More drivers flout phone law

More drivers are playing with their phones while they drive

Northland drivers are becoming increasingly blase about talking on their phones or texting while driving - five years after the practice became illegal.

Police statistics to September 2014 show a steady increase in the number of people fined for using their cellphones while driving.

More than 60,000 motorists nationwide have been pinged since the ban on using mobile phones came into effect in November 2009 - with a total of 833 tickets issued by Northland police which generated $66,000 in fines.

A 45-minute survey by the Northern Advocate at the intersection of Hatea and Riverside Drives, at the bottom of Fire Brigade Hill, revealed four drivers talking on phones, including the driver of a truck transporting vegetables, and another four drivers texting. And while not illegal, but highly distracting, other drivers negotiating the busy intersection were seen lighting a cigarette with both hands off the steering wheel, applying makeup and eating a burger using both hands.

There were also 10 drivers who had one hand on the wheel while smoking or drinking.

According to Ministry of Transport statistics, distraction is a factor in about 10 per cent of fatal and serious injury crashes and cellphone use is a common cause of inattention.

Since the law was introduced the worst month in Northland was May last year when more than one driver per day was snapped - with 34 tickets dished out during the month.

Head of Northland traffic police Inspector Murray Hodson said research showed drivers using phones had slow reaction times, difficulty controlling speed and lane position, with those talking on phones four times more likely to be in a crash that caused injury. He said the number of tickets issued to drivers in the region was minuscule compared to the numbers actually seen talking on phones.

"From my own operational experience sometimes you can't stop someone safely when you see them on the phone.

"Many drivers simply choose to use their cellphone knowing it's illegal. They are blase towards the consequences if something goes wrong."

But he said text messaging was even more dangerous, with drivers completely taking their attention off the road.

"The good drivers who obey the laws do not deserve to be a victim of high-risk drivers using devices that distract them from driving."

AA general manager of motoring affairs Mike Noon said drivers were divided into two groups - those who obeyed the law, and those who supported the idea but took the risk thinking they wouldn't get caught.

Mr Noon said phone calls - even through a hands-free kit - should be kept to a minimum, especially in heavy traffic or poor weather.

Hands-free did not mean putting a cellphone on speaker-phone or throwing it on the dashboard. The penalty for driving while using a cellphone is an $80 fine and 20 demerit points.