Gardaí from Letterkenny Roads Policing Unit issued 21 fines to motorists today for using their mobile phone while driving.
The clampdown came during a ‘National Day Of Action’ in relation to the use of phones by drivers.
The penalty for using your phone while driving is a fixed charge of €120, and three penalty points. This increases to a fixed charge of €180 after 28 days, and five penalty points and a more significant fine can be imposed if it goes to court because of non-payment.
“Mobile phones are the number one distraction to drivers on Irish roads,” a garda spokesperson said.
“Despite the fact that using mobile phones while driving is killing people on our roads, people continue to text, make phone calls, take selfies or update their social media pages while driving.”
Statistics show that making a call makes a driver four times more likely to be involved in a collision and texting makes a driver 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision.
“Switch off before you drive off. Please place your phone into the glove box or out of reach so you will not be tempted to look at it or to use it while driving.”
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