One in three admit to driving with handheld phone

Crush a car when its not taxed, MOT'd and insured.

Crush a phone when its used by a driver. Preferably done slowly in front of them with a truncheon.

Seems a fair policy to me.

The problem is that the legislators made a major error when they brought in the handset ban: because they went against the studies that showed that the distraction is the problem, and gave the massive concession to the mobile phone industry of allowing hands-free sets--even though such calls are also distracting.

Had this exemption not been allowed, then a simpler campaign against all distraction whilst driving would be possible. That concession was the thin end of the wedge, and now we have the drivers of 40 tonne lorries watching feature films on the dashboard's built-in screen, or bus drivers placing bets on-line using an app on their "smart"phone. I even overtook a priest weaving and slowing in a queue of traffic recently; but he was merely distracted by a well-thumbed breviary.

The main problem is that driving is very boring and passive, and not unsurprisingly, people start to wonder if they could fill up the time doing something more interesting. If it can be automated, this is certainly one solution.

The problem is not the lack of Police is that the Police only send people on courses because they get money from every course attendee.

over 80 courts are closing this year due to lack of work!! The police now issue conditional cautions, fixed penalty notices and send you on  courses.if you knew that using your phone would get you 3 pts would you use it. 

Should be the same for all road users including cyclists.  Big fine.  Make it matter and don't discriminate.  

If the police were able to accept clear video evidence supplied by the public, and automatic punishment followed, things would improve hugely.

The drivers trying to hide what they're doing by staring at their laps or leaning over to work their phones on the passenger seat scare me more than the brazen ones holding the phones to their ears, or up on the wheel. At least they have a tiny peripheral idea of what's in front of them.

Min £1000 fine, 6 points or full ban and have their car given to charity. 

Police to use social media to catch the idiots who take picture pictures whilst driving and post them up. 

Use cameras to catch them.  It is so obvious when driving behind or infront when someone is texting or looking at something on their phone.  

Remove the issue (aside from dickheads) which is at the moment they aren't being caught.

There's a valid argument that handsfree kits are just as bad an idea.

Say for example you're driving in busy traffic and someone phones to tell you someone in your family's been in a horrible accident. How well are you going to be able to concentrate on your driving for the rest of your journey?

Is the problem just holding the phone to talk / text whilst driving or any phone use at all? I have mine in a cradle on the dash which I use as a sat nav.  Is this considered dangerous?  Is talking on the phone but not holding it ok (I don’t do this btw)? Doing all of these things detract ones attention from what’s happening on the road.  I guess i'm asking where do you think the line should be drawn?

I was driving home along a busy M62 the other evening and noticed a car in the middle lane doing about 50 mph with cars streaming past on either side of it. As I passed it, I looked over and there's a young girl happily playing with her phone, totally blase.

Never under estimate the stupidity of a large section of the population.

Until there is a strong campaign (along the lines of drink driving campaigns) showing how dangerous it is to use their phones there will be increasing mobile use when driving.  At the moment it is sort of socially acceptable to drivers to use their mobile and this needs to be changed.  Increasing the penalties will help but they do need to be enforced and that is only part of the solution.

I see it every day cycle commuting into London - just huge amounts of people are using their phones while driving a car.  Very easy ways to spot them, so it would be so easy to issue lots of fines if the police were that way inclined:

1. Driving along while looking at their crotch rather than out the window.

2. Weaving all over the road.

3. Queue of traffic has long since moved off at the lights and they are left there.

And particulaly easy at night when their faces are lit up by the glow of the screen!

31% admit to it and another 31% don't admit to it. It's worrying how so many people cannot leave their phone alone for a few minutes while driving. If you really need to use your phone, stop at the side of the road and do it, simple, easy and safe.

It's so easy to spot drivers on phones that I don't get why they can't just have a few police on bikes cycling round catching drivers. The money made from fining the drivers would surely cover the cost of the "extra" policing, or at least it woud until drivers realise that they'll get caught sooner or later.
 They'd just have to keep patrolling busy areas that have a queue of stationary traffic - half the drivers would be on their phones in the queue.

In London over the last year or so the increase in this is staggering.

People can't seem to be separated from their phones for more than 2 seconds any more, and have seemed to have forgotten it is illegal when driving.
Not helped of course that phones are the majority of navigation tools now!

Since driver using mobile phones put every other road user at risk, surely it should be legal to impose the same level of risk on them?  I was thinking of carrying a .38 or 9mm and shooting the next driver I see using a phone.  Of course it wouldn't be intentional and I'd be really, really sorry, but it was just an accident that could have happened to anyone.

I wonder if I'd be let off eight times?

Only 1 in 3 motorists are selfish psychopaths, who'd of guess the figure was that low

Superpython was suggesting portable EMP devices. Jammers built into cars might also work. Fairly clearly nothing else does.

I agree that if a certain percent admit it, then far more are actually doing it.

There are several problems at play here I think

Firstly society in general is becoming far more selfish and uncaring

Secondly police budgets have been cut by successive governments who SAY they support the issue of road safety. There are very few actual traffic police around to deal with this issue.

Thirdly even when prosecuted and found guilty, the courts do very little, even letting repeat offenders off so that they can go out and kill

Fourthly, several media outlets mount campaigns stating that the few road safety measures that exist (speed cameras) are just a money making scheme, thereby creating a culture of a free for all on the road.

Which brings me to my last point. Applause for the Daily Mail and the Mirror who might, if they are not careful, actually do something good for cycling. I particularly liked the Mirrors approach of actually showing the drivers faces. Love to be a fly on the wall in those houses tonight.

Oh, it's phones, is it? I wondered why I kept seeing folk in cars looking down with one hand in their lap. I assumed they were masturbating, given they're driving like wankers.

Man, I always wanted one of those phones.

Anyone calling for tougher penalties is missing the point, penalties are NOT the issue. 

How often do you see police pulling drivers for any crime? That is the issue. 

This should be an immediate short disqualification, perhaps seven days.  And police should inform insurance companies as a matter of routine.   

Chief Constables should be required to justify why so few tickets are issued.  

Not surprised at all to be honest, anyone with eyes can see what a problem this has become. I'm afraid there will be worse to come, when people don't even bother driving slowly or crawling while using their phone at the wheel, and we get more of the so far isolated cases of nutcases filming themselves driving 100mph in residential areas. Self driving cars can't come quick enough.

If one in three admit to it, you can bet that at least double that actually do it.