From tomorrow March 1st, 2017, the government will start enforcing their new policy to double the punishments for drivers who are caught using their mobile phone whilst driving.
The fine that is imposed will double to £200 from £100, and the licence will be endorsed with 6 points rather than 3.
Although this change will have an impact on all perpetrators, it could in fact cost a new driver their licence. New drivers who acquire 6 points or more in the first two years after passing their test, will not only lose their licence. They will in fact have to resit both the theory and practical driving tests again before being allowed back on the road.
The new policy will also mean that even more experienced drivers, who lose their licence at 12 points, are still only two mistakes from a date in court.
Furthermore if you were to refuse the fixed penalty notice, and opt to go to court, the maximum fine is £1,000.
As somebody who spends a lot of time on the road, it is quite alarming the number of people that believe it is OK to drive while using their phone. Not only is this illegal it is very dangerous, more and more accidents are caused by drivers who are not concentrating on the lob at hand, because they are busy on their phone.
All drivers have a responsibility to ensure that their cations do not put themselves, their passengers, or any other road users at risk. The only way to ensure that we do this at all times is to concentrate fully on doing so.
If you need to answer your phone while driving, you should look for a safe place to pull over and secure your car before taking the call, even if you have a hands free kit answering the phone while driving can still cause a distraction and it would still be prudent to pull over.