Cellphones factor in rising road toll - police

With this year's road toll already more than the whole of last year, the police, the Ministry of Transport and the Transport Agency are looking for a quick solution to stem the flow of crashes. Associate Transport Minister Julie-Anne Genter is calling the rising death rate a crisis and will meet with officials this week to look at new solutions. Police have pointed to growing use of cellphones by drivers as a possible factor. In a recent crackdown in Napier, police issued 35 infringement notices in the space of just two hours. Inspector Matt Broderick, road policing manager for the Eastern District, tells us the problem is cellphone use is not culturally unacceptable yet.