UK drivers may face fines if they cannot use their phone’s sat-nav ‘hands free’

With driving costs already high due to increasing fuel prices, drivers failing to comply with UK sat-nav laws could be subjected to further hefty fines as reported by liverpoolecho.co.uk

Most people are aware of the law that makes using your mobile device while driving illegal. This also includes when the vehicle is stationary.

Despite recent changes to the highway code which enabled drivers to use their smart phones as sat-navs only if their device is ‘hands-free’, most people surveyed by Vanarama did not own a built in sat-nav or a hands-free phone.

Under changes to the code brought into action in 2022, drivers finding a route on their mobile phone even whilst the vehicle is stationary could now face £200 fines and 6 penalty points on their license.

rawpixe These changes make even holding a mobile phone that can receive or send data illegal whilst driving or on a motorbike. The updates to the law apply even when drivers are stopped at traffic lights or in a traffic queue.  

Driving instructors and adults supervising learner drivers are not exempt from the rule either.

If found to be holding a mobile device whilst their view of the rod is obstructed in some way, drivers could be subjected to a loss of a further 3 points. Those who do not comply with the law could even lose their licence if they passed their driving test within the last 2 years.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has described the reforms to the law as part of his ‘zero-tolerance approach to those who decide to risk lives by using their phone behind the wheel.’

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