§ Lord Clinton-Davisasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prosecutions there have been in each of the years 1989, 1990 and so far in 1991 against people using hand-held cellular telephones under Regulation 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 and for other driving offences arising from such use; and how many such prosecutions have resulted in convictions.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)The available information relates to proceedings at magistrates' courts for offences of careless driving and is published annually in Table 5 ofOffences Relating to Motor Vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables. A copy of this publication is in the Library. Information is not collected centrally about the circumstances of these alleged offences and it is impossible to identify those where the use of a hand held telephone was a factor. In 1989, there were 97,648 proceedings in England and Wales for the offences of driving without due care and attention; and 2,790 proceedings for other careless driving offences, a category which includes proceedings brought under Regulation 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. These proceedings resulted in findings of guilt of 84,736 and 2,303 respectively. Information for 1990 and 1991 is not yet available.