Mobile phones

Driver on mobile phone - a distraction leading to crashes?

Using a mobile phone whilst driving is something that many drivers still do, despite the fact that the Government banned drivers from using hand held mobiles three years ago.

Many drivers continue to make or receive calls and texts whilst driving - sometimes with tragic consequences.

There's been a number of fatal accidents in the North East and Cumbria, leading to calls for better enforcement of the mobile phone ban.

In 2006 alone, 6,000 drivers have been caught and fined £30 across the North East and Cumbria.

* Northumbria Police has caught more than 1,500 drivers.
* There have been 677 drivers caught in Durham.
* 1,558 drivers fined in Cleveland.
* 1,658 motorists caught in North Yorkshire
* 933 drivers have been caught in Cumbria.

The statistics show that the threat of a fine just isn't working - and the ban is being blatantly ignored.

Accidents

Gill Davies' husband, Derek, died in a head on collision on a winding stretch of road near Consett.

The other driver was on a mobile phone.

Although badly injured Alan Milbanke was later jailed for causing death by dangerous driving.

Hands tied - a driver uses a phone whilst on the road

After serious accidents, it has now become routine to examine all mobile phones found at crash sites.

Inside Out consulted the Transport Research Laboratories to find out how dangerous is it to drive whilst using a mobile phone.

They carried out a series of rigorous tests, first of all firing questions at Inside Out presenter, Chris Jackson, whilst he was holding a mobile.

The test was then repeated - this time using a hand free.

Although Chris uses a hand free mobile in daily life, he was surprised how difficult the second test seemed to be.

The tests concluded that hands free or not, Chris was as dangerous as a drink driver when he was driving on the phone.

Survey results

BBC Inside Out commissioned its own online survey of mobile phone users.

We put the question of an 'all out ban' to people who took part in our survey.

Of the 389 who responded, 218 said 'yes' to banning ALL mobiles in cars.

One hundred and seventy one said 'no'.

Well over half of the survey respondents were in favour of a total ban.

A large majority also admitted to using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving over the last year.

Two hundred and sixty six said they had flouted the law.

Other comments from the survey showed divided opinion on the issue of the enforcement of the mobile phone ban.

This is a summary of comments for and against the ban and its enforcement:

"There is no will to catch people because the paperwork is too time consuming."

"Using a hands free is no different to conversing with a passenger."

"Full concentration on driving is a prerequisite for today's roads and any distractions such as a mobile phone should be banned."

"The penalty for misuse should be a heavy fine."

"I always switch off my mobile phone before I get in the car. If the call's important, they will always try again until you answer."

"A ban is an empty threat if it is not enforced."

"I have nearly been knocked off my bike 20 times in the last month because people have been holding a mobile phone while driving."

"Smoking while driving should also be banned."

"If they are to ban mobile phones, then they should ban anything which distracts you from driving, like smoking, drinking, eating."

The law

So what does the law say?

The use of a hand-held phone or similar handheld device while driving is prohibited.

A handheld device is defined as something that "is or must be held at some point during the course of making or receiving a call or performing any other interactive communication function".

The use of a mobile phone or similar device whilst driving is also prohibited if the phone has to be held in order to operate it.

Drivers who use a mobile whilst driving may receive a fixed penalty fine of £30, raising to a maximum of £1,000 (£2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches) if the case goes to court.

Driving carelessly or dangerously when using a phone can result in a large fine, disqualification, and up to two years imprisonment.

Links relating to this story:

• BBC News: Mobiles 'quadruple crash danger'
• Department for Transport - Mobile phones
• Think Road Safety
• ROSPA - Mobile phones
  

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Haaf netting

Haaf netting - an ancient tradition on The Solway Firth

Bowness on the Solway, at the mouth of the Rivers Eden and Esk was once a thriving fishery, one of the last bastions of Haaf netting.

Haaf netting is an ancient method of catching salmon, and fishermen have been carrying their nets to the sea on the Solway for a 1,000 years.

The fishermen form a line extending into the channel, braced against the tide with the nets billowing behind them.

Some have been netting for almost half a century - the technique is passed from father to son.

Haaf netting probably came to Cumbria with the Vikings - Haaf is the Norse for open sea.

It's a sport for the ordinary man which attracts everyone from labourers to lawyers.

But it could be about to end, and the fishermen are worried by the latest proposals to curb netting.

At the moment they can fish for around 15 weeks a year, although they can't fish at weekends.

Now, they say the Environment Agency wants to ban fishing from 6pm at night to 6am in the morning for conservation reasons.

Netting the catch

Last year the fisher men caught more than 2,700 salmon, well above previous years.

The Environment Agency argues that number has to be cut to conserve stocks on the rivers feeding Bowness on Solway.

Each year juvenile salmon leave the Esk and Eden to feed off the coast of Greenland.

After one to three years they return to breed.

All at sea - Haaf fishermen are concerned about the future

The Environment Agency says that estimates show that there aren't enough fish getting through.

But the netters' scientist says the Agency is using unreliable estimates, because their fish counting machine, which could give accurate figures, isn't working properly.

The Environment Agency says that they've got the best figures available, and the fish counter gives them valuable evidence.

Once the fisher men could earn a week's wages from selling a salmon.

Now they'll get £30-£40 a fish whilst the licence to net costs an extra £120.

They must also complete a return, a log of daily catches.

But in 2005 19 men were prosecuted and 18 found guilty of filling out false returns.

A couple of persistent offenders, were banned, and the rest were fined - the fishermen say that they've all been tarred with the same brush, because of lapses of memory.

Conservation concerns

The netters also think there's a hidden agenda - they think the rod fishers further up the river want rid of them.

They say the riparian owners, who own lucrative fishing rights on the Eden, have pressured the committee that's been advising the Environment Agency.

The owners and rod fishers deny these claims as does the Environment Agency - they say that they're not trying to get rid of them, just limit the fisher men in the interests of conservation.

As the debate continues, a cloud hangs over the Haaf netters of the Solway Firth.

Links relating to this story:

• Solway Coast AONB - Haaf netting
• Environment Agency

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Gliding hero

Seventy five years ago, one of North Yorkshire's most unsung heroes was catapulted off a hilltop and into history.

His name was Fred Slingsby and he started a sport that is as graceful as it is dangerous - gliding.

Johnny Nelson takes to the skies in a museum piece from the days when pilots wore leather and fear was for cissies…

Links relating to this story:

• Yorkshire Gliding Club
• British Gliding Association

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites