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.
Related Articles...
The Advanced Driving Test
There are advantages to continuing to study driving by means of a course like the advanced driving test, because it will help to give you the chance to develop your skills even further than you had...
Driving Test and Independent Driving
Independent driving - where the candidate is not following the directions given at each stage by the instructor but rather following a route, e.g. following road signs to Town X until the instructor...
Hazard Perception
There has been a significant increase in the focus of hazard perception and hazard awareness in the last few years since the introduction by the DSA of a separate hazard perception element to the...
The lane discipline of a motorway
Driving on a motorway is not something you will be able to do until you pass your test, and therefore it is important to understand as much about motorway driving as you can before your first...
Vulnerable road users - pedestrians
Pedestrians whether old or young are all potentially vulnerable. Any impact at all on a pedestrian is potentially fatal, and that goes for a pedestrian of any age.
Of course within the class...
More on Motorway Driving
Signs that let you know there is a motorway ahead are rectangular, and they have a green background. This shows that they are information signs on a primary road.
The part with the reference...
Ways to drive in a greener way
There are several methods that you can employ to ensure that you drive in a green way. The advantages of this are that you consume less fuel pro rata so it is good for your bank balance too, and...
Your driving licence: getting it back
As the New Drivers Act article outlines, if you get six penalty points or more in the first two years of having a licence, then it is revoked and you have to retake both tests: the theory and the...
What to do with keep clear markings
Keep clear markings are quite straightforward to understand, although amazingly some people either ignore them or do not appear to understand what they mean!
You will often seen keep clear...
Tips on driving in the country
Driving in the country can be quite a different experience to driving around towns and on motorways.
Firstly, depending where you are, the road quality can be very variable and bumpy and...
Back to home page of driving theory test questions
