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It was announced this week that the government of the United Kingdom is seeking consultation on the issue of banning mobile phones while driving to ascertain whether there should be any exceptions to the newly introduced law.
"Our recent advertising campaign has increased awareness of the dangers of this and the police already prosecute those irresponsible drivers who insist on using their mobiles," said David Jamieson, the UK road safety minister. "But there is still a core of motorists who are ignoring these warnings."
But according to a report in the Financial Times, the proposed ban will meet opposition from British industry, because of the operational difficulties it would cause for companies who need to be in constant contact with their drivers. Companies are also understood to be concerned that insurance costs would increase because of the increased liability that companies would incur under the mobile ban.
The UK government announcement included statistics that showed that drivers are four times more likely to have an accident if they are using a mobile phone. However, various surveys have come up with different findings on the use of mobile phones while driving.
The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CITA), an industry body that includes manufacturing giant Motorola, has said that lawmakers will not necessarily make the roads safer by preventing drivers from using mobile phones. In January 2002, CITA urged against laws that ban mobile phones in cars, calling instead for more research and better driver education.
But other reports from organisations and groups like the University of Utah, the New England Journal of Medicine and ADAC (the German version of AA) say that using a mobile phone while behind the wheel is likely to be of greater distraction to drivers than in-car conversation, or listening to the radio or audio books.
In March, the then Irish Minister for the Housing and Urban Renewal, Bobby Molloy, announced a ban on the use of handheld mobile phones while driving. The ban was to be included in the Road Traffic Bill and repeat offenders were to incur a penalty of EUR435 and up to three months imprisonment.
A Garda spokesperson told ElectricNews.Net said that nobody had been prosecuted in Ireland under the mobile ban, because the legislation had not been enacted. The bill is still under review with the attorney general and no date has been set for it to go before the Dail.
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