Bristol motorists urged to stop using mobile phones whilst driving

Bristol motorists are being warned to stop using mobile phones whilst driving.

Avon and Somerset Police are working with the RAC to warn motorists about the fatal consequences of chatting, texting or using the internet on their phone when they are driving.

Using phones is one of the ‘fatal four’ major causes of Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) and leaves motorists four times more likely to become involved in an incident through distraction.

According to the RAC, more than one third of UK drivers admitted to being distracted by calls, texts or social media applications on their mobiles, with one in five admitting to checking Facebook and Twitter.

As well as being dangerous, mobile use whilst driving is illegal and could result in three penalty points and a fine of £60, or £1000 in court cases.
 
Chief Inspector Polly King, from Avon and Somerset Police’s Road Policing Unit, said: “Using your mobile phone whilst driving is a proven hazard which impairs driver performance and increases the risk of collisions. Although hands-free devices are better, they can still cause the driver to be distracted by a phone call or text message so we always advise motorists to switch their mobile off or at least turn it on silent.”

A Facebook page has been created to help raise awareness at: http://apps.facebook.com/fatal_distraction/