Back on 21st August, we brought you news that the Road safety minister David Jamieson was seeking views on whether or not ban the use of Mobile phones whilst driving. The results of the discussion document which was available until 25th November 2002 have been concluded.

To recap;
The Government proposed to include a fixed penalty fine under Regulation 14 of the Construction and Use Regulations 1896 (C&U Regulations) for failing to have proper control of a motor vehicle. Offenders may, on conviction, be fined upto £1,000 (or £2,500 for drivers of goods vehicles and passenger vehicles adapted to carry more than 8 passengers). In some circumstances a prosecution for careless or dangerous driving may be justified. The penalties for these offences include endorsement, disqualification and even imprisonment in the most serious cases.

The proposed new regulations should enable Police to take action if anyone "causes or permits" the use of a hand-held mobile phone by a driver. The idea being that this should make it clear to employers that they cannot expect their employees to use such devices whilst driving.
The intention of the new regulation will be to prohibit the use of hand-held mobile phones or other similar hand-held devices that permit 2-way communication, whether that medium be speech, text or other forms of data (internet).

Latest reports indicate that the Govenrment has announced that drivers spotting using a hand-held mobile phone at the wheel could very well face penalties of up to £1,000.
David Jamieson said the new offence will take effect from 1 December 2003, adding: 'Our decision to introduce this new offence will make the roads safer for us all. Missing a call won't kill you - an accident quite possibly could.' Initially offenders will be subject to a £30 fine, which can be increased to a maximum fine of £1,000 if the matter goes to court. The government says research has demonstrated that if you drive and use a mobile phone you are four times more likely to have an accident'.
The move has been welcomed by safety organisations and the Association of British Insurers. However, RoSPA are warning drivers against a switch to hands-free phones, which are just as dangerous.

The impact of this on the security industry is self evident. Many Mobile Supervisors/ Inspectors and Alarm Response drivers use mobile communications devices as a matter course. They are a required evil to be able to function safely and efficiently.
My own concern is that a lack of immediate response to a phone call my put someones life at risk.
Whilst fully fitted hands-free phones are at the moment in that 'grey area', I cannot help feeling that RoSPA will now pile on the pressure to get hands-free phones banned as well.

Back in August last year, we called on the security companies to ensure they had effective policies on the use of hand-held phones in company vehicles.
Many of the companies that lease vehicles to the security companies ban the fitting of additional equipment such as hands-free kits.

How will this affect you?