Is it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving

By Christina Okoli

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A DRIVER was sentenced this month�to five years in prison after his lorry hit and killed a pedestrian in a roadside lay-by. The presiding judge described the driver's actions as 'wicked' and 'wholly unbelievable' after it was discovered that he was composing a mobile phone text message at the time of the accident. The deadly message abruptly ended with the words: 'SH*T! I'll call you back...'

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Is it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving

Although driving while using a mobile phone is illegal in many countries such as Japan, Australia and Brazil, it is not illegal in the UK. However, the government has issued stern warnings against driving while using a mobile phone and if an accident were to occur in�such circumstances, the offence would fall under the banner of dangerous driving.

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Is there any evidence that driving while using a mobile phone increases the risk of having an accident

Yes. Research carried out by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)�in conjunction with Aston University found that drivers using mobile phones were more likely to have an accident. Mobile phone drivers were found to drive more closely to other vehicles, while they failed to maintain speed controls and meandered about on the road. The study also found a substantial rise in the level of stress experienced by drivers who use mobile phones, which increases the likelihood of having an accident as the conversation gradually takes precedence over the task of driving. A similar study carried out in the US last year found that using a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of accidents by four times. While another study carried out in Canada found that the risks associated with driving with a mobile phone�are no less high than that of driving�with a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit.

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Is there any statistics available relating to the number of road accidents involving mobile phones

According to RoSPA, there have been 16 road deaths in the UK that can be directly linked�to the use of mobile phones. The rapid rise in car accidents involving mobile phones has led to strong calls for the government to impose a blanket ban on the use of the devices while driving. In Korea, where extensive surveys have been carried out into such accidents, 242 road accidents involving mobile phones were reported during the first six months of last year.

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Has anyone in the UK ever been convicted on dangerous driving while using a mobile phone

Yes.

• Earlier this month lorry driver Paul Browning was sentenced to five years in jail after his vehicle careered off the A13 near Essex, and killed a man standing in a lay-by. The incident occurred last June while Mr Browning was composing a mobile text message to his girlfriend.
• In a separate incident last May, policeman Darren Riley, from Somerset, died when he lost control of his car. The inquest into his death was told that he might have been trying to read a text message while driving.
• In another case, driver David Powell was fined �250 after admitting that he was having a conversation on his mobile phone when he hit and killed an 11-year-old schoolgirl. The mild penalty�that the driver�received caused public outrage.

Is it only drivers who are discouraged from using mobile phones on the road

No. After a 15-year-old female pedestrian was run over by a car as she�engaged in�a mobile phone conversation with her boyfriend while crossing the road, fresh concerns were raised for pedestrians as well as drivers to refrain from mobile phone use on the road.