Fyn police charge 81 drivers for handheld phone use

Fyn police charged 81 drivers with using handheld mobile phones during a traffic operation on the Fyn motorway on Wednesday afternoon, an average of one charge every two minutes, DR reported.

The number surprised Søren Blomgren Wind-Hansen, head of the traffic department at Fyn Police. He said officers routinely issue charges during checks, but the total was unusually high for the time spent on the operation.

Drivers interviewed by DR said they had noticed other motorists using phones behind the wheel. Lars Albrecht, who drives from Dragør to Odense several times a week, said the illuminated screens were especially noticeable after dark. He acknowledged that he had also driven with his phone out.

Bjarne Hannibalsen, who drives about 50,000 kilometres a year, said he too had struggled to stop using his phone while driving. He said his son’s comments about his phone use had prompted him to change.

Police stopped more trucks than passenger cars during the operation, and truck drivers made up the largest group among those charged. Wind-Hansen said unsafe driving by a lorry could pose a greater risk on the motorway than unsafe driving by a car.

Drivers are not allowed to operate handheld communication devices while driving. A phone may be used if it is in a holder fixed to the vehicle, and drivers may use a smartwatch hands-free but must not press its buttons or screen to read or write messages.

The latest official accident figures cited in the article, from 2023, show that inattention or failure to observe was involved in eight out of 10 fatal traffic accidents.