Revealed: Hundreds of motorists caught using mobile phones at the wheel

West Midlands Police has handed out punishment to 474 motorists in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton since 2014.

But this figure is dwarfed by the West Midlands as a whole, with 9,545 caught by traffic police.

The alarming data was revealed by West Midlands Police through a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Express & Star.

What did the police have to say?

Superintendent Dave Twyford, from the force’s road policing team, warned of the ‘life-changing’ consequences drivers can face from using their phones while driving.

“In the worst case scenario you could kill someone,” he said.

“Not only will you have to live with this on your conscience, you will also go to prison for a significant length of time.”

“Being distracted at the wheel can have life-changing consequences.

“Sadly we still see people texting and checking social media on their mobile phones while driving which is completely unacceptable.

“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.

“We continually monitor our roads and those caught face a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence.”

Breakdown of figures

A breakdown of the figures showed 474 drivers were issued with either fines and/or penalty points in the Black Country since 2014. And 108 drivers were prosecuted in court.

Most of the offences were committed in Wolverhampton, with 233 drivers caught red-handed by traffic police.

Walsall came second for the most offences with a total of 177. Of these, 41 were prosecuted in the courts.

In third was Dudley where 55 drivers have been caught since 2014 and 11 prosecuted.

Sandwell came fourth, where just nine drivers have been caught. Two were prosecuted.

The year where most drivers were caught on their phones in the Black Country was in 2015 with 139 motorists snared by police.

Since then the numbers have fell each year. This year is considerably lower, with 37 drivers caught, but not all the data has been collected yet.

How are police tackling the issue?

West Midlands Police though is staying eagle-eyed on motorists. It recently launched a new operation where officers are based on the top deck of buses and look out for motorists flouting the law.

sing a hand-held mobile phone or similar device while driving or riding, you’ll get an automatic fixed penalty notice - three penalty points and a fine of £60. If your case goes to court, you may face disqualification on top of a maximum fine of £1,000.

Mobile phones were banned from use while driving cars in the UK in 2003. This move was something the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, was involved in.

He said West Midlands Police is regularly ‘clamping down’ on the problem which puts motorists in danger.

He said: “Driving whilst using a handheld phone is an issue I am extremely passionate about.

“I worked tirelessly to bring the original ban in in 2003 when I was transport minister.

“This is about saving lives. Studies have found motorists who talk on their handheld phone while driving are four times more likely to crash.

“That is why it continues to be a priority for me and West Midlands Police. The force has regular operations clamping down on this kind of motoring offence, but I would like even more to be possible.

“I’d like to see higher fines for drivers introduced and the money ploughed back into our cash-strapped force so officers can do even more to keep our roads safe.”