Drivers ignore phone ban despite fines - TVNZ
28-May-2011Hundreds of motorists a month have been fined for using hand-held mobile phones since a ban was introduced.
Nearly 12,000 drivers have been hit with an $80 fine and 20 demerit points since the ban came into effect on November 1, 2009, Radio New Zealand reported.
In the past year there have been more than 8500 tickets issued by police, with the highest number (2185) recorded in Auckland.
In a tvnz.co.nz poll today, 51% of respondents said the law made sense. As of early afternoon 17% of respondents said they took the risk of getting caught and 31% said they had never used a mobile phone while driving.
Between 2003 and 2008, there were 482 injury crashes and 25 fatal crashes in New Zealand where the use of a mobile phone or other telecommunications device was identified as a contributing factor.
The AA said the number of infringement notices issued is disappointing and that awareness of the law is dropping.
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