Driving and mobile phones
Some people are confused about the rules about using a mobile whilst
driving, whilst others know the rules and break them. You might see other
people driving with a phone to their ear but you must never do this - it is
illegal.
To state it again, using a hand-held mobile whilst driving is totally
illegal. Even if you are in a queue or haven't moved for ten minutes and so
on, it is still illegal.
If you want to use a hand held mobile whilst you are in your car, then you
cannot do it whilst driving. Instead you must move and park the car in a
safe place where it is legal to stop, and only then may you use your mobile.
There is one common sense exception to the rule. That's when you need to
make a 999 call in an emergency, and you are unable to stop as it is not
safe or not practical to do so.
In terms of penalties, then you should consider the main risk is that it is
dangerous to use a mobile whilst driving: we've all been in cars where there
is an erratic driver speeding up and slowing down in front of you and that's
generally due to them being on the mobile and having lapses of, and periods
of, more attention.
But financially you can get fined £60 for using a mobile and have 3 penalty
points against your license. The other downside is that your car insurance
costs you will probably find goes up as a result of having points on your
license.
Finally, your driving instructor is not allowed to use a hand-held mobile
whilst they are teaching you; they must use a hands-free device.
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