No need to ban mobile phones in cars, says leading scientist

The government scientist charged with investigating the possible dangers of mobile phones has attacked plans to introduce a blanket ban on mobile use while driving.

The Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, is considering proposals to fine motorists up to £2,500 for using handheld and some hands-free phones. But Sir William Stewart, the Government's former chief scientific adviser and now head of a research programme into mobiles, said: "I would argue against a ban. My own view is that people should be fined if they are found driving erratically, not just because they are using a mobile phone.

"It's down to a matter of risk assessment. We have to look at the total picture," he said. However, it is understood that Mr Darling is planning to make changes to the 1988 Road Traffic Act to crack down on the practice.

The Department for Transport claims that motorists who use a mobile are four times more likely to have an accident than other drivers. Recent research conducted by the RAC revealed that 39 per cent of motorists have used a mobile while driving.

Despite the widespread use of mobiles while driving, there is evidence that a fine would be supported by the public. A survey released by Mobile Choice magazine last week found that 80 per cent of mobile phone users supported a ban. The decision on whether to go ahead with a ban could rest on the outcome of an 11-month study into the effects of mobile use while driving. Due to be published next month, it is being carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory and is funded by Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, chaired by Sir William.

The study will say whether talking on a hands-free mobile phone while driving is more distracting than talking to passengers or tuning the radio. It is one of 17 government-funded studies into possible effects of mobile phone use. On top of this, there are some 366 World Health Organisation projects to examine links between mobile use and diseases such as cancer.

In 2000, Sir William published the first major government study into mobiles and health. He concluded that "the balance of evidence" suggests that mobile phones "do not cause adverse health effects". But he said that further research was required.

Sir William, who himself uses a mobile phone but refuses to let his grandchildren use one, said that that in two to three years there would be sufficient evidence to prove if there is a link between mobile use and ill-health.

On Friday, Wiltshire coroner David Masters reiterated a warning about the dangers after hearing evidence at an inquest. Three people died when Mark Sarwar, 27, lost control of his car as he used his phone while driving, clipped the kerb, then crossed the central reservation and collided with an oncoming Land Rover.