Don´t phone and drive in Valencia

Valencian motorists could face hefty fines this week if they are caught using mobile phones at the wheel as the Traffic Department (DGT) launches an intensified campaign of spot checks.
Guardia Civil are carrying out 7,000 checks per day throughout Spain during the new awareness campaign that started on Monday and will run until March 5.

The checks will be carried out by officers in both marked and unmarked police vehicles. The campaign is accompanied by announcements on the radio and adverts in the press, as well as messages on overhead information panels on main roads warning of the dangers of using a mobile phone whilst driving.

The DGT says many motorists are still putting themselves and others at risk by flouting the law. A survey has revealed two thirds of drivers are willing to ignore the phone ban, several years after the law came into effect.

Spanish law prohibits talking on a mobile phone while driving, stopping on the hard shoulder of a road to continue a phone conversation, or using a phone at a petrol station, and the offence carries a fine of up to 600 euros and confiscation of the driving licence.

Last year 3,329 people were killed and another 3,000 were injured in road accidents in Spain and statistics show that one in every three accidents is caused by a distraction, in most cases talking on a mobile phone.

Experts say that the most dangerous moment is when a driver receives a call and that after talking for a minute and a half, even using a hands-free device, a driver’s average speed falls by 12 per cent, he misses 40 per cent of signals, and his reaction times are increased.

Last year over 72,000 motorists were caught on mobile phones during spot checks and the traffic authorities say they are looking at increasing the sanctions on motorists who use mobile phones, listen to music on headphones, or watch a DVD whilst driving, and that those flouting the law could risk losing three points off their licences under the new system.

Original Source: Costa Blanca News

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