Fewer drivers caught using mobiles (From Witney Gazette)

Fewer drivers caught using mobiles

8:39pm Wednesday 27th February 2008 in Headlines

FEWER drivers have been caught on their mobile phones in Oxfordshire since tougher laws came in to force.

Today marks one year since the fine for using a mobile at the wheel was doubled to £60 with three penalty points.

The latest police figures show between April and December last year 857 people were caught on their phones on the county's roads.

During the same period in 2006, before the law change, police caught 1,092 in Oxfordshire.

A recent Government survey showed 90 per cent of drivers polled believed using your mobile has a negative impact on driving.

Malcolm Collis, head of the specialist units at Thames Valley Police Roads Policing, said: "Talking on a mobile phone when driving causes a distraction and affects people's ability to react to dangerous situations. It is for this reason that the tougher penalties were introduced last year."

Insp Paul Winks, of Oxfordshire roads policing, said: "There has been a small drop in the number of tickets issued, and while the figures are still unacceptably high, it does appear that the motoring public is beginning to change its attitude to this serious issue."