Almost 30,000 Kiwi drivers caught illegally using their phones while driving in one year

Monday, 9 October 2017

More Kiwis then ever before are getting in trouble for using their phones behind the wheel.

Seven years into driver cellphone ban, record numbers of motorists are being ticketed for flouting the law.

The latest figures come as 2017 road toll has soared past the total for the same period in recent years. It now stands at almost 300.

A man uses his mobile phone while driving in Hamilton. (FILE PHOTO)

Police figures show 28,896 drivers were ticketed for using their cellphones behind the wheel in 2016. That is more than three times as many the 8232 ticketed handed out in 2010, which was the first full year after the cellphone ban came in.

Road policing national manager Superintendent Steve Greally said cellphone use was a factor in the increasing number of deaths on the roads this year, along with speeding and not wearing seatbelts.

Road policing national manager Superintendent Steve Greally says drivers are 'absolutely flouting the law' when it comes to cellphone use in cars.

A driver uses his cell phone while driving in Wellington. (FILE PHOTO)

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Police handed out 8232 tickets to Kiwi drivers for breaking the cellphone in cars ban in 2010. That number jumped to 28,896 in 2016. (FILE PHOTO)

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By Monday afternoon, 293 people had died on the roads in 2017, making it the worst recent year on record.

At the same point last year 251 people had died, which was then the deadliest year in at least five years.

It was still common to see people using their phones while driving, Greally said. 'They are absolutely flouting the law.

'What happens if a child does what a child does [and runs in front of the car]. We have to understand that, as drivers, we are the adults in the room.'

Greally said it was difficult to say exactly how many crashes were caused by drivers using phones, as only 4 or 5 per cent of people who crashed later admitted to using a phone at the time.

'When we have a fatal and put in an in-depth investigation, we find a lot more people are using their phones.'

Automobile Association spokesman Dylan Thomsen agreed the data on cellphone use from non-fatal crashes was unreliable.

But the AA's own member surveys showed about 15 per cent of drivers admitted to illegally using phones while driving. This number had remained relatively consistent, he said.

'We do know there is a substantial number of people out there who are using their phones while driving.'

Studies have showed that using a phone to make a call behind the wheel increases the risk of crashing by a factor of four, and even more for texting or checking the internet.

To get the crash numbers down, people needed to simply stop using phones while driving.

New iPhones have a function that stops calls when a car is in motion, Thomsen said. There are also apps that do the same thing.

'Even people with good intentions and who know the risks, if you are sitting there and driving and your phone keeps pinging you, it gets harder and harder to resist.'

New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman Harry Wilson said drivers needed to turn their phones off or put them in flight mode before getting behind the wheel.

'It is a sign of the time. People are really connected to their phones at all times.'

BY THE NUMBERS: FLOUTING THE PHONE LAW

28,896 tickets issued for using a handheld device to call or text while driving in 2016, totalling $2,253,040

27,975 tickets issued in 2015, totalling $2,175,120

21,147 tickets issued in 2014, totalling $1,671,120

13,547 tickets issued in 2013, totalling $1,083,680

12,393 tickets issued in 2012, totalling $991,440

10,304 tickets issued in 2011 totalling $825,223

8232 tickets issued in 2010, totalling $659,120