One million drivers caught using mobile phones, one with mobile office

Using a handheld phone behind the wheel does not yet carry the social stigma associated with drink driving, which perhaps explains why one million British motorists have been booked by police over the last nine years for illegally using a mobile while driving.

The problem appears to have worsened as mobile phones have gained internet access and become further enmeshed in people’s lives, but so far no one in Britain has yet been caught with a car converted into a DIY mobile office.

DIY mobile office in car

German police recently pulled over a driver speeding only to discover he had fitted his Ford Mondeo estate with after-market car accessories the likes of which they had never before seen.

To complement the mobile phone and satnav that grace many car windscreens these days, the 35-year-old an had built around a wooden frame on the passenger seat upon which he had installed a laptop on a swivel bracket, a router, printer, WLAN antenna and inverter to power it all.

Police in Saarland stopped the man for doing over 80 mph in a 60mph zone, an offence for which he was fined 120 Euros. However, as there was no evidence he had been using the office while driving so he got away with a warning for having unsecured items in his car.

The dangers of using mobile phones at the wheel

People who text while driving pose more of a risk to themselves and others than those who talk on a mobile phone behind the wheel, increasing their risk of a crash by 23 times, according to research by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

The study looked at 100 van and lorry drivers and revealed that sending a text message resulted in motorists taking their eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds over a six-second period – enough time for a car at 60mph to travel the length of a football pitch.

This year, 21,931 drivers have received a 3-point endorsement and £60 fine in London alone.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe believes the punishment should be increased to six points. Drivers caught twice in three years would receive an automatic ban.