The driving simple offence that can easily get you fined £200

You don’t need to be an experienced driver to know that texting or calling behind the wheel (unless it’s hands-free) can land you with serious consequences – potentially a driving ban and a £1000 fine. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that every driver knows that rule – it’s just a case of whether or not they knowingly choose to disobey it!

What’s more, the laws have been tightened even further in recent years. That’s largely because as mobile phone technology has advanced, there are all sorts of new ways they can end up becoming distracting – there are new alerts, new social media platforms, new push notifications, and the like.

And whether you’re driving your own vehicle or you’ve decided to hire a car or van, there’s nothing worse than getting a fine (or even points on your licence), especially if you didn’t know you were actively doing anything wrong. So here’s the big rule to watch out for.

You can’t touch your phone at all

That’s really it, in a nutshell! Taking calls, sending messages, and posting on social media are all prohibited by law. Mobile phones can be used as satellite navigation devices but only if they’re fixed in position (in other words in a cradle) and the journey is planned before setting off. It’s illegal to reroute yourself en-route, unless you’ve physically stopped the vehicle first, or you’re able to have a passenger do it for you.

However, those are just a couple of examples of what’s not allowed. Really, it’s anything that can be classed as actively using the phone – specifically, even illuminating the screen is an offence in itself. Essentially, the idea is that if you’re touching your phone and you’re distracted, it only takes a few seconds to crash – and that can potentially end up making the difference between life and death.

In case you’re wondering, the applicable law is Section 110 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, which states: "No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is using a hand-held mobile telephone."

That includes checking the time, and in fact anything that involves “illuminating the screen” (obviously the law has been amended since 1986, since mobile phones were fondly known as ‘brick’s back then, and weren’t big on touchscreens).

The consequences can be anything from a £200 fine and six points on a driver’s licence, all the way up to a ban and a £1000 fine.

So what are the alternatives?

There are a couple – and they might not seem as convenient as interacting directly with your phone while out on the roads, but they can often be a lot safer.

For starters, if you’ve decided to hire a van for a commercial trip, or it’s a similar work-related journey, you may well have colleagues with you. If it’s a personal trip on the other hand you might have family members there with you. In that case, the solution is fairly straightforward – you can just ask your passengers to interact with the phone o your behalf.

If you’re on your own on the other hand, and you know you’re going to be on your own for the entirety of the trip, then the main thing to do if you’re navigating is to ensure that the route is set up in advance. You can choose to set up voice commands, so that you can adjust things on your phone without having to actually physically touch it. That’s marginally safer as you’re maintaining more control with your hands on the wheel at all times. However, it’s still taking your attention off the road.

By the same token, it’s not technically against the law to answer a call using the integrated infotainment systems that lots of cars have – including our cars here at Intack Self Drive – but it’s worth remembering that this can also be a distraction.

Ideally, regardless of the technicalities of the law, the best thing to do is to ensure that you’ve set up everything in advance so that you don’t need to use the phone at all. Set your route, turn off your data, and if you’re expecting any calls, or you think there’s a good chance of you getting any from specific people, perhaps consider a quick text to them to say you’ll be unavailable for the journey.

That’s all our suggestions in a nutshell! And once you’ve got everything prepared for your journey, if you’re looking for the very best prices on car hire or van hire, you’re in exactly the right place. With more than 50 years of experience behind us, we’re committed to delivering a wide range of choices, exceptional service, and all at the very best prices. If you’re ready to get started, you can browse the best deals right here on our site or give us a call at 01254 57811!