The results of the latest traffic surveillance campaign, focused on distractions at the wheel, make it clear that not even the threat of losing six points and paying a fine of 200 euros is enough for drivers to forget their mobile phone at the wheel.
Between September 7 and 13, the traffic agents of the Civil Guard and the local police who have joined the special campaign, have carefully monitored the use of mobile phones, browsers and other actions that require the removal of the view of the road and, sometimes, also the hands on the wheel.
A total of 6,854 drivers have been sanctioned by the patrols in this time; 2,300 of them, for using the mobile phone while driving.
During the controls, carried out both on conventional roads and motorways and in urban environments, they have also detected more than 1,800 drivers who were driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. In addition to 581 who did not use a seat belt and 337 who used helmets connected to sound reproducing devices other than the telephone.
Read or search for objects inside the car
While making or answering a call or checking your inbox for a message (and responding to it, if so) are the main driving distractions that lead to an offence, they are not the only ones.
Other of the most sanctioned actions for implying distraction in driving are reading (the reason for which 207 fines have been processed), searching for objects (98), being distracted by other vehicle occupants (85) and driving while eating (66).
Added to these are another 1,251 complaints that the agents have processed for non-detailed distractions at the wheel.
