The county council’s transport chief is the latest politician to back the Bucks Free Press Hang Up! campaign, and issued a warning to drivers – “it’s not just you who you could kill”.

Cabinet member for transportation at Bucks County Council, Mark Shaw, knows first-hand the impact dangerous driving can have – after he suffered “life-changing” injuries when a speeding driver hit his stationary car 20 years ago.

Councillor Shaw has now urged drivers across Bucks to adhere to the Highway Code and hang up their phones behind the wheel to ensure no more lives fall victim to dangerous driving.

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He said: “The simple message is just wait until your car is stationary and you should always drive safely because at the end of the day it is not just you you could kill – it is anyone who is on the road in front of you.

“I had to give up things I enjoyed doing.

“I played tennis, I was a tennis umpire in my spare time and I had to give all of that up.

“By the age of 43 I had had both of my hips replaced. I couldn’t do things with my children that I wanted to do.

“While I wasn’t in a wheelchair I was in pain had wasn’t able to do the things that I had previously been able to do. If it is necessary use a handsfree system in your car – but even then it is better to have your full attention on the road.

“When you look at your call records there won’t be one in there that couldn’t have waited for you to pull over, or for you to get home”.

After launching the campaign in February we have been calling on drivers to stop flouting the law and putting lives at risk by using their phones as part of our Hang Up! campaign.

Council bosses and politicians have pledged their support to the important initiative, with Wycombe MP Steve Baker saying it is “imperative” to resist the temptation of using phones behind the wheel.