Skip to main content

Nearly 10,000 distracted drivers caught twice in last four years

Data received by the BBC following a Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reveals that almost 10,000 drivers have been caught twice for being distracted while driving, including using a mobile phone, in the last four years. The data refers to the number of drivers who have received CU80 endorsements in the past four years, which is how long the DVLA keeps its records. CU80 endorsements, which carry a three point penalty, cover a breach of requirements regarding
November 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Data received by the BBC following a Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reveals that almost 10,000 drivers have been caught twice for being distracted while driving, including using a mobile phone, in the last four years.

The data refers to the number of drivers who have received CU80 endorsements in the past four years, which is how long the DVLA keeps its records. CU80 endorsements, which carry a three point penalty, cover a breach of requirements regarding control of the vehicle, such as using a mobile telephone.

From 2012 to 2015, 228,301 drivers received one CU80 endorsement and 9,722 drivers were endorsed twice. The figures also show that more than 600 people were caught three times and one driver five times.

The findings come as a foreign truck driver, Tomasz Kroker, was jailed for ten years for causing a fatal crash on the A34 in Berkshire while using a mobile phone.

The UK government has promised stricter penalties for distracted driving and September announced it was looking at plans to double the penalty to six points from the current three.
UTC

Related Content

  • March 4, 2014
    Traffic congestion rise in Europe a ‘sign of economic recovery’
    A new report from leading traffic information and driver services provider Inrix shows traffic congestion in Europe rose in 2013 for the first time in two years. According to the 2013 annual Inrix Traffic Scorecard, traffic congestion across Europe increased approximately six per cent in the last three quarters of the year. The amount of time British drivers spent in traffic throughout the year has risen slightly, from 29 hours in 2012 to 30 hours in 2013. This puts the UK in sixth place in Europe, behi
  • April 5, 2017
    Autonomous vehicles will not prevent half of real-world crashes
    Alan Thomas of CAVT looks at the reality behind the safety claims fuelling the drive towards autonomous vehicles
  • November 23, 2016
    UK motorists concerned about increase in mobile phone use while driving
    Over 86 per cent of UK motorists think distraction caused by mobile phones has become worse in the last three years, according to the second Safety Culture Survey commissioned by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart. In second place was congestion at 81 per cent, reflecting the increasing number of vehicles on the roads as the recession ends. Of the 2,000 UK drivers surveyed, nearly three quarters believed aggressive driving had worsened over the last three years, with more than 60 per cent reporting the
  • February 12, 2015
    IAM shocked by the worst speeders in England and Wales
    The UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has lifted the lid on the worst examples of excessive speeding caught on safety cameras across England and Wales in 2014. Britain’s two worst speeders were caught at 146mph, both by Kent Police on the M25, one travelling anti-clockwise, the other going clockwise. There were three other recorded instances of speeds of 140mph or more; 145mph on the M6 toll road (70mph limit), 141mph on the A1 Great Ponton Northbound road (70mph limit) and 140mph on the A5 C