Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I said, I am puzzled by this proposal. It has been an offence since 2006 to hold a mobile phone while driving. Regulations were introduced in May 2014 by the then Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, which prohibited texting from hands-free mobile phones, for example, mobile phones held in a cradle on the dashboard. This addressed a loophole which had allowed people to text while driving as long as they were not holding the mobile phone. The penalty in this case is a fine not exceeding €2,000 on summary conviction. In-car technology and communications equipment is evolving rapidly. In some instances the technology is increasing road safety. However, we still face a huge problem in the number of people who continue to use mobile phones while driving. I have been informed by the Attorney General's office that this year to date 22,170 people have been caught driving while using a mobile phone. I will be monitoring this issue with a view to making changes in policy, as necessary. I will be interested to see whether the increase in penalty points in the United Kingdom to six on conviction for driving while using a mobile phone has an impact in changing driver behaviour.