BY AUSTIN LYNCH
Despite constant warnings to the contrary, the message of not using your mobile phone doesn't seem to be getting through to drivers.
Talking about this increasing problem on the county's roads, Inspector Alywn Gurney, Road Policing Rural told the 'Herald' this week that his officers witnessed a lot of vehicles crossing the central white line for no apparent reason.
"It turns out, in most of these cases, that the drivers have their heads down looking at their mobile phones to send a text message. We see this all the time".
He reminded motorists that using a mobile phone -for whatever reason - while driving carried penalty points.
"We would warn motorists against this (texting or talking on a mobile while driving) and would also warn that in the event of an accident, mobile phone, and phone records, will be checked to see if they were being used prior to the accident."
The police now consider mobile phone use as a possible contributory factor in single, or two vehicle, car accidents where one vehicle goes across the carriageway and collides with a vehicle coming in the opposite direction for no other apparent reason.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have run a number of publicity campaigns highlighting the issue of not using mobile phones while driving and, according to Inspector Gurney, they will continue to do this.
"People know they shouldn't use their mobile phones while driving", he said , adding that a motorist 'texting' is regarded as equivalent to someone four times over the legal drink-drive limit.
In their annual Christmas road safety campaign, Road Policing in F-District issued a total of 2,798 tickets, 761 of which were issued to motorists in Fermanagh.
SPEEDING
Inspector Gurney also provided the 'Herald' with provisional figures for the number of prosecutions arising out of motorists stopped by F-District Road Policing officers during 2007.
During last year, a total of 4,623 drivers were detected speeding - 2,160 of these by the static safety camera and 2,463 were stopped by officers. Some 901 of these speeding motorists were detected in Fermanagh.
During the year, Road Policing detected 61 motorists drunk in charge of a vehicle - with 16 of these detection's relating to Fermanagh.
A total of 1,234 motorists were prosecuted for careless driving, 357 of whom were detected on Fermanagh's roads, while 661 motorists were detected not wearing a seatbelts, 249 in Fermanagh.
Three hundred motorists in total - 110 motorists in Fermanagh - were detected during 2007 driving without insurance.
Reflecting on the drink-driving figures, with 61 detections in the F-District during 2007 - with only 16 detection's in Fermanagh - Inspector Gurney suggested that 'this (drinking and driving) is perceived as a bigger problem than it actually is'.
And, while deaths of motorcyclists have increased across Northern Ireland during 2007 - 25 deaths in total - none of these fatalities occurred in Fermanagh.
BIKES
Road Policing believe that this may be down to a number of high profile 'Bike Safe' events held in Fermanagh and, also the knowledge among bikers that if they speed or drive carelessly on the county's roads, they have a high chance of getting caught.
Inspector Gurney said his officers now monitored the road races e.g. in Cookstown, but he explained that the PSNI don't tie up all their resources at single events, such as the recent Rally Ireland, but, rather spread their officers across their area.
Inspector Gurney reported that the Fermanagh District Policing Partnership (DPP) and the local Road Safety Committee had been extremely supportive of Road Policing.
"The more help we can get, and the more money Road Policing can get from voluntary sources, then the more operations, and educational and awareness campaigns we can run".
