A van driver is facing a substantial fine after being caught allegedly controlling their vehicle with their knees while using two mobile phones simultaneously on a busy motorway during rush hour, reports The Mirror.
Gardai initiated a 24-hour National Day of Action starting at midnight on Wednesday, focusing on mobile phone use and distracted driving. Distracted driving is described as any activity that takes a driver’s focus away from the road.
While patrolling the M50 at Blanchardstown yesterday, officers from the Garda Road Policing Unit noticed a van ‘swerving’ between lanes in lane three, reports The Mirror.
When the vehicle was stopped, the officers found that the driver was ‘talking on a phone using his right hand while scrolling through a second phone using his left hand and the van was being steered by his knees’.
Gardai stated that the driver has now been reported for dangerous driving, reports The Mirror.
Sharing the incident on the official An Garda Siochana Twitter / X account, a garda spokesperson said: “While on patrol of the M50 at Blanchardstown, this van was seen swerving in and out of lane 3. Driver was talking on a phone using his right hand while scrolling through a second phone using his left hand and the van was being steered by his knees during rush hour traffic. The driver has now been reported for dangerous driving. This was just one of a number of detections today as part of our a National Day of Action targeting mobile phone use while driving,” reports The Mirror.
Drivers caught holding a mobile phone while driving will be issued a Fixed Charge Penalty Notice (FCPN) of €120 and receive three penalty points on their driving licence. The punishments are more severe if dangerous driving leads to death or serious injury, reports The Mirror.
The Road Safety Authority reports that distracted driving—including mobile phone use—is believed to contribute to 20–30 percent of all accidents on Irish roads.
The average number of daily detections for phone use while driving in 2024 was 60. Over 21,500 drivers received FCPNs last year after being caught using their phones while driving, reports The Mirror.
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