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Raising the tariffs
Page 9
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Andy Boyle pleads for more state legislation to stop the use of mobile phones while driving
At present, my mornings are filled with squawking, clucking and a press of bodies all clamouring for attention.
I know to some people this will sound like another day in the traffic office, but I'm currently spending the start of the day in the relative calm of the Herefordshire countryside. The squawking mass? A flock of pheasants that I'm feeding and looking after as a part-time gamekeeper. It's not a career change, just something to pass the time and get me away from the hustle and bustle of the office. I do sometimes wonder how long there will be a garnekeeping role left though: shooting will probably be banned under an obscure bit of health and safety legislation before you know it. Of course, the activity is 99.9% safe, but that won't stop our wonderful nanny state.
From this you might rightly conclude that I'm against government interference in everyday life. However, one area in which I think the powers that be have got it spot-on is the current crackdown on the use of handheld mobile phones while driving. It's already illegal, I know, but a £30 fine is hardly a significant deterrent.
The proposal to raise this to three points and a larger fine might actually get people to sit up and take notice. Certainly, the current rules don't seem to be working and it's pretty easy to spot a driver using one at the wheel by their erratic driving — it's easier still to spot anyone texting as they swerve across the road. Just to reiterate: there is no way on earth that you can be in complete control of your 44-tonne artic with a phone wedged under your ear and your head at a right-angle.
All our trucks are fitted with hands-free kits and the drivers know I don't expect them to do two jobs at once; if there's any doubt they can always phone me back when it's safe.
Although some people will see this as me lending support to the nanny state, my overriding concern in all this is for the drivers' safety. I don't want to have to be the one to tell someone's loved one that their partner won't be coming home.
• Andy Boyle runs ABE (Ledbury) "There is no way on earth you can be in complete control of your 44-tormer with a phone wedged under your ear"