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campaignseries.co.uk


Van driversmore likely to use mobile phones at the wheel


WHITE Van Man is far more likely to use a mobile phonewhile driving than other road users, of- ficial figures have revealed. As many as 2.7 per cent of van


drivers in England and Scotland were spotted using hand-held mo- biles while behind the wheel in 2014. This was almost twice the figure


of 1.4 per cent for car drivers ob- served using hand-held mobiles, with the all-driver figure for Eng- land and Scotland being 1.6 per cent.


Based on observations from doz-


ens of sites in England and Scot- land, the Department for Trans- port (DfT) figures also showed: l 1.1 per cent of drivers were


seen holding a mobile in their hand while at the wheel and 0.5 per cent were observed holding the phone to their ear; l Of the offenders, 1.7 per cent


were men and 1.3 per cent were women; l Bus, coach and minibus driv-


ers had the lowest rate of mobile phone use, with 0.4 per cent seen using a hand-held phone while at the wheel. The DfT also released figures


today showing the results of seat- belt usage from observations at a number of sites in England and Scotland in 2014. The statistics showed that 98.2


per cent of car drivers were us- ing belts. The figure for front-seat passengers was not so high – at


96.7 per cent – while it was even lower for rear-seat passengers, of whom only 90.6 per cent were seen belted up. The DfT said the seatbelt-re- straint wearing rate for children in rear seats had increased slow- ly between 1999 and 2009. But it added that the rate for England in 2014 was only 91 per cent com- pared with 96 per cent in 2009. Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said the mobile phone figures showed the problem was not just drivers making phone


calls, but also texting and using the internet. “We will keep further deterrent measures under consideration,” he added. The RAC Foundation said the figures were “a worry,” while the Institute of Advanced Motorists said they were “very disappoint- ing.” The AA said the answer to mo-


bile phone usage at the wheel was “more cops in cars,” while the decrease in young people wearing restraints was “a concern.”


Fears oil irms are hiking up prices


SUFFERING motorists


are falling foul of oil com- pany greed as petrol prices start to shoot up again, the AA has said. Service stations were


slow to lower prices when world oil prices were fall- ing but have been quick to raise them once the global price started to recover, AA president Edmund King said. Earlier this year it looked as if a litre of petrol could


dip belowthe £1 mark. But Mr King said today


that a litre of petrol had risen to around 109p-110p a litre. He went on: “Supermar-


kets were first to lower prices when the global price of oil started falling but general garages were much slower to react. “Now the global price is rising it is the general ga- rages who have been quick to raise pump prices while


the supermarkets are more reluctant.” Mr King said: “Motor-


ists are worried that pump prices will continue to rise. A recent AA/Populus sur- vey showed that 84% of AA members feared the next government will increase fuel duty.” Conservative MP Rob Halfon told The Sun: “People will not forgive lightly if oil companies are whacking prices up.”


Wednesday, March 4, 2015


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