Anti Hijack

From: Anti Hijack MOTORISTS caught using cellular phones


while driving now face stiff penalties following the launch of an

aggressive police exercise to reduce road accidents. New regulations

also empower officers to check the cellular phone of a driver involved in

an accident to determine whether or not the mishap was not a result of

operating the communication device. National police spokesperson Inspector

Tinaye Chigome last week said officers have been deployed countrywide to

arrest errant drivers.



He said his department was taking serious steps to curtail the

practice, which is among the major causes of road traffic accidents. +We

have to implement the law, as the police force's traffic monitoring

department,- he said.



Those arrested will be fined. They will be taken to court, as stipulated

by the country's laws, if they fail to pay the fine. +The use of mobile

phones by motorists while on the wheel is common in urban areas.

Therefore, our officers will man designated points to arrest individuals

caught breaking the law.-



Insp Chigome said an increasing number of accidents were linked to

cellular phone use, which often distracts the driver. +When an accident

occurs, units attending the scene will look at the concerned persons' call

records to determine if they were using cellular phones (at the time of

the accident),- he said. +It is now a trend that both minor and serious

accidents are a result of individuals using cellular phones.-



National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne

Bvudzijena warned motorists against committing the offence. +It has always

been an offence, if you are found on the wrong side of the law you will be

arrested on the spot. This is an offence all over the world,- he said.



The Government introduced regulations criminalising the use of cellular

phones by motorists following an upsurge in road traffic accidents.

Although the measures have been in place for years, police cited manpower

shortage as an impediment to implementing them. Similar legislation is

also in place in other parts of the world such as America and Europe where

law enforcement agents use street cameras to detect offenders.



BE WARNED - THIS IS A BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WHICH

ANTIHIJACK HAVE BEEN TRYING TO HAVE EXECUTED FOR QUITE AWHILEŠŠ