Nottinghamshire Police stopped 101 drivers on the M1 motorway during a week-long operation targeting mobile phone use at the wheel, warning that even touching a device secured in a mount could lead to prosecution.
Of those pulled over, 46 were dealt with for calling, texting, navigating or otherwise interacting with their mobile phones while driving. The drivers were spotted using maps and navigation apps, with handsets either held in their hands or secured in cradles.
Penalties and risks
The force said anyone caught holding a mobile device faces six penalty points and a £200 fine, while those interacting with an otherwise secured device remain liable for prosecution for other offences, such as driving without due care and attention. In extreme circumstances where other road users are killed or seriously injured, the use of a mobile device in any capacity could be considered an aggravating factor.
Each driver was identified on the M1 by the crew of an unmarked HGV during a routine pre-planned operation between 12 and 16 October. Four of those stopped were driving HGVs, placing other road users at additional risk.
Other offences recorded
During the operation, 16 individuals were penalised for failing to wear a seatbelt, while two were dealt with for driving overweight vehicles. Ten motorists were penalised for speeding, with one recorded travelling at 118mph.
Sergeant Jim Carrington, of the Roads Policing Team, said: "The good news is that more and more drivers now understand that holding a mobile phone at the wheel is not acceptable. The bad news is that there are clearly others out there who think they can interact with a device held in a secure mount."
Legal rules and warnings
It is against the law to hold and use a mobile phone, sat nav, tablet, or any device capable of sending or receiving data while driving or riding a motorcycle, according to the government. The law still applies when stopped at traffic lights, queuing in traffic, supervising a learner driver, or driving a car that turns off the engine when you stop moving.
Carrington added: "As several drivers have just found out to their cost, that is simply not the case, because if you are searching for an address or looking for an alternative route, you are not paying proper attention to the road in front of you. The same goes for searching for a particular song or skipping the adverts in your favourite podcast. Both actions may seem innocuous, but they can each have catastrophic consequences for you and other road users."
Operation Tramline is a long-running police enforcement scheme that deploys an HGV cab, owned and operated by National Highways, to identify and record offences from an elevated position on the road.
