Police say they lack powers to probe phone involvement in crashes
“But officers in our survey consistently registered concerns about having enough power or resources to investigate whether a mobile phone was being used at the time of a road traffic crash. Because of resource and legal considerations, only in fatal and life-changing injury crashes are phones seized and analyzed. In all other crash types, including those involving serious injuries, use of mobile phones is usually not investigated.
“To me, this is a massive problem. If the police can’t detect the full extent of this behavior then we are missing an important part of collision investigation.
“It leaves a significant gap not only in terms of enforcement, but also monitoring of the role of phones in crashes. The result is significant under-reporting of the role of mobile phones in road traffic crashes, as well as inadequate justice for the victims of those affected by the actions of drivers using their phones behind the wheel.”
Pilkington said investigating whether a mobile phone was being used at the time of a collision was resource intensive but technological solutions were on the horizon.
He said: “Phones have to be sent away for specialist analysis, and there are sometimes issues in proving the exact time of use in relation to the crash. Time-ascertainment is made more difficult by the long process involved in the analysis of the phone.
“However, there are possible technological solutions. In New York, a State Senate Bill currently in committee is discussing the introduction of a hand-held ‘textalyzer’ device, which allows officers to analyze mobile phone usage data at the roadside. Such technology offers the potential to improve enforcement and monitoring of the role of mobile phones in road traffic collisions.”
The results of an RAC survey revealed in September suggested the number of motorists illegally using mobile phones while behind the wheel was on the rise. Some 31 percent of drivers taking part in the survey admitted they used a handheld phone behind the wheel compared with eight per cent in 2014.
The Department for Transport will introduce tougher punishments for offending drivers from next year, with penalty points doubling from three to six and fines rising from £100 to £200.
Pilkington, who is now working on a review examining the effectiveness of legislation governing mobile phone use and driving, said: “People are using their phones because they don’t think they will be caught. The penalty points have gone up, and the fine, but unless it’s a sky-high fine or a ban, drivers will continue to chance it.
“Distraction driving has become a big policy issue and the World Health Organization has started to talk about it more.
“When you see adverts for cars with built-in dashboard consoles for checking email and Facebook, it is at odds with reducing distraction driving. But those things are what appeal to people, in terms of staying connected to one another.
“Unless technology has a solution, advances in phone technology are likely to make problems worse.”
— Read more in Janet Ige et al., “Mobile phone use while driving: Underestimation of a global threat,” Journal of Transport & Health 3, no. 1 (March 2016): 4–8 (doi: org/10.1016/j.jth.2015.11.003)