A regional daily has pledged to name and shame anyone caught using their mobile phone while driving on its patch.
The pledge by the Eastern Daily Press forms part of its new ‘Hands Off Your Mobile’ campaign, which comes after police revealed they have caught 6,201 drivers in Norfolk and Suffolk on their phones since January last year.
Three out of 10 drivers surveyed in an EDP poll admit they’ve used their phone behind the wheel.
New rules set to come into force next year will see motorists caught using a phone while driving face six penalty points and a £200 fine. Currently, the penalty is a £100 fine and three penalty points.
The EDP says it will name anybody in court prosecuted for using their mobile phone while driving.
Editor in chief Nigel Pickover, pictured, said: “The proposed new penalties for those using mobile phones while on the road are to be welcomed – but we think we can add to the pressure to stop this potentially deadly practice by naming and shaming as many culprits as we can.”
The pledge follows a similar campaign launched by the EDP and sister daily the Norwich Evening News at Christmas, when Nigel warned drink-drivers they would be named and shamed in the papers.
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They do like the old name and shame christmas copy sales drive don`t they,last year it was drink drive,the year before something else
Unfortunately with so few readers of the EDP its hardly a deterrent to be named and shamed in a paper that is only seen by around 4% of its potential readership
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Dear me.
This is in danger of getting a bit “God Complex” isn’t it?
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Does this mean they’re going to start sending reporters to magistrates’ courts on a regular basis again? Great news if so.
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Another question: in the past the EDP has pledged to name, shame and photograph offenders. I notice this isn’t part of the current pledge. Is this an oversight or a deliberate omission based on the fact they have about two photographers working on any given day?
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A bit of a witchhunt.
Do they name and shame speeders? If not, why not? Could it be nobody gives a toss?
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A local paper once put a “workie” on counting the number of offenders using a roundabout while on a hand hold mobile. The results were staggering. The police simply do not have the numbers of the roads to combat this selfish and stupid behaviour.
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Although this may seem a bit OTT, I personally cannot see the problem in naming and shaming anyone who breaks the law. Anything that will go some way to stop the nitwits who think it’s okay to use a mobile while behind the wheel will do. Only problem is having enough police to catch them in the first place.
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Run this one past me again… if you’re caught on a mobile or similar device while driving or riding, you get a fixed penalty notice (three points and a £100 fine) not a court date, and this will remain the case even when the higher penalties come in. So the only way this editor can name and shame any culprit is if they elect to go before the beak – a route very, very few currently take, or are ever likely to, with the risk of disqualification on top of a monster fine, if convicted.
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Ex. News desk girl
Absolutely right
however in the case of the EDP Not enough people buy the paper anymore for this to have any effect whatsoever, what is it down to now ? 34,000 out of around 857,000 population?
It’s certainly no deterrent to be named and shamed in the EDP to be see by just a handful of people.
It could simply be a thinly veiled quarter four,pre Christmas / year end sales driver like the voucher collect for old photos scheme that had little uptake and has hardly spiked the sales figures of the two Norwich morning papers,
If the editor is serious about supporting this campaign why not publish all the names on their websites and twitter sites for free rather than in the papers in the vain and desperate hope people will buy a copy.
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34,000 might not be great sales, but some evenings with bigger populations are doing 12,000 or under. Now that is thin coverage.
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Juan Archanto
I agree the circulation figures need a boost for the name and shame to have maximum impact but if Mrs Bloggs sees her neighbour has been “done” word spreads. Small fry I know but better than nowt.
I also agree that names up on the website would be the best way, let’s hope Mr Pickover has this in his plans.
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Sterling Mass:
I did wonder myself how the EDP would know who had been caught, maybe there’s a plan afoot for some police co-operation!
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I think everyone’s hit the nail firmly on the head with their comments above primarily that the EDP isn’t selling anywhere near enough to be an effective deterrent, copy sales are at all time lows and still falling further.
Sterling mass makes a valid point too
This bravado tub thumping sales driver hadn’t been thought through so I fear Mr Editor,this will be another half hearted effort which no ones interested in
They might just as well run the names on Mustard tv for what use it will do
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Interesting in light of the EDP’s new found determination to name and shame people using their mobile phones in their cars (interestingly enough around two weeks after the Mail and Mirror did so) that they run a photo on page 23 today purportedly of a driver using his/her mobile phone while driving in Norwich.
They have pixelated the face of the driver to ensure that they cannot be identified. Fearless as ever, your campaigning EDP.
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@paperboy
34,000 is the Norfolk daily paper sale
The evening paper ( also out in the morning ) is down to a pitiful 10,000 copies
I know,it takes some believing doesn’t it
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This is rather like a lion without teeth threatening to bite you
Someone please tell the Archant suits to head out of their cosy glsss offices if the embarrassing EDP sales figures aren’t proof enough that they are no longer the voice of the county and haven’t been for 4-5 years,no ones interested and the editor is not the moral guardian that he clearly thinks he is.
The authorities would be better served using their own social media channels to name and shame, and to press release the list to the many other local media publishers both on line and in print if they really want to get the message out there.
The days of the EDP having the eyes and ears of Norfolk are long past
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