From today (25 March), rules in The Highway Code are coming into force to make any hand-held use of a mobile phone while driving illegal, except in limited circumstances.
The changes were supported by 80% of respondents in a public consultation in 2021.
This means you must not use a device in your hand for any reason, whether online or offline.
The law applies to you if you’re:
supervising a learner driver
stopped at traffic lights
queuing in traffic
driving a car that turns the engine off when you stop moving
holding and using a device that’s offline or in-flight mode
There are exceptions, such as if you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency or making a contactless payment in a vehicle that is not moving.
You can find the full rules on using a phone, sat nav or another device when driving on GOV.UK
The government’s award-winning THINK! team will launch an awareness campaign today to remind drivers not to use a hand-held phone at the wheel and the penalties of choosing to ignore this new law.
