BlogPost
Mobile Phones and Safe Driving; What You Need to Know
It may be obvious as you start to learn to drive in Wolverhampton but using your mobile phone won’t be something you’ll be doing during your lessons.
Thankfully, our students don’t feel the need to sneak a peek at their mobiles or whip them out for a quick selfie during their lessons… usually because as they learn to drive in Wolverhampton there’s just too much to concentrate on. However, driving and using a mobile phone isn’t just illegal but extremely dangerous.
Although this may be all well and good as you learn to drive in Wolverhampton with Homers, what happens when the driving lessons are over and you’ve passed your test? [Which is pretty much a sure thing if you’ve chosen Homers to learn to drive].
Well, you may not be planning on using your mobile phone to text or talk while you drive, but you may not think twice before using it for music and navigation. So, what is it you should know about mobile phone use and driving?
The Law on Driving and Mobile Phone Use
In 2003, a law was introduced that makes it illegal to use a hand-held phone or device while driving [The Road Vehicles (Construction And Use) (Amendment) (No.4) Regulations 2003].
The reasons are obvious with use of mobile phones distracting drivers from driving safely, vastly reducing reaction time and causing an alarming number of accidents and even fatalities. Which is why when you learn to drive in Wolverhampton with Homers, not only will you be unable to use your mobile device (tablet or phone), but neither will your driving instructor. Full attention of the road is paramount to avoid injury to yourself and to others.
UK Law and Using Hands-Free Devices
So, what exactly does the law relate to as regards mobile phone use and driving?
Well, anything that involves using your hand-held device perhaps to read a text, take a call, check apps, change music or follow a map is classed as illegal whilst driving – and even applies if you are stopped at lights or queuing in traffic.
In fact, it’s really only legal to use a hand-held phone if you are safely parked; or in the extremely rare occasion when you need to call 999 and it is unsafe to stop.
Hands-free devices are legal to use, which as a new learner driver you may be thinking about in order to follow a map as you learn to navigate to new locations. However hands-free devices should be kept in a cradle mounted to a sensible place in your car and not in your hand – be warned though, you could still be penalised if police feel that you are being distracted from careful driving, even when using a hands-free kit.
Driving Penalties Specific to YOU
The penalty for even being seen using a mobile phone while driving, will be £200 and 6 points on your licence from March 2017 – which will be a large impact on you, as a new driver. This is because if it’s been two years or less since you passed your driving test, 6 penalty points would mean losing your licence.
This would mean you would have to start again with a refresher course to learn to drive in Wolverhampton before having to pass your driving test… again.
Of course, penalties are much greater if there is a crash, with potential for dangerous driving prosecutions, large fines and even imprisonment.
Learn to Drive in Wolverhampton Without Using Your Mobile
The law is clear when it comes to the dangerous practice of using mobile phones behind the wheel. Using hand-held devices that are not fitted to a hands-free kit when driving is illegal and increases the chance that you will be in an accident; even talking on a hands-free kit can be distracting to safe driving.
So, if you want to reduce the risk of harm to yourself and to others, leave your phone alone for your journey – you’ll have plenty of time to text, call, update and snap photos when you get to your destination.
For more details on mobile phone law and driving, visit the gov.uk website