Mobiles~ endorseable offence

[auzzie]

I have heard on our local radio that from February, if you are caught on your mobile phone it will be an endoseable offence and points on your licence? Is this true? Nobody i know has heard about it. Good idea though.

[dannywells]

Not yet, however may be so in the very near future if the current bill going through parliament gets approval.

Under the Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No.4) Regulations 2003 which came into force on December 1, 2003, the offence is subject to a �30 fixed penalty or maximum fine of �1000 for conviction in court (maximum of �2,500 for drivers of goods vehicles or buses/coaches.

[dannywells]

UPDATE!
As of 27th February 2007 the penalty for using your mobile whilst driving, without an approved hands free connection, is set to rise from a �30 non-endorsable fixed penalty fine to a �60 fine with 3 penalty points endorsable on your driving licence.

[auzzie]

Thanks Danny, apparently it was a police officer that gave this info!

[auzzie]

Thanks Danny, posts just crossed

[kempie]

The Secretary of State was given power to bring this change into force under the provisions of the Road Safety Act 2006 which itself gained Royal Assent on 8th November 2006.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/60049--a. htm#26

[vehelpfulguy]

i think if you are driving while using your phone you should get banned for a year.

Saw a program a few weeks ago where a lorry driver on a motorway was playing around on his phone and ploughed into the back of a queue of traffic which he had no idea was there.

Killed the young girl driver of the car he hit.

[auzzie]

I saw that too vehelpfulguy. It was very sad to see the devastation he caused and he tried to deny it too.

[gsr600]

Hi auzzie
i asked this question 2 months ago
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Motoring/Questi on332756.html

but then it was undecided as to when,
i'm glad its becoming law !!!
however it comes into force on my Birthday,
what a nice present for somone else!
thanks all

[auzzie]

Hello gsr600, i did see that post and as you say it was undecided. It was just by chance that i heard about the endorsement on my local radio station.

PS. Happy birthday for the 27th February. Hope you get some nice presents and not a mobile phone!!

[sarnieken]

Thank god!!! It has been a long time coming. Perhaps now, the driver of the brand new Jag I saw this morning on his phone will be forced to spend the �15 on a Bluetooth headset. As long as they actually police it as well, the amount of times I've been behind a police car and they have watched someone drive past while using their phone.

[auzzie]

And with no seat belt on, sarnieken!!