Tougher mobile phone penalties in force

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

New penalties on mobile phone use from today
Drivers risk three penalty points and £60 fine
Too many drivers still using phone when driving

If you're caught doing this, you'll get three points and a £60 fine from today

Latest News

Drivers caught using their hand-held mobile phone while driving face tougher penalties from today.

Fines have doubled to £60, while motorists could also get three penalty points on their driving licence.

Transport secretary Douglas Alexander said: 'We have seen a groundswell of support for this move - but, worryingly, while 92% of people agree with the law, 21% of drivers admit to breaking it. That is why the Road Safety Act will introduce a fixed penalty of three points on your licence as well as a £60 fine.'

In a recent online poll, 31% of whatcar.com visitors admitted to making quick calls while driving, and 15% say they regularly chat away. Six out of 10 of these regular users also admit to texting as they drive.

However, the latest available figures from the Home Office show just 74,000 motorists were given fixed penalty fines in England and Wales in 2004 for using a mobile phone while driving - less than a quarter of one per cent of the 32 million motorists licensed to drive in Great Britain at that time.