Dealing with the real criminals

You will all be relieved to hear that this Labour government has decided to finally crack down on some of the most serious criminals in this land. I am of course referring not to burglars or muggers but to Motorists caught using a hand-held mobile phone.

"Motorists caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving could be jailed for two years under tough new guidelines issued today by prosecutors."

Thankfully the new guidance doesn't end there, also liable for a prison sentence are those "drivers who adjust sat-navs, tinker with MP3 music players such as iPods or send text messages at the wheel".

I have a bluetooth earpiece, I bought it before the legislation that outlawed using a hand-held mobile while driving was introduced in 2003. I feel safer driving whilst using it rather than holding a phone to my ear or trying to balance my mobile betwixt ear and shoulder (and my chiropractor bills have been reduced as a result). I also get irritated when I see drivers using a mobile telephone whilst driving especially as their Transit van careers towards me as the driver tries to talk on his mobile whilst avoiding the newest road humps on a quiet suburban back street.

Rob Gifford, of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said "This sends a clear message to motorists: don't mix driving and communicating, just as you would not drink and drive...This is long overdue. At last the law has caught up with the reality of the road, with too many people using their phone while driving."


I see that those of us using a handsfree mobile should not feel smug, in an effort to improve the crime detection statistics, sorry make the roads safer, "drivers were also warned that similar penalties could be imposed for using a hands-free device if they were judged not to be in control of their car. Police now check mobile phone records after accidents to see if the driver was making a call at the time."

It is amazing how much Police resources can be allocated to detecting, investigating and prosecuting drivers for such heinous crimes, thankfully the Police have all but ended the less serious crimes of mugging and burglary so they have the time free to do this.


"Using a hand-held mobile was made illegal in 2003, when the penalty was limited to a £30 fine, but it acted as little deterrent and the latest figures show that in 2005 129,700 motorists still flouted the ban.

In February the law was toughened, with drivers facing a £60 fine and three points on their licence."

Ah so there is a revenue raising angle to this legislation as well, good for a moment I was worried that the Labour government had forgotten to add that to the punishment.


"A new offence of causing death by careless driving is to be created under the Road Safety Act, due to come into force early next year."

The roads are too crowded, so rather than build new roads or try and stop people driving who have no licences in cars that are not taxed, insured or MOT'd, this government have decided to attack the drivers who are easier to catch and prosecute. As I have said before the generally law-abiding middle-classes are easier to police and punish than the criminal classes, so this Labour government have decided to go for the easy option.


"Ministers are keen to take an even stronger line after figures showed that mobile phones were linked to 13 fatal accidents in 2005 and 52 serious crashes."

I wonder how many people were killed or seriously injured by muggers last year? I wonder if those muggers caught were given a custodial sentence or were their defence legal team allowed to plead mitigating factors? It really, really pisses me off that a driver is considered guilty of the "crime" they have been accused off and will be punished accordingly, whereas a "scrote" will be given every excuse for his behaviour and allowed a second, third ... forty-third chance before facing a custodial sentence. Truly we live in a land where our priorities on crime and punishment have become ridiculously confused.