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30 drivers using mobiles in one hour

26/06/08

Almost 30 drivers were spotted using their mobile phones at a busy junction during one hour's worth of surveillance.

The Hertfordshire Mercury reports that the county council's road safety unit had gone to observe drivers at a junction between 08:15 and 09:15 BST on Tuesday last week.

Car insurance customers may be interested to know that four drivers were spotted eating breakfast, two were applying make-up, two were reading and another two drivers were adjusting their satellite navigation.

A further 24 people were talking on hand-held mobile phones and another four drivers were texting, while the road safety unit said they even spotted someone writing while driving.

Now the road safety team is offering to visit businesses in the area to demonstrate how using a hand-held mobile phone has an effect on reaction times for drivers.

Car insurance customers could find that their premiums are affected if they are involved in a collision while texting or chatting on a mobile phone.

County councillor Stuart Pile told the newspaper: "Driving may feel automatic once you've had your licence for a while, but it is in fact a complex skill where we ask ourselves to concentrate on many different things at once."

He added that he urges drivers not to "make it harder for themselves" by adding eating, drinking and talking on a mobile phone into the equation.

Meanwhile, the Norwich Evening News reports that the council has pledged to review road safety in a study of the pedestrian crossings and traffic control in the city centre.

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