The Consequences
If you are caught using a mobile phone whilst driving, you are now liable to six penalty points and a £200 fine.
Using a handheld communication device while driving carries a mandatory six penalty points on your licence meaning that if you passed your driving test in the past two years you will also face a disqualification from driving. You may have to pay a considerable fine, if you were driving a vehicle built to carry eight passengers or more. The government made using your mobile phone while driving illegal, due to the vast amount of fatal accidents occurring while drivers were distracted and not having control of the steering wheel.
Although you should only receive six penalty points and a fine, if you’re caught using your communication device while driving, you will receive greater punishment if this action led to an accident. In this event, you may be accused of a more serious offence of dangerous driving which can carry a prison sentence.
A simple solution to this problem is to have a hands-free kit fitted into your car. Don’t accept a hands-free product if it requires you to handle the device at any point – this would still meet the required criteria for the offence so entirely defeats the object.
The only situation in which you can justify the use of your mobile phone whilst driving is when you genuinely need to call emergency services and pulling-over is impractical.
Court Proceedings
If you genuinely believe that you weren’t using your phone, when you were accused of the crime, you could ask your phone company to provide evidence of incoming and outgoing calls on your records. Smartphone can also be interrogated by a a digital forensic expert to try to prove that there was no activity occurring on the phone at the time of the offence.
Remember to also contact DrivingOffence.com to get the legal advice you’ll need to argue your case and protect your licence from penalty points.
Get in Touch With Our Expert Team
To get the legal advice you’ll need to argue your case and protect your licence from penalty points, contact our defence solicitors today. Our Manchester-based lawyers have helped many drivers across the UK accused of this offence. Contact us now by calling 0800 069 6000 or by filling in our contact form