The Department for Transport said it was taking part in ‘some very early trial work on technology to detect mobile phone usage on the strategic road network’.
Initial results have been successful and Highways England is now considering rolling them out on public roads. The clampdown comes as transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the closure of a loophole that allows people to film or take pictures while driving. Earlier this year Ramsey Barreto successfully appealed against a conviction for filming the scene of a crash while driving after his lawyers argued the rules only relate to using a phone for ‘interactive communication’.
The Department for Transport said it will revise the legislation so that any driver caught using a hand-held phone behind the wheel can be prosecuted whether they are texting, taking photos, browsing the internet or scrolling through a music playlist.