It's a fair cop, Balls tells traffic police
I took my phone off the cradle not to wake the kids, says MP Ed Balls
Children's Secretary Ed Balls has admitted 'it's a fair cop' after being caught talking on his mobile phone while driving in the Milton Keynes area.
Mr Balls was pulled over last Sunday after an officer noticed him chatting on his mobile after turning off the M1 due to an accident.
His wife, fellow Cabinet minister Yvette Cooper and three children were with him.
In a statement on his website he said: "Although our car has hands-free I took my phone off the cradle because I did not want to wake the kids.
"We got waved down by a police car almost immediately. I had no points on my licence and accepted the fine and three points without complaints.
"I 100 per cent support the law on mobile phones – it's there to protect the safety of all drivers, passengers and pedestrians."
John Bulman, Thames Valley Police road safety officer, said: "If we catch anyone talking on a mobile phone while driving we will give them a ticket, regardless of who they are or what political party they are from.
"Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous and we will not tolerate it."
City police frequently offer 'first-time offenders' the choice of completing a Call Divert course instead of paying the 60 fine.
Held at Kiln Farm Safety Centre as well as other locations throughout Thames Valley, the four-hour course costs 79 which the motorist must pay.
It includes safety awareness exercises to demonstrate how using a mobile slows down responses quite drastically.
Kevin Clinton, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "It is very disappointing that such a high profile figure behaved in such a way. He should have known better.
"Using a mobile phone while driving is both illegal and dangerous. Not only do you put yourself at risk, you also endanger the lives of passengers and other road users."
The incident comes just one week before voters go to the polls in the General Election.
Mr Balls' cabinet colleague Harriet Harman was fined 350 in January after reversing into a parked car while on her phone in London.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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