Two mounted police officers have chased down a man spotted holding his mobile phone while driving.
Officers on horses have been deployed across the UK in order to reduce the number of people using a phone while at the wheel. Avon and Somerset police are involved in the enforcement operation led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) over the next three weeks.
In a video from the ASPolice Roads Policing (RPU) Twitter account, two officers on horses can be seen pursuing and stopping a driver in a silver car.
When the driver stopped on a road in East Reach, Taunton, one of the officers told him: “You know you shouldn’t be using your phone.”
He replied “No, no music. I have problem”, to which the officer said: “But you’re driving and you’re on the phone and I can see there’s a phone call ongoing.”
The words “drivers face 6 points [and] £200 fine if caught using a phone” were posted to accompany the video.
Avon and Somerset police said the man had been issued with a traffic offence report and would be issued with a £200 fine plus six points on his licence, or he could choose to take the matter to court.
The force reported that there have been more than 4,500 fatal or injury-causing collisions on Avon and Somerset roads since the beginning of 2021.
Since March 2022, it has been illegal to use a handheld mobile phone, tablet or any device that can send or receive data while driving or riding a motorcycle.
Anyone caught using their handheld device while driving could face a fine of up to £1,000 as well as six points on their licence or a full driving ban.
Avon and Somerset police said the footage of the two horses was filmed on 7 March.
