Editorial: Keep your eyes on the right screen

Linda Hall, Assistant Editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

What is it going to take to make drivers belt up and stop people using their cell phones?

Police continue to check roads for unsafe drivers who, it seems, continue flouting the law.

Many opinion pieces have been written on this subject over the years and many drivers have been snapped breaking the law, however the latest sting by Hawke's Bay police shows that some people just don't give a damn.

Police were "blown away" by the number of drivers caught breaking the law in just three hours over two days. A total of 140 people were busted either not wearing seatbelts or using their phones.

It's blatantly obvious from these numbers that what New Zealand is doing to deter these drivers in just not working.

Perhaps it's time we took a steer on this problem from Australia.

The penalty in New Zealand for using a cellphone while driving is an $80 fine and 20 demerit points. But good old New Zealand lets you accumulate 100 demerit points in two years before it actually does anything about it.

Then your licence is suspended for — wait for it — three months.

In Australia the penalty for using a cellphone while driving is $1045. That's 13 times more than ours, plus $5.

A police officer involved in the sting said they found a lot of tradies and truckies checking their phones.

Being available to customers, workmates and people higher up the chain is important - perhaps crucial to some businesses. However, surely this is an easy fix.

If you are a self employed tradie or truckie get yourself a hands-free phone.
If you are employed ask your boss for one.

For everyone else out there put your phone in the back seat or better still the boot so there is no temptation to pick it up.

As for drivers who can't be bothered to belt up maybe instead of a $150 fine they should accompany emergency services to crash sites.

I'm pretty sure that would do the trick.

Police have promised to keep up these road safety checks. Thank goodness for that — I don't want someone coming towards me with their eyes on the wrong screen.