I WRITE in response to an article published in the Star (February 25) about Operation Bad Call entitled 'Getting Tough on Mobiles.'

I would like to quote two statements from this article which I find rather thought-provoking.

The first was by Inspector Beecham who said: "Using a phone while driving can distract your attention from the road which requires all of your concentration all of the time."

The other was from Lisa Scott, senior road safety officer, who said: "Making or receiving a call, even with a hands-free phone, can distract your attention which could result in an accident."

If this is the case, then do the same comments not apply to police officers using their radio phones (or video cameras) while driving, especially when driving at high-speed responding to an incident or involved in a car chase?

If not, some motorists may be forgiven for mistakenly thinking that Operation Bad Call could be a case of different rules for different schools.

Curious Motorist (name and address supplied).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.