Staffordshire police said almost half of the 959 people it prosecuted last year for mobile phone use at the wheel were commercial vehicle drivers. The force said 46% of those it took to court for the offence in 2022 – or 441 – drove vans or HGVs for a living. It highlighted the statistic as it launched a campaign during February and March to educate drivers on the dangers of mobile phone use and share advice on how to avoid the temptation of using a phone while driving.
Its #PhoneFree campaign is one of four road safety campaigns Staffordshire is rolling out this year, with the aim of the operation to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads and to disrupt and deter criminals from using the road network. It is also urging employers to ensure everyone is phone-free at the wheel.
Inspector Mark Joynson, of the force’s roads policing unit, said: “Any kind of phone use can be distracting. Taking your eyes off the road, even for a couple of seconds to check a notification or skip songs, can be dangerous as you can’t concentrate on two things at once. Using hands-free systems can be distracting too, so the safest thing to do is avoid using your phone whilst driving and be phone-free.”
