12,000 fines for drivers on mobiles

More than 12,000 fines have been handed out to West Midland motorists using mobile phones while driving since new laws came into force, figures today show.

The total released to the Express & Star shows between 2007 and 2008, 12,018 fixed penalty notices were handed out by the West Midlands Police force.

Figures given out under the Freedom of Information Act show the number of fixed penalty fines for drivers using hand-held mobiles doubled from £30 to £60 last year.

And for the first time those caught got three points on their driving licence.

Between February and December 2007, 5,940 were given out and between January and December 3 this month 6,078 motorists received fixed penalties.

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Joanne Hunt said today: "There is now no excuse for drivers not to comply with the law. They know the risks and the police are now committed to rigorously enforcing the legislation. If drivers want to keep their licence the must stop using their phones whilst driving."

She added: "The use of mobile phones by drivers while driving is one of the major causes of serious and fatal collisions. The police together with other agencies have been educating and promoting this to the public over the last few years."

The police force was also asked how much had been collected in fines but was unable to supply the information because some may have been dealt with by other methods than a fixed penalty notice, such as going to court.

In the six months after February 2007 in Staffordshire 1,027 fixed penalty notices had been handed to motorists using hand-held mobiles while driving.

Research carried out last year found across the country about 20 per cent of the population are thought to admit to breaking the mobile phone law.