Police release harrowing video to stop people using phones while driving

Families of those killed by reckless drivers have told of their heartache as part of a week-long clampdown by police starting today.

Among those featured are the loved ones of Ion Calin and Marian Olteanu, who were killed when a lorry ploughed into their stationary car on the M271 in Southampton in December, 2015.

The lorry driver was using his mobile phone at the time.

Since then, the law has changed, meaning drivers now receive six points on their licence and receive a £200 fine if caught using a phone behind the wheel.

But road safety officer Sergeant Rob Heard, from the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley, said people still weren’t getting the message.

‘We are still seeing too many people deciding to take that risk to use their mobile phone whilst driving, whether looking at a text, making and receiving calls or even surfing the internet,’ he said.

‘I am urging all motorists to not take that risk. A moment’s inattention can be the difference between life and death.

‘We have all seen the devastation caused. Please think twice before answering a call, looking at a text or browsing your phone, let’s have no more innocent people lose their lives.’

To view the video, see https://youtu.be/IlW3DhmNeIE