Penalties doubled for using a mobile while driving

Wednesday, 1 March 2017 16:00

From today, drivers face six points and a £200 fine if they are caught using their mobile phone at the wheel.

The new and tougher penalties are twice as much as before, with previous legislation issuing motorists with three penalty points on their licence and a £100 fine.

The new legislation also means newly qualified drivers may have their licence revoked on the first offence under the New Driver Act.

GMP Inspector Tony Allt, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “Unfortunately, there are still a number of drivers who selfishly continue to endanger the lives of fellow road users, as well as their own, by using a mobile phone while driving. To coincide with the national campaign and the introduction of the tougher penalties, we will have a number of marked and unmarked patrol vehicles and road side checks to identify and stop motorists who break the law."

Anyone with any information of persistent offenders who drive while using their mobile phone should contact local officers or call 101 with details.

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