The brother of a man killed by a van driver using a mobile phone has said proposals to double the fine for using a device behind the wheel are not high enough.
Darrell Martin said police told him there was 90 seconds of clear road when Christopher Gard, who had at least six previous convictions for using a phone at the wheel, could have seen his brother Lee, but failed to do so. He collided with the cyclist at 65mph on 12 August last year.
Gard, of Alton, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to causing the death by dangerous driving of 48-year-old Martin, who was taking part in a time trial event with the North Hampshire Road Club on the A31 near Bentley.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison at Winchester crown court and was banned from driving for 14 and a half years.
Darrell Martin said the proposals set to be announced – increasing the punishment to six points on the licence and doubling the fine to £200 – were not acceptable.
“I do wonder who they are aiming the £200 fine at. Whoever is driving a car around £200 is affordable, it can just be written off as another driving cost,” he told BBC Breakfast. “£200 is not a deterrent. For most people it is just a minor inconvenience.”
Martin said when using a mobile phone while driving first became illegal, “all you could do was write a little text message, make a phone call and play snake”, but now “you can do everything”.
He said driver awareness courses should be available before an offence is committed.
The tougher sanctions come as concern mounts about a lack of prosecutions and convictions, and the public’s failure to take the offence of using a mobile phone while driving seriously.
The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, said using a mobile at the wheel was as socially unacceptable as drink or drug-driving.
“We all have a part to play in ensuring our family and friends do not use their phones while driving,” he said, promising to announce a tougher penalty regime shortly.
Department for Transport sources pointed out that a disproportionate number of those caught using their phones behind the wheel were young, or new drivers, or both.
Neil Greig, the policy director at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: “Smartphone use is an addiction and, as with any addiction, support is needed to overcome it. The government consultation also promised a mobile phone awareness course as the automatic option for first offenders. We strongly support this suggestion and hope it is included in the law.”
David Cameron’s cabinet was poised to announce a more modest increase in penalties after a public consultation on the issue, but Grayling decided a tougher crackdown was appropriate, after a number of high-profile cases including the death of Martin.
The president of the Automobile Association, Edmund King, called for a national advertising campaign akin to those in the 1980s on drink-driving.
“It is similar to habits lost in the 70s and 80s with drink-driving and seatbelts. Only a shift in attitude, harsher penalties and better enforcement will improve matters,” he said.
RAC research based on a survey of 1,714 UK motorists and published earlier this week shows that illegal mobile phone use is on the rise. Thirty-one percent of motorists admitted to using a handheld phone behind the wheel, compared with just 8% in 2014.
The proportion of drivers who confessed to sending a message or posting on social media rose from 7% to 19% over the same period, and 14% owned up to taking photographs or videos with their phone while driving.
The RAC believes a 27% fall in the number of full-time officers dedicated to roads policing in England and Wales, excluding London, between 2010 and 2015 has left drivers with no fear that they will be caught for offences that are not detected by automatic cameras.
