UK government is to double current penalty for drivers using handheld mobile devices at the wheel

[Master Disaster]

In a move expected to come into play next year, drivers caught using handheld devices while driving can expect 6 penalty points and a £200 on the spot fine for a first offence. 

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Drivers caught using handheld mobile phones in Britain are to face "much tougher penalties", with fines and points doubling, the government says.

 

Under new rules expected to come in next year, drivers will get six points on their licence and face a £200 fine.

New drivers might lose their licences altogether and be forced to sit a retest

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Newly qualified drivers could be made to retake their test the first time they are caught.

 

The RAC welcomed the move but said cuts to traffic police meant many drivers did not think they would be caught.

Repeat offenders could face a 6 month ban and a £1000 fine

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The new rules, which will apply to England, Scotland and Wales, could also see more experienced drivers going to court if they offend twice, and facing possible fines of up to £1,000 and at least a six-month driving ban.

 

The increased penalties will be accompanied by a high-profile government Think! campaign highlighting the dangers of handheld mobile phone use at the wheel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37389800

 

Increasing penalties is only ever going to work if you've got officers on patrol enforcing the penalties. It's crazy how often I see people using phones while driving here in England, honestly I see at least one every single day and I live in a medium sized town, in cities the problem is probably much much worse. 

 

A slightly off topic story but I don't drive, I can't because I have sight problems but about 3 weeks ago I had to go to hospital (actually for an eye test) so my dad was driving me along a very busy dual carriageway near where I live and about half way there I spotted a woman doing about 50mph in the lane next to us, she had no hands on the wheel at all, instead she was brushing her hair with one hand and putting on lipstick in the rear view mirror with the other hand! 

Edited September 17, 2016 by Master Disaster

[malon]

I totaly support this move for heavyer fines and penaltys, especialy for new drivers and them possible losing their license and having to retest, just don't drive and use text/facebook/snapchat and drive.

[o0Martin]

6 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Increasing penalties is only ever going to work if you've got officers on patrol enforcing the penalties. It's crazy how often I see people using phones while driving here in England, honestly I see at least one every single day and I live in a medium sized town, in cities the problem is probably much much worse. 

I guess It's hard to have a lot of cops to regulate things like this, it's just like speeding, you see people speeding all the time so the best bet is to deter people instead with harsher penalties. It wont stop a lot of people, but it will cut down repeat offenders, and hopefully stop some new drivers. But the people who have been using their device at the wheel for years and still haven't been caught, they're probably the people you'll keep seeing unfortunately  

[Sauron]

I'm fine with it being even worse, but why are new drivers somehow getting a worse penalty that others? Is it less bad for an experienced driver to drive with a phone in their hand?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Good. It's a completely moronic crime and is incredibly irresponsible. If you need to use your phone in the car so badly, invest in a hands free kit. 

 

I have family members that will constantly text and drive. If I'm in the car with them and they pick up their phone, I tend to just take their phone off them and keep it until we're out of the car. 

 

They need to introduce some form of mandatory awareness course to show just how much using the phone affects your driving. Being in the car with someone who is texting and starts drifting between lanes as soon as they look at their phone is scary. I don't use my phone much anyway, but If I'm in the car I'll always pull over before touching it. 

[ThinkWithPortals]

Good. They're a menace.

[Master Disaster]

Just now, o0Martin said:

I guess It's hard to have a lot of cops to regulate things like this, it's just like speeding, you see people speeding all the time so the best bet is to deter people instead with harsher penalties. It wont stop a lot of people, but it will cut down repeat offenders, and hopefully stop some new drivers. But the people who have been using their device at the wheel for years and still haven't been caught, they're probably the people you'll keep seeing unfortunately  

Well speeding is easier to control, speed traps and cameras catch people with no need to be manned. You need actual eyes to catch phone drivers. 

[Master Disaster]

3 minutes ago, Sauron said:

I'm fine with it being even worse, but why are new drivers somehow getting a worse penalty that others? Is it less bad for an experienced driver to drive with a phone in their hand?

It's called stealth taxation, something the tories are well known for doing. 

 

They know it's much more likely to be a new driver so they increase the penalty for that subset and make much more money than they would have done. 

[Oshino Shinobu]

5 minutes ago, malon said:

I totaly support this move for heavyer fines and penaltys, especialy for new drivers and them possible losing their license and having to retest, just don't drive and use text/facebook/snapchat and drive.

 

2 minutes ago, o0Martin said:

I guess It's hard to have a lot of cops to regulate things like this, it's just like speeding, you see people speeding all the time so the best bet is to deter people instead with harsher penalties. It wont stop a lot of people, but it will cut down repeat offenders, and hopefully stop some new drivers. But the people who have been using their device at the wheel for years and still haven't been caught, they're probably the people you'll keep seeing unfortunately  

I'd say that adding a mandatory awareness course, along with the fine and points, would be a good idea. I think a lot of people are overly confident in their ability to drive and don't realise how much it affects their driving. I find that with my family members that use their phones and drive claim that it's fine because they have 30 years of driving experience, but they don't realise how they drift lanes when they're using their phone. 

 

The harsher penalties will help deter drivers from using their phones while driving, but will only really be effective if the change in penalty is made very clear and is spread across social media. If it's changed quietly, it will really only do the same as the current penalties, which is reduce the number of repeat offenders. A big goal should be to deter first time offenders, as it only takes one time for someone to end up being killed. 

[Sauron]

1 minute ago, Master Disaster said:

It's called stealth taxation, something the tories are well known for doing. 

 

They know it's much more likely to be a new driver so they increase the penalty for that subset and make much more money than they would have done. 

Why is it more likely to be new though? I'd say most of the population is above 25 and probably has had a license for years, while only a part of the under 25 population is old enough to drive.

[JoaoPRSousa]

RJ must be proud.

[Master Disaster]

Just now, Sauron said:

Why is it more likely to be new though? I'd say most of the population is above 25 and probably has had a license for years, while only a part of the under 25 population is old enough to drive.

Because (and I'm sorry for the stereotyping here) it usually is 18 - 25 male drivers who commit motoring offences. That's just a fact I'm afraid, that's why insurance for that group costs more than double than for other groups. 

[Sauron]

14 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Because (and I'm sorry for the stereotyping here) it usually is 18 - 25 male drivers who commit motoring offences. That's just a fact I'm afraid, that's why insurance for that group costs more than double than for other groups. 

And? I can understand insurance concerns, but when it comes to fines making them pay more once they have been caught doesn't really fix the problem...

[Master Disaster]

21 minutes ago, Sauron said:

And? I can understand insurance concerns, but when it comes to fines making them pay more once they have been caught doesn't really fix the problem...

Agreed, which comes back to stealth taxation. It's only purpose is to generate more revenue. 

 

Ok that's not entirely fair. I can see it would have some value as a deterrent but honestly, at that age your not really bothered by such things so it's impact as a deterrent would be minimal. 

 

Given how much the government have increased the difficulty and cost of learning to drive over the last 5 or so years I'm beginning to suspect they just don't want young people driving at all. Perhaps this is just another way of getting younger drivers off the roads. "yeah I know that's a little tinfoil hatty" 

[TheMcSame]

1 hour ago, Sauron said:

I'm fine with it being even worse, but why are new drivers somehow getting a worse penalty that others? Is it less bad for an experienced driver to drive with a phone in their hand?

New drivers aren't getting a worse penalty, they're getting the same penalty. The only difference between new drivers and older drivers is that new drivers (up to 2 years) only need 6 points to loose their licence, it's a system that's been in place for a while.

[vorticalbox]

Personally, I think they should remove "up to" parts of laws. Up to 6 months should be 6 months.

[Sintezza]

Great move.

Uphere you get a €230,- fine for it.

 

[Monkey Dust]

There are no police about to enforce it. They might as well make the fine 6000 Roman Sestertius and a pigmy unicorn.

[stconquest]

Up to $500 over here.  Toronto.

[Master Disaster]

1 hour ago, TheMcSame said:

New drivers aren't getting a worse penalty, they're getting the same penalty. The only difference between new drivers and older drivers is that new drivers (up to 2 years) only need 6 points to loose their licence, it's a system that's been in place for a while.

Did not know that was the case. 

[zMeul]

2 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Increasing penalties is only ever going to work

this is never going to work .. ever!

how's that "war on drugs" going America?! who thought that increasing penalties for even possession of illegal substances will decrease the drug "business"!?

making it illegal doesn't mean that people will stop doing it; doubling the penalties will not make people stop either

[Prysin]

2 hours ago, Sauron said:

I'm fine with it being even worse, but why are new drivers somehow getting a worse penalty that others? Is it less bad for an experienced driver to drive with a phone in their hand?

its a way of deterring people from developing bad habits.

 

Its easier to stop someone from developing a habit, then make someone break a habit

[Tech_Dreamer]

inb4 more random stop gun violence #BLM??

[AlTech]

And this is why, if I ever buy a car it will be self driving!

 

I need to use my phone damnit. Drive the car for me! .

[Sauron]

19 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

And this is why, if I ever buy a car it will be self driving!

 

I need to use my phone damnit. Drive the car for me! .

There are solutions to the problem without the need for the car to drive itself. Most cars at this point (except the ultra low cost variants) have bluetooth phone integration bundled with their on board entertainment system (aka what used to be just the radio/cd player). You can make phone calls and in some cases even have your messages read out loud without moving your hands from the wheel or your eyes from the road. Besides, even in a self driving car you're supposed to be alert at all times.