Mobile Device Offences

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/25/003259/E

 Version Date: 10/06/2025

The Dorset Road Safety Team have provided the following information.

Please note that Dorset Police issue paper Traffic Offence Reports (TOR’s) or submit Digital Traffic Offence Reports (PRONTO) which result in CONDITIONAL OFFER OF FIXED PENALTY or COURT.

The data therefore identifies the number of TORs / PRONTO processed at the Central Ticket Office where the outcome is one of CONDITIONAL OFFER OF FIXED PENALTY or COURT.

1. How many incidents were recorded in 2023/24 and 2024/25 under the code RV86019 (Use a handheld [mobile phone or handheld device] while driving)? Please break the results down by year and broad location (e.g. town)

• 2023/24 – 360
• 2024/25 - 514

Please see document at bottom of page for information regarding the towns.

Please note that the town information included blank fields. These has been removed.

2. Which ten roads in the region had the most RV86019 incidents? Please provide the number of incidents on each of the ten roads.

Please see document at bottom of page.

3. In each year, how many incidents resulted in the following outcomes:
   - Fixed penalty notice (please provide the total paid in fines if possible)

• 2023/24 – 206
• 2024/25 - 331

Please note that the Force does not hold information regarding the total paid in fines. This information will be held by the courts.

- License endorsed

No information held. This information will be held by the DVLA.

- Prosecutions (please provide the total paid in fines after prosecution if possible)

• 2023/24 - 101
• 2024/25 – 153

Please see note above regarding fines.

- Cancelled/Not completed

Please note that the following data only includes the outcome of ‘Cancelled’:

No information is held for the outcome ‘not completed’.

• 2023/24 - 53
• 2024/25 - 28
  
  

4. How many RV86019 incidents resulted in an accident? Of those, how many led to one or more persons being injured or killed?
   
   

Please note:

• We do not record any collisions that occurred off road, damage only, medical episode or not reported to the police.
• We are only able to search on our Accsmap system for injury collisions that have a Contributory Factor (CF) of 508 Driver using mobile phone and this does not link to if they received a ticket/DAS/Court etc.

5. How many incidents were recorded in 2023/24 and 2024/25 under the code RC86823 (Supervisor of provisional license holder use handheld device)? Please break the results down by year.
   
   

• 2023/24 – 1
• 2024/25 - 2