Police clamp down on drivers using mobile phones after spate of incidents in Hertfordshire

Drivers using a mobile phone while behind the wheel are four times more likely to be involved in a collision, according to a recent Parliamentary report.

Detective chief inspector Rachael Glendenning said: “No message is so urgent that it is worth risking your life and the lives of others. Looking at your mobile phone means you are not looking at the road.

"Being distracted for a second or two is enough time for circumstances to change and for a collision to occur. Our advice is to put mobile devices in the glove box as soon as you get into your vehicle. That way they are out of reach and away from temptation.”

More than 1,500 people were caught using their mobile phone across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire last year, with 717 caught in Hertfordshire alone.

Of these, two thirds were under the age of 40. Anyone caught using a mobile phone while driving will be fined £200 and will receive six penalty points.

Any driver caught using a mobile phone within two years of passing their test, will have their licence revoked.