Despite a ban on motorists using their hand-held mobile devices while behind the wheel, it seems drivers in Rotorua and all over the country are ignoring the rules.
The ban would have been in place for two years in November and Rotorua police have issued 126 infringement notices to drivers in the Rotorua area since it was introduced.
Admittedly, I am one of those drivers. Driving along Te Ngae Rd last year - and being used to taking and making phone calls while driving in previous years - I received a phone call, which I answered. An alert policeman who was driving alongside me, spotted me, stopped me and fined me. Instantly I had an $80 fine and lost 20 demerit points, which are the penalties for breaching the Government ban on drivers using cellphones while driving.
This is when I really registered the ban was in place and perhaps it's something that many others need to get caught doing.
The Daily Post did a "sting" this week at two popular intersections and spotted five people talking on their cellphones and at least two people texting while driving. People spoken to on the streets said they tried to avoid taking calls when behind the wheel, but most people admitted they had used their phones while driving.
