Using a Phone When Driving – What Are the Rules?

NOMOPHOBIA: NO MObile PHone PhoBIA

 “a psychological condition when people have a fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity.” Signs and symptoms can include anxiety, respiratory alterations, trembling, perspiration, agitation, disorientation and tachycardia (a heart rate over 100 beats a minute.) This is a real thing, medically and psychologically speaking. And it can lead to all sorts of issues, not the least of which is people being unable to leave their phones alone when driving. Using a phone when driving can be an unintended consequence of Nomophobia – and the results can be serious.

Research by road safety organisation Brake, shows that using your mobile behind the wheel makes a person four times more likely to be in a crash than if they were not using it. Brake also found that reaction times were 30% slower than the reaction times of a person at the drink drive limit.

Unfortunately, the public don’t yet see using a phone as unacceptable in the same way they see drink driving. This maybe because phones are so useful for map-reading, playing music, checking the time and of course making those calls.  Despite their usefulness, they can be costly in terms of the penalties attached to their use. Points on your licence, fines, injury and even loss of life.

Holding a phone in your hand for any reason at all is illegal. Even if you’re holding it like a walkie-talkie and talking into it from half a metre away like they do on the Apprentice TV show. And you look silly.

The Law – Handheld Devices

The use of a handheld phone while driving, even when not moving, or moving slowly in crawling traffic, is illegal. Texting, changing your music, or updating your map is a no-no. This goes for people supervising learner drivers too. Many people don’t know this, but it’s very true.

In an emergency, if it is unsafe to pull-over and stop, you can use the phone in your hand. Not for a chat, but to call for assistance. Another circumstance where you are allowed is to make a contactless payment when the car is not moving –  at for example, a drive-thru restaurant.

Fines start at £200 if you opt for a fixed penalty to avoid a court appearance. This attracts six penalty points on your licence. For newly qualified drivers who have been driving less than two years, six points will see their licence revoked, meaning they will have to reapply for their provisional licence and sit both driving tests again.

What is a Hands-Free Device?

This is a grey area, as hands-free use is legal

• You can’t hold or use a mobile phone while driving
• You can use your phone hands-free, such as with a cradle, mount, or mat
• The phone holder can’t block your view of the road
• You can’t pick up the phone to use it

BUT – if the police believe you’re not in full in control of your car, even hands-free use of your phone could end up with a charge.

Consequences

Things change when you’re driving – even when you are on a familiar road, on a route you’ve done for years, the environment will change, as other vehicles and pedestrians will not be the same every day. When you are operating your phone, you can easily be distracted from the changes going on around you in the road and surroundings, and that’s when things go very wrong. Your reaction times will be considerably longer and your field of vision will be narrowed.

The percent of drivers manipulating hand-held electronic devices has increased 82%, from 1.7% in 2013 to 3.1% in 2022. Among other activities, this observation includes text messaging.

This graph shows that the total number of fatal distraction-affected crashes decreased 5% in 2022 compared to 2021. However, distraction-affected fatal crashes have still increased 4% since 2013. The percent of fatal distraction-affected crashes involving cell phone use in 2022 was 12.1%, unchanged 2021.

Distractions

Cell phone distractions were responsible for 22 fatalities on UK roads In 2015., that number increased to 32 by 2016, with 478 accidents attributed to cell phone use. In more recent years, the situation has become worse. Road fatalities overall in 2022 were recorded at 1,711, with cell phone use continuing to be a main cause of distraction behind the wheel. The police along with media campaigns have increased efforts to fight the issue as incidents of drivers using their phones continue to contribute fatality statistics annually. The laws have become much stricter, with stronger penalties introduced in 2022 to deter this unacceptable behaviour​.

2022 – New Rules

In 2022, new rules were introduced to finally clarify what counts as “holding and using” a phone. Simply put – if your phone is in your hand while driving, you’re breaking the law.

What Now?

So, how do you stay safe and on the right side of the law?

• Follow the advice of the road safety campaign Think! They say “make the glove compartment the phone compartment.”
• Search for apps which detect when you’re driving and automatically respond to messages for you. Some read texts out loud.
• Waiting for an important call? Pull over safely before answering or wait  until you arrive.
• If a hands-free conversation gets too involved, end the call pull over. No stress is worth a life.
• Best, just switch your phone off when you get in the car. If you can’t, put it on silent.

All of this might not help your NOMOPHOBIA, but it will help you stay safe, stay legal and stay alive. In the end you need your licence. Don’t risk it for a silly text, meme or just a bit of FOMO.