Penalties for using your mobile phone at the wheel in the UK increased on March 1st 2017 to six points and a £200 fine. Which is double what it was.
If you are a new driver – (someone who has passed within the last two years) then you will automatically lose your licence. As gaining six or more points in the first two years means having your licence revoked.
If your licence is revoked within 2 years
- You’ll have to apply and pay for a new provisional licence and pass both theory and practical parts of the driving or riding test again to get a full licence.Gov.UK
After having gone through all the effort to pass your test, is texting or using a hand held mobile worth it. Especially if you’re just looking at a snapchat or an instagram photograph. If you find it difficult to not look at your phone, then how about putting it away in the glove compartment. Kinda out of sight out of mind!
When you can use a hand-held phone
You can use a hand-held phone if either of these apply:
- you’re safely parked
- you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop. GOV.UK
However you can use your phone in your car, if you do so responsibly. This means you need to stay in full control of your car at all times. You can utilise a hands free device.
This hands free bluetooth device below, can be bought for £9.99 in Halfords. A Pass 4 U does not endorse any products and is just giving you an idea of what is available on the market at a reasonable price. You need to think carefully about your use of a hands free kit. ROSPA – the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents would like to see a total ban on hands free usage, because of the distraction it causes.
Please be aware that the Police can stop you – even if you are using a hands free device, if they think you are not in full control of your vehicle and are driving distracted.
It only takes a second for something to happen, when you take your eyes or concentration off the road. Just remember that having a mobile phone to hand can be a good thing in the right place but that place is not when you are driving a vehicle.