5 things you didn’t know about using your mobile phone when driving

As of the 1st March 2017, if you’re caught using your mobile phone whilst driving, you could receive 6 points on your driving license and a £200 fine. This increase from 3 points is an attempt to combat people using their phone behind the wheel for good, which is particularly common (but not exclusively committed by) among young drivers. 6 points is also uncoincidentally the ban limit for drivers with less than 2 years under their belt.

This news comes just a few months after a week long campaign to try and combat the problem saw over 40 drivers caught every hour by police, with many drivers claiming they weren’t aware their particular actions or use of their phone were illegal, we’ve therefore listed 5 facts you may not know when it comes to getting caught using your mobile phone whilst driving below:

You could soon get 6 points

We’ve said it above, but we’ll say it again! The penalty for using your mobile phone whilst driving will shortly increase to 6 points from 3 and a £200 fine. It’s not coincidental that 6 points is also the ban limit for drivers with less than 2 years under their belt, meaning that new found freedom could be taken away, all for FOMO (fear of missing out).GPS could be blocked when travelling at certain speeds

GPS could be blocked when travelling at certain speeds

According to the RAC, Ministers are now in talks with mobile phone manufacturers and network providers to create a ‘driver safe mode’. This new mode could result in an automatic GPS block above certain speeds and even restrict the call and text features to emergency or designated numbers only.

Your phone needs to be in a hands-free holder if you are using it

This doesn’t mean you are allowed to scroll through your social media at the wheel, but it does mean you can legally use your phone as a sat nav or to play music whilst driving, as long as any interaction you have with the device is not causing a distraction that affects your concentration on the road.”If you’re using it as satellite navigation, if you’re stationary in traffic or if you are using it to text somebody, which is probably the worst way of using your phone because the amount of concentration required to do that while driving presents a clear danger to other road users, then you are still committing an offence.”

“If you’re using it as satellite navigation, if you’re stationary in traffic or if you are using it to text somebody, which is probably the worst way of using your phone because the amount of concentration required to do that while driving presents a clear danger to other road users, then you are still committing an offence.”You only need to be seen using your phone

You only need to be seen using your phone

If you’re seen using your phone, or even thought to be using your phone by the police, that is enough for them to prosecute. It is now not uncommon for police to use unmarked lorries to get a bird’s eye view of car drivers who may not normally be seen using their mobile phone.

If you’re seen using your phone, or even thought to be using your phone by the police, that is enough for them to prosecute. It is now not uncommon for police to use unmarked lorries to get a bird’s eye view of car drivers who may not normally be seen using their mobile phone.You can still be prosecuted using a

You can still be prosecuted using a hands-free kit

If you are seen to not be in control of the vehicle while using a hands-free kit for your phone you could be prosecuted. This is at the discretion of the person prosecuting you, and you could face the same penalties as those for using the handset… or up to £1000 if the claim goes to court! The best thing to note is that a hands-free kit does not make it ok to freely use your phone, and to count anything that distracts your concentration from the road in any way as a danger to yourself and others.