Under recently announced plans, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin is looking at doubling the penalty points in the current sanction to six for handheld mobile phone use whilst driving. The move would mean a driving ban for anyone who was caught twice in three years.

McLoughlin said he was closely considering the proposal because the ‘amounts of casualties there have been are absolutely appalling’.

His comments come as mobile phone distracted driving becomes a public safety epidemic. It is estimated that mobile phone use is involved in 20% of all crashes in this country.

Implementing organisation-wide mobile phone policies that completely ban mobile phone use – handheld and hands-free – and cover all employees is an effective way to reduce car crashes, which are a leading cause of workplace fatalities.

A newly launched product in the UK and Europe could help with such a policy. FleetSafer from Eyes-Up Limited prevents the unlawful use of mobile phones whilst driving by disabling mobile phones and other nominated communication devices including smartphones and tablets as the vehicle begins to move, automatically ensuring safe, legal and responsible use of mobile devices while driving.

The solution is designed for Blackberry, Android and iOS smartphones and requires no installation. Features include remote, simple and swift deployment along with multiple trigger options: GPS, OBD and telematics. It also offers full visibility, front-end configuration, audit capability, back-end flexibility and administration via a web-based portal.

Kevin Tillotson, business development director of Eyes-Up Limited, commented, ‘Eyes-Up is committed to helping our customers implement the very best solutions to address distracted driving. FleetSafer is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions to help commercial fleet operators measure and manage employee use of phones while driving company vehicles.’