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There is a major road-safety campaign in Britain to get hands-free mobile phones banned. The charity Brake also wants motorists to switch off their phones while driving. The group said fines for calling or texting should also be increased by up to tenfold. The current penalty of $160 may not stop people. Brake revealed that more than 575,000 British drivers had points on their driving licence for using their phone. The charity said: "We're living in an age when being constantly connected is the norm. More and more of us have smartphones, and find it hard to switch off, even for a minute."

Britain's government said road safety was a "top priority", but it had "no plans to change the law" for hands-free devices. It added that it was always reviewing correct penalties, "to ensure they are appropriate". Brake said that while there were enormous benefits to this technology, it was dangerous as drivers could not concentrate on the road. This puts motorists and other road users in danger. It added that most people would never drink and drive but do not understand that the effects of calling or texting while driving, "can be similar and the consequences just as horrific."