Sir.-I welcome the announcement that the Government has bowed to the pressure from the road safety lobby, with regard to the adequacy of both the fines and the penalty points in respect of using a mobile phone while driving.

Doubling the limit to £60 per offence and three points on a licence is something many of us believe was a minimum that should have been brought forward when the new requirements came in towards the end of 2003.

It has been fairly galling, particularly in road safety terms, to see a whole procession of drivers cupping a mobile phone while driving in very difficult circumstances on occasions and completely oblivious both to the law and their safety needs, particularly with regard to others.

My own view is that there should be a minimum of at least a three-figure response to the issue, and I don't think the change goes far enough.

We shall wait to see how Hampshire police get involved in this issue. I feel the response by the chief constable was not the best, particularly when one looks at the response elsewhere regarding its implementation.

I hope to see a lot better from the police force in Hampshire with regard to this matter in the future.

As a former chair of road safety, I know the dangers of seeing the evidence, and I am concerned that this still goes on with many drivers.

-Mike Roberts, Hampshire County Council, Aldershot.