Thames Valley Police plan ‘Call Divert’ workshop for drivers with DriveTech (UK)

29 January 2007

Thames Valley Police will be launching a new education workshop called ‘Call Divert’ for motorists who are caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving.

The new workshop will be offered to offenders across the region from 27 February when tough new penalties are introduced for the offence nationwide. The first Call Divert workshops will take place in April 2007.

The penalty for being caught driving or supervising a learner while using a hand-held mobile phone or failing to have proper control of a vehicle will increase from a £30 fine, to become an endorsable offence, carrying three penalty points and a fine of £60. Any cases that reach court could also lead to the driver being disqualified and receiving a fine of up to £1,000 for car drivers and £2,500 for bus, coach or goods vehicle drivers. People who cause or allow the driver to commit this offence, including employers, could face the same penalties. Company officials could also face imprisonment if an employee is driving a vehicle while using a hand-held mobile phone and is involved in a fatal collision.

Thames Valley Police already enforces the law on the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, but these new penalties extend to not having proper control of a vehicle, an offence that could also apply to the driver being distracted by using a hands-free mobile phone kit.

Motorists caught using hand-held mobile phones while driving in the Thames Valley will be given the option of attending a ‘Call Divert’ workshop instead of getting points on their licence. The workshop’s aim is to educate drivers about the real dangers of making a mobile phone call when driving and raise awareness among drivers that this is not only illegal, but is a significant cause of accidents.

Malcolm Collis, head of the Specialist Units, Thames Valley Police Roads Policing Department, said: “My advice is to switch your mobile phone off when you get into a vehicle. Any call is a distraction and we know this causes crashes. We will continue to carry out roadside checks to tackle motorists who drive while using a hand-held mobile phone. We are aware that significant numbers of people are driving while using a hand-held mobile phone and this is an early warning to let drivers know that they have just four weeks in which to change their ways; after that they can expect even tougher action from us.”

The new workshop will focus on the effects of holding a mobile phone when driving. It will also emphasise how in-car distractions can lead to potentially fatal consequences for the driver and their passengers, as well as other road users.

The use of mobile phones is a danger because they are a distraction which will increase the driver’s reaction time:

• An average alert driver’s reaction time is 0.98 of a second and at 70mph, for example, the vehicle will travel 31 metres in that time before the driver even begins to hit the brakes.

• When using a hands-free mobile, that reaction time increases to 1.25 seconds and 39 metres; when using a hand-held mobile this jumps to 1.46 seconds. This is half as slow again as normal, and a total distance of 45 metres, some 9 car lengths, 3 more that had the driver been concentrating; this, quite literally, could mean the difference between life and death.

Using any mobile phone slows one’s reactions even more than alcohol at the legal limit.

The interactive workshop will cost £74 including VAT to attend and will last two and a half hours. It will focus on providing relevant statistics, clarify the law on the use of mobile phones and provide practical, in-class role-play to demonstrate the importance of focused concentration while driving. In addition, the group will discuss the circumstances and consequences of a real life collision where mobile phone use was a major contributory factor.

Mr Collis said: “The workshop will give us the opportunity to educate drivers about why using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is so dangerous. We know that people are still doing this even though it is illegal. By offering education as an alternative to punishment, we hope to change drivers’ attitudes and make the roads safer.”

Chris Howell, Chairman of DriveTech (UK) said: “By offering ‘mobile phone’ education as part of their broader road safety strategy, Thames Valley Police is clearly leading the way in changing drivers’ attitudes towards using a mobile phone behind the wheel.”

The new scheme will complement the current Thames Valley Police diversionary schemes including the Driver Improvement, Rider Improvement, Speed Awareness and Seatbelt Awareness workshops, managed by DriveTech (UK).

EDITOR’S NOTES

Malcolm Collis is available for interview on 29/01 between 8am and 10am. Please contact Annie Tysom on 01865 846350 to arrange.

For more information on the ‘Call Divert’ workshop contact David Richards, marketing director, DriveTech (UK) on 01344 467271.

Section 26 of the Road Safety Act 2007 provides for the offences of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving or supervising and failing to have proper control of a vehicle. Additionally, to cause or permit the offence will also carry penalty points.

In all cases, there is no guarantee that drivers will be given the option of attending the workshops. There are criteria that the driver needs to meet, for example, the driver can not have attended a workshop within the last three years. In extreme cases of excessive speed or other aggravating circumstances motorists will be given no alternative and sent to court.

More information is available from the Department for Transport on;

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/mobilephones/mobilephones.htm

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/advice/mobilephones.htm

For further information contact:

David Richards at DriveTech (UK) at david.richards@drivetech.co.uk or 01344 467271.