports drivers using phones on her children’s school’s road. She has made multiple attempts to report this through the Met’s online portal but has never received a response.
She says that the current penalties are sufficient and that stricter policing is required:
“People don’t fully realise what they are doing. They reach for their phones instinctively – that is an issue of enforcement.”
Ms. Graham suggested to a police officer that a procedure similar to speed cameras should be in place. They responded that, although they sympathise, it is difficult to prosecute, even with photographic evidence.
The Metropolitan Police declined to comment when approached by City News.
