A Lincolnshire mother whose son was killed by a driver distracted by a hands-free device in their car is campaigning for a ban of mobile phone use for drivers.
Seth Dixon, seven, was hit by a car in December 2014, after returning home from posting a letter whilst crossing Station Road, at Tydd Gote. Seth died in hospital two weeks later.
Amy Asker, 33, admitted careless driving and was fined £90 and given five points on her licence.
Seth’s mother, School teacher Alice Husband, 42, has started a petition on the parliament website, in the hope of achieving 100,000 signatures by December 21 to ensure that the petition is debated in parliament.
“Using your mobile phone in any capacity when driving impacts upon your driving as much as being drunk and driving,” said Alice.
“The outcome could result in you killing somebody and that to me isn’t worth a phone call, it’s as simple as that.
The government is to launch its Think! Campaign next year, with the aim of making mobile phone use whilst driving as socially unacceptable as drink driving.
Chief Inspector Mark Garthwaite, of the East Midlands Operation Support Service, said: ”There is nothing as urgent, nothing as important that will happen on that telephone, be it a text message or a phone call, what music you want to listen or what you want to look at on the internet.
”There is nothing that urgent that is going to be better than your life or somebody else’s.”
Alice’s petition can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/132875 or, on the SignforSeth Facebook page.
Samuel Gilbert of LSJ Today has this report.
