Six drivers a day caught using mobiles at wheel

MORE than six drivers a day were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel in the first ten months of last year, new figures have revealed.

A total of 1882 motorists were snared for flouting the law between January 1 and October 22 in the Lothian and Borders area.

But the figure represents a significant drop on the numbers caught during 2011, when an average of nearly nine drivers a day were handed fines.

Officers caught 3273 motorists using a mobile while driving during that year, compared with 3767 in 2010 and 2876 in 2009. Drivers are fined £60 and receive three penalty points if they are caught using a phone while on the roads.

In July, a woman stopped by police for using her mobile behind the wheel had her £30,000 Mercedes seized after checks revealed she had been banned from driving.