Drivers in Cambridge caught using their phones behind the wheel got an even greater shock to discover the police who nabbed them had been spying on them from the top deck of a tourist bus.
The ‘sight-seeing’ tour by Cambridge police was not so much about enjoying the spectacle of King’s College or watching punting on the river but about catch law breaking motorists.
And their efforts worked.
Three – surprised- drivers were stopped by officers in an unmarked police car following the tourist bus.
“Our officers in Cambridge have been boarding buses as part of a crackdown on drivers using mobile phones,” said a police spokesperson.
“On Friday afternoon officers from the Cambridge City Neighbourhood team spent a couple of hours aboard a sight-seeing double decker bus on the lookout for drivers using their mobile phones at the wheel.
“Three drivers were stopped and given tickets which carry a minimum penalty of a £200 fine and six penalty points while many others were given words of advice.”
Police issued a reminder that it is illegal to use a handheld mobile phone while driving on the roads in the UK. Even using a hands-free option can incur penalties if your driving is deemed to be dangerous.
PC Jake Weldon, from the Cambridge neighbourhood team, said: “If you are on your phone whether handsfree or not, you are far less likely to notice unexpected things like a child stepping off the pavement or a car braking suddenly in front of you.
“We hope this operation sends a message to everyone using a mobile phone at the wheel that we simply could be anywhere so don’t take the risk and use your phone while driving.
“A big thank you to the team at Stagecoach who supported this operation by providing the double decker bus and a driver for us.
“It is illegal to use a handheld mobile even if you are stopped at traffic lights, queuing in traffic, supervising a learner driver or driving a car that turns off the engine when you stop moving.
“As a driver you are only permitted to use the phone when you are safely parked with the engine off, if you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop, you are making a contactless payment in a vehicle that is not moving (for example at a drive through restaurant), you are using the device to park your vehicle remotely.”
