A recent operation cracking down on mobile phone use behind the wheel has revealed what could be a worrying trend.

Warwickshire Police discovered a number of drivers watching films and TV programmes on their mobile phones while on the road.

Switching on

The recent National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) mobile phone operation ran between 20 February and 13 March.

“It is totally unacceptable to watch a film or programme whilst driving,” says  Sgt Shaun Bridle, Warwickshire Police. He added that interacting with a phone “ in any way” means you are not concentrating on the road and driving safely.

“The safest thing to do for you and other road users is to wait until you are safely parked before using your mobile, or other device.”

Channel hopping

The campaign meant an increased number of officers on the roads.

A round 40 drivers were caught carrying mobile phone offences behind the wheel.  As well as 22 car drivers, 10 HGV drivers and 10 van drivers, this included the driver of a school bus with school children on board.

In total, 88% of offenders were male and 93% were over 25 years old. More than half (58%) of offences were on motorways where speed limits are up to 70mph.

However, more worrying was the trend of watching material online while driving.

This included a car driver who was watching a film on his mobile phone while driving at 55mph on the motorway.

Not a thriller

Philip Seccombe, police and crime commissioner and chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, said: “It’s disappointing to see so many drivers placing others at risk by using their mobile phones while driving, whether by making calls or, even more alarmingly, by watching videos while behind the wheel.

“This can never be acceptable and demonstrates why as a partnership we are putting so much emphasis on changing general attitudes to driving. Only by everyone becoming responsible road users can we achieve our aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 50% by 2030.”