Waitrose driver laughs as he chats on mobile while driving

Waitrose are urgently investigating a driver who was filmed laughing on his mobile while driving through roadworks, half-blinded by the sun.

The footage shows the driver having an animated and lengthy conversation while driving on the A90 south of Aberdeen at about 3pm on Saturday.

The low sun means his visor is down, obstructing much of his view. Despite the danger, he bursts into laughter several times during the conversation.

The person who filmed the footage, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘Our roads are becoming a dangerous place with drivers concentrating more on their phones than the road ahead.

‘I would have expected a driver of a liveried vehicle who relies on driving as a profession to have more respect towards the safety of other road users.’

The footage, obtained by road safety campaign website SWD Media, is filmed from the back of a car and appears to show the van very close at several points. The road also appears to be very busy.

A spokeswoman for Waitrose said: ‘We insist that our delivery partners drive safely and considerately. We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will take appropriate action.’

Waitrose are urgently investigating a driver who was filmed laughing on his mobile phone while driving through roadworks, allegedly half-blinded by the sun

The footage shows the driver having an animated and lengthy conversation on his mobile phone while driving on the A90 south of Aberdeen at about 3pm on Saturday

The footage shows the driver having an animated and lengthy conversation on his mobile phone while driving on the A90 south of Aberdeen at about 3pm on Saturday

The low sun means his visor is down, obstructing his view. Despite the danger, he bursts into laughter several times during the conversation with only one hand on the steering wheel

The low sun means his visor is down, obstructing his view. Despite the danger, he bursts into laughter several times during the conversation with only one hand on the steering wheel

Mobile phone driving laws were introduced in December 2003, and since 2007 the penalty has been three points on your licence and a £100 fine.

In March this year the penalty was doubled to six points and a £200 fine.

In 2014 it was reported that the drivers texting, tweeting and taking calls was the biggest cause of fatalities on the road.

An AA poll of 18,000 members found 38 per cent had been distracted by other people, radios, phones and sat-navs in the past 12 months. 

Of the nearly 7,000 who admitted losing concentration, 548 reported a near-miss and 106 had crashed.

The Department for Transport said that of 88 deaths caused by distractions in 2012, 17 were due to mobile use – a higher death rate than other in-car causes.

Lorry driver Tomasz Kroker was last year jailed for ten years after killing four family members – Tracy Houghton, 45, her sons, Ethan, 13, Josh, 11, and stepdaughter, Aimee, 11 – after ploughing into their car while changing music on his phone.

 

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