Mobiles are so deeply embedded in our social and work habits that not using them means a fundamental change in behaviour

Gloucestershire’s chief constable was right to call for tougher punishments for drivers repeatedly caught using their mobile phones. Driving while using your phone creates serious risks that justify stringent state intervention – even so far as banning drivers. However, in the long term, it is clear that Suzette Davenport’s suggestion of more severe penalties is not the only, or indeed the most effective, strategy.

The argument for increasing penalties as a basis for changing people’s behaviour is, in part, based on the assumption that at the time of behaving antisocially (whether that be speeding in your car or drinking in an alcohol-free zone) people are fully aware of the potential punitive consequences and calculate accordingly.

Enforcing the use of seat belts was easy to the extent that it only involved a slight change in how we behave in cars

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source Mobile phones | The Guardian http://ift.tt/18IQrys