| New figures show that almost twice as many motorists in Tayside were fined for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving last year than in 2004.
In 2005, 1987 drivers were given £30 fixed penalty notices by Tayside Police, compared with 1071 motorists the previous year.
Road police sergeant Emma Bowman said motorists are still driving with one hand and talking on their phone with the other despite knowing the safety implications and that it is illegal.
She said, “Road policing officers are dealing with this offence on a daily basis.
“It’s hard to say whether the rise in people caught using a hand-held mobile phone is due to greater numbers doing so, or because of better detection by the police.
“We believe that while most drivers know about the legislation, many are still making a conscious decision to use their mobile phone.
“We have run several campaigns to try to attack this complacency and will run more campaigns this year.”
In 2005, 12,017 Scots motorists were found using a hand-held phone while driving, up 60% from 7563 in 2004.
The rise comes despite major advertising campaigns and a RAC survey shows that four out of 10 drivers ignore the law.
Motorists who flout the law could soon face £60 fines and three penalty points on their licence, under proposed tougher penalties.
“The tougher legislation will definitely act as a deterrent,” Sergeant Bowman added.
“If drivers know it can affect their licence then they might choose not to use their phone, where they did so before.”
* Tayside Police charged the first person in Britain under the current legislation, two hours after the ban came into force in December 2003. |
