Britons could be issued £200 fine for driving law ‘confusion’ in major warning

UK mobile phone driving laws explained by the RAC

Motorists have been warned they could be breaking driving laws for tampering with traffic smartphone apps while behind the wheel.

Experts at Road Angel have warned motorists could be caught out for simply touching their phone even if it is in a cradle due to tough new laws.

A recent crackdown ensured it was now illegal for drivers to use their mobile phones under any circumstances.

This includes simply touching the divide to programme a location into driving apps such as Google Maps.

Some navigation apps also urge motorists to touch the screen multiple times to report issues such as congestion, potholes and crashes.

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This data is then collected to reroute other drivers away from an incident to speed up journey times. However, helping other road users could see motorists caught out with fines and penalty points.

Gary Digva, spokesperson for Road Angel admitted it was “never acceptable” to use a phone while driving.

He said: “There is still some confusion around the use of phones whilst driving, despite the law tightening up over a year ago.

“We think it is important for motorists to understand what they can and can’t do when using some popular driving apps as they encourage user interaction in real-time.

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“Most sat navs are updated live collecting information on things such as speed limits and police locations without the need for user interaction.

“Using devices while driving has been shown to cause severe accidents, with almost 500 people injured in incidents where the motorist was using their phone. It’s time a clear message was sent to motorists that it is never acceptable.

“Not only can being on your phone whilst driving lead to hefty fines and points but it also puts a lot of people in danger, that’s why it’s really important to make sure you have the right set up and equipment for a safe journey, no matter where you’re travelling.”

According to GOV.UK, motorists who are caught using their mobiles will be slapped with a £200 fine and six penalty points on their driving licence.

However, in extreme cases, motorists could be sent to court where they could be issued a higher £1,000 charge.

This rises to £2,500 if they are driving a bus or a lorry while road users could be banned from driving in some circumstances.

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