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Driving whilst using mobile phone (1878A/23)

Request

I would like to know how many drivers have been caught using a mobile phone at the wheel from:

 

  • Nov 2022 – Nov 2023
  • Nov 2021 – Nov 2022

 

If possible, I would like this broken up by reason for phone use – call, text, social media and so on. If not, the overall number of those using phones while driving is fine.

Response

Our data are not organised in such a way as to allow us to provide this information within the appropriate (cost) limit within the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (see ‘Reason for Decision’ below).

Although excess cost removes the force’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, as a gesture of goodwill I have supplied information, relative to your request, retrieved before it was realised that the fees limit would be exceeded (see enclosed). I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fee’s regulations for the remainder of the request.

 

  • Nov 2022 – Nov 2023 – 148
  • Nov 2021 – Nov 2022 – 129

To locate, and retrieve the reason for phone use – call, text, social media etc would mean a manual search of all 277 records.

277 records x 5 mins = 23 hours.

Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are considered when interpreting those data.

The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be considered when those data are used.

If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies, or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.

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