120 drivers caught using mobile phones at the wheel in just one week
More than 120 drivers were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel during a week-long police crackdown in the West Midlands.
This included motorists texting or checking social media – with one driver even caught watching the news on a handset while driving along the motorway.
In total 123 distracted drivers were stopped on the region’s motorways and roads as part of the national campaign from January 22 to 28.
Anyone caught on their phone while driving receives a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence as part of tougher laws introduced by the Government last year.
This means new licence holders face losing their licence straight away and more are at risk through the ’totting up’ process.
Insp Sion Hathaway, from the Central Motorway Police Group, said: "We regularly saw people who were driving while texting and checking social media which is completely unacceptable at the wheel.
"While society has changed in terms of the growing use of technology, there is a time and place for this - and this is certainly not while driving.
"It’s disappointing to see that people continue to break the law and put the lives of not only themselves, but others, at risk.
"Being distracted while driving can have life-changing consequences and even though the campaign is over we will still be monitoring our roads to catch those who commit such an offence.
"It is a no-win; at the very least you face six penalty points and a £200 fine. The worst case scenario is that you kill someone.
"Not only will you have to live with this on your conscience, you will also go to prison for a significant length of time."
