A LEARNER driver on a moped has been caught on camera watching a video on his mobile in packed London traffic.
The rider was caught on dashcam while waiting in a queue of traffic in Brixton on Friday evening, November 30.
He was filmed by a professional photographer, Adam Bronckhorst, 44, who said he was shocked by the rider’s behaviour.
Adam, from Brighton, East Sussex, was on his way home from a shoot in the capital when the incident happened.
He uploaded the video to a closed Facebook group with the captioned: “Is there anything in the highway code about not watching TV while riding/driving?”
In the clip the moped driver can be seen joining the queue of traffic before the vehicle comes to a halt.
The driver is then caught casually watching the screen and looking at the road before he takes of his gloves to touch the screen.
The screen begins to show moving pictures of what looks like people walking and scenery. At one point he moves forward and then reverses back into the same spot before moving away again after taking a quick glance at his screen.
One viewer wrote: “Yes, it’s illegal, but don’t discourage it. It helps to thin the herd more road space for everyone else and more organs for donation.”
Another posted: “Anyway for those that watch anything but the road in front of them you are fools.”
One user added: “I’m pretty sure the wording in the highway code reads, ‘if you are watching TV while driving /riding on the public highway then you are a t**t’.”
Another wrote: “It’s okay for learners. The lad is about to learn something about concentration – if he lives.”
Speaking today, (Wed), Adam said: “I was in shock. I couldn’t quite believe it. I heard about it before but never seen it.
“It’s incredibly dangerous doing that in London traffic as it is kind of stop, start. If you are a moped driver you can just weave through the traffic but, you need to concentrate a lot.
“I think he was either watching something or listening to something on Youtube. You can see the pictures moving and at one point he took his hands out if his mittens to change the thing on his screen.
“I don’t know if he was changing the songs or skipping the ads.”
A spokesman for IAMRoadSmart said: “This is clearly illegal and dangerous behaviour by an over confident rider who seems to think looking at a hand held phone while riding is cool. It’s not.
“No matter how good a rider you think you are the brain cannot multi-task so you will be distracted at some moment by what is on the screen.
“If that moment coincides with a pedestrian stepping out, a car pulling out or even something as simple as a pothole then you won’t be able to react in time and the consequences are totally out of your control.
“The lack of traffic police on our roads means that far too many drivers and riders still think they can get away with hand held smartphone use.”
The Highway Code states, “It is illegal to hold a phone or sat nav while driving or riding a motorcycle… and the device must not block your view of the road and traffic ahead.”
It also applies while in queuing traffic and stopped at traffic lights.
The penalty of being caught using a hand-held phone while riding could result in getting six penalty points and a £200 fine.
However, if you have recently passed your test in the last two years your licence could be revoked.
If the device blocks your view of the road and traffic or control of the vehicle the driver could get three penalty points or taken to court, which could result in being banned from riding or a maximum fine of £1,000.
