Is There a Mobile Phone Driving Awareness Course?

Q.My colleague has just completed a speeding awareness course to ensure he does not get the penalty points, however today he got caught using a mobile phone and was told to save him getting the points he could do a mobile phone awareness course - is this true?

Can you do both courses?

A.

Although the type of Driving Courses and the frequency with which they are available can vary quite dramatically from place to place, it is unusual to hear of mobile phone driving awareness courses.

Currently, motorists who are caught either driving a car while using a hand held mobile, or supervising a learner who is doing so, are likely to be stopped and charged - which can result in a £1000 fine for car drivers, raising to £2,500 for goods vehicle drivers or coach/bus drivers, and three penalty points on the offender's licence.

However if you are driving in the Thames Valley area, if you are stopped and charged with using a hand-held mobile telephone while you are driving, then you may be offered a place on a workshop called 'Call Divert' in place of a fine and points on your licence. Created with the aim of educating motorists about the dangers of making mobile telephone calls while driving, the police hope that this will raise the level of awareness among drivers, and make them understand that not only is the practice now against the law, but it is also extremely dangerous, and is a causal factor in a significant number of accidents.

The main emphasis is on distractions within the car and driving space, and how they can lead to devastating consequences for anyone in the car, or near it.

Thames Valley police are hoping that people will realise that although it is not against the law to speak on a 'hands-free' mobile phone, that it is not necessarily always safe to do so. The law is enforced when people are stopped driving using a hand-held mobile, but it also extends to anyone who does not have proper control of a vehicle, which could be someone who is distracted by a conversation held on a hands free mobile kit.

The course costs £74 including VAT and lasts for around 2.5 hours. If you are eligible to take part then you will be offered a place on the course by the Thames Valley Police who have been running the course since 2007, and depending on its success, other parts of the country are likely to follow. Eligibility does depend on a number of factors, including not committing a similar offence within the last 3 years, so even if he fits the eligibility criteria, your colleague may find that his recent attendance on the speeding awareness course precludes him from attending this time.

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