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MPs Call for Tougher Rules Against Drivers Using their Phones
02 September 2019
MPs have called on the government to take tougher actions to tackle motorists using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. This follows a report from the Transport Committee that found in 2017 there were 773 casualties including 43 deaths and 135 serious injuries, in collisions where a driver using a mobile phone was a contributory factor. These figures follow the trend seeing a steading rise in deaths and serious injuries since 2011.
Despite the rise in road accidents involving mobile phones’ usage, the rate of enforcement by police has plummeted by more than two thirds’ since 2011. This means that despite the clear indication of the rise of mobile phone related road accidents, policing on the issue has not kept up to speed.
In fact, these findings follow research by Kwik Fit which found that 2.7million drivers had a collision or veered off the road in the past two years because they were distracted by their mobile phones. A further 1.8million motorists were involved in a collision because another driver was on their phone.
At Marshall Leasing, we want our customers and their fleets to be as safe as possible by trying to prevent avoidable accidents caused by mobile phones. This is why we are on hand to assist you in reviewing and updating your company car policy. These amendments could include educating your employees on the dangers of using hand-held mobile phones, or, bringing in punishments and penalties for employees who are caught using their phone whilst driving.
To find out how we can help with your company car, please visit our dedicated ‘Driver Risk Assessment & Licence Validation’ section on our website here, or call us directly on 01480 414541.
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