Ouch! R1500 for driving 'n dialling

Cape Town - 120910 - The Cape Argus watched traffic for 2 hours to see how many drivers use their cell phones while driving. Pictures taken on Orange Street. Reporter: Yolisa Tswanya PICTURE: DAVID RITCHIE

Cape Town - 120910 - The Cape Argus watched traffic for 2 hours to see how many drivers use their cell phones while driving. Pictures taken on Orange Street. Reporter: Yolisa Tswanya PICTURE: DAVID RITCHIE

Published Sep 11, 2012

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Cape Town drivers bust while “driving and dialling” will fork out at least R1500 to get their cellphones back from the beginning of 2013.

And that's just for the first offence. Repeat offenders could end up paying as much as R4000.

At the moment drivers pay a R500 fine and get their phones back. But from January, they can add an extra R1000 or so to that fee before the phone will be released.

JP Smith, the mayoral committee member for safety and security, said from January drivers would have to pay an extra tariff to get the phone.

He said city traffic services were still working out the best amount. It would be modelled on how much the impoundment cost the city.

It's similar to the tariffs clubs have to pay when they want their sound equipment back after confiscation for noise-related offences.

“It then becomes a situation where you could end up paying about R1700 just to get your phone back.”

These steep penalties mean repeat offenders will end up paying close to R4000 before their phones are released. This amount is to act as a deterrent and cover the city's costs of impounding the phone.

It's another move in the city's zero-tolerance approach to drivers who use their phones behind the wheel.

Studies have shown this to be more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol.

The first cellphone impound operation was held in July.

Since then 188 phones have been confiscated.

When the city first started considering cellphone impoundment, the phones would only be taken away if a motorist was caught using a phone three times while driving.

But it was decided to take the phones away immediately after the first offence.

At one stage, officers were recording more than 1600 cellphone-related offences on city roads over a three-month period. This was even higher than drinking and driving cases over the same time.

Since the start of the confiscation, there has been a slight decrease in offences. But the city said it was still “not at an acceptable level”.

Those caught talking or texting have their phones confiscated after a first offence.

At the moment, motorist pay the R500 fine and their phone is released.

After the second offence, the fine goes up to R1000. And after the third, the fine is R2000. In many cases, although steep, the fines are still less than what the motorist would to pay to replace one of the latest smartphones.

Smith said city traffic services would be targeting cellphone offenders with the same vigour it went after drunk drivers. This saw a dramatic decrease in drunk-driving cases.

It is hoped the higher financial penalty will have the same effect on those who dial and drive.

“We want to move to the point where drivers take evasive action. This is to push people to use the hands-free kit, which they should be doing in the first place.”

Each month, 20 more traffic officers are trained in the impoundment process, meaning all will have received the training over the next few months.

This would mean extra officers across Cape Town would be equipped to impound phones, meaning increased enforcement.

CAPE TOWN DRIVERS STILL BREAKING THE LAW

Many Cape Town drivers are still using their cellphones while driving, despite knowing that they'll have their phones confiscated and be slapped with a hefty fine.

According to a new by-law implemented on July 2, a driver caught using a cellphone without a hands-free kit will have their phone confiscated for a day and will have to pay a R500 fine.

Now the city will increase that amount to at least R1500.

But will this stop people from receiving calls and even texting while behind the wheel?

Over two hours on Monday we spotted more than 50 drivers using their cellphones while driving. The majority of the perpetrators were men driving 4x4 bakkies around the CBD.

Five drivers were spotted on their phones along Long Street in the space of just 30 minutes.

Well over 1000 cars were counted in the two hours.

Some drivers were gob-smacked when they realised they had been spotted by our photographer.

Most of the culprits were spotted on Orange Street; only 12 were using their phones legally - with a hands-free kit.

On Wale Street, mostly women were using their cellphones while driving - five were spotted in just less than 30 minutes.

Studies have shown that using a cellphone while driving can be more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol.

Driving while using a cellphone is on Arrive Alive's list of 14 most common distractions while driving.

In an international survey, 837 drivers were observed using a cellphone while driving. The survey found that almost half drifted into another lane, 23 percent tailgated, 21 percent cut off another road user, and 18 percent nearly hit another vehicle.

Research has also found that using a cellphone can slow a driver's response by 35 percent.

Drivers using their cellphones are the biggest problem on Cape Town's roads, say city authorities. - Cape Argus

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