Switch off mobile phone before you drive

Switch off before you drive off is our message to motorists to avoid a collision and penalty points on your licence as police crackdown on mobile phone use.

Drivers are 4 times more likely to crash using a mobile, while sat-navs, in-vehicle entertainment systems and handsfree phones are also dangers which distract drivers.

Police and road safety campaigners hope to raise awareness about the dangers in the run-up to the introduction of a new law on March 1, doubling the penalties to 6 points and a £200 fine for using a mobile while driving. They want to make mobile phone use as 'anti social' as drink driving.

Newly-qualified young drivers face losing their licence and having to retake the driving test if they collect 6 points within their first 2 years of driving.

We have been delivering the What’s Driving Us? for police since 2012. It encourages drivers caught using mobile phones and other motorists who commit similar traffic offences to reflect on the risks of their driving behaviour and ultimately change for the better.

The half-day theory-based workshop aims to produce safer and more responsible attitudes towards driving and to increase motivation to drive with consideration for other road users.

Drivers who use a mobile to make a call, text or stream movies are slow to react, take longer to brake and are much less aware of what’s happening on the road.

Let's face it – we're not good at multi-tasking while driving. People don’t see road signs, they tailgate the car in front, their lane position is out and they don’t keep to a steady speed.

They must realise the dangers and put their mobiles out of reach while driving. That means turn them off to completely negate any chance of reaching for the phone.

Employers who don’t ban staff from making or receiving calls while driving may also face serious penalties under tough health and safety laws.