Thousands caught using phones at wheel in record-breaking enforcement week
Almost 8,000 drivers were caught last year during a one-week campaign against phone use at the wheel.
Almost 8,000 drivers were caught last year during a one-week campaign against phone use at the wheel.
More than 47 fixed penalty notices were issued every hour in a week last November as officers broke records for enforcement on distraction driving, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) said.
Officers stopped 10,012 vehicles over the period and detected 117 other distraction offences, leading to hundreds of verbal warnings and 68 court summons.
Previous campaigns in May 2016 and September and May 2015 led to 2,323, 2,276 and 2,690 drivers being caught respectively.
However, the results are not directly comparable as 36 forces took part in the November crackdown many more than the prior efforts.
The crackdown is being followed up by a week of action from Monday (January 23) to Sunday (January 29) in which officers will run targeted operations and education campaigns.
NPCC lead for roads policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, said: This week forces will be working to make driving distracted as socially unacceptable as drink driving through enforcing strong deterrents and powerful messages to make people think twice about their driving habits.
Encouraging results from last years campaign against mobile phone use show how effective new tactics and innovative approaches can be.
Officers will continue to use intelligence-led tactics to target police activity and resources and catch repeat offenders.
Forces will be working throughout the year to tackle this behaviour by motorists with national partners and the public.
Last year the Department for Transport announced plans to double penalties for motorists caught using handheld phones.
Fines will rise from £100 to £200, and the number of penalty points issued will increase from three to six.