Here’s what you can do to make sure you do not get caught out while behind the wheel if you use your mobile as your sat nav.
For the last fourteen years it has been illegal to use your mobile phone while behind the wheel if your engine is running but with the recent changes in the law the issue has again come under the spotlight.
Since the start of the month tougher penalties have been introduced for motorists caught using their phones while driving with penalties of six penalty points and a £200 fine being issued.
The law applies when drivers are sitting in traffic which means if you are using one of the many smart phone apps as a sat nav you are unable to adjust and route when sat at lights or in a traffic jam as technically touching your phone whilst the engine is running will be breaking the law.
Programme your phone before setting off
According to the AA, while it’s an offence to be seen using a hand held phone, regardless of whether driving has been affected, this is not the case for hands-free phones.
However, if you’re seen not to be in control of a vehicle while using a hands-free phone you can be prosecuted for that offence.
The penalties for ‘not in proper control’ are a £100 fine and 3 points and up to £1,000 fine if it goes to court.
Make sure you set up your phone properly to use as hands-free before you set off and, if you need to touch your phone at any point during your journey, pull over to do so.
A spokesman for the AA said: “It should be programmed with the route before you set off.
“If it pops up with a message which requires just one press of a button, such as ‘A faster route has been found. Accept/ Decline’ you should be OK to do this, as you would with an in-built sat-nav.
“But if you need to re-programme the route then pull over and stop somewhere safe to do it.”
Get an appropriate holder
To hold your phone so you can see and hear it while driving many drivers place the handset into a holder which can be attached to the windscreen.
Under the Highway Code, drivers are required to keep windscreens clear. Buy a holder which attaches to your air vents, eliminating this problem.
If in doubt…
If you think you won’t be able to complete the journey without touching your phone? Shut it away in the glove compartment – it’s better to be safe than sorry.
And maybe grab the old sat-nav out just to make sure!
