If you get caught using a mobile phone while driving then you might not be able to get car insurance
FROM today, drivers caught using a hand-held mobile phone at the wheel will face a £200 fine and six points on their driving licence.
The government has doubled the penalty in a crackdown on motorists illegally using their device while driving.
But the financial punishment for offending drivers doesn't stop there.
Some car insurers refuse to provide cover to those with a mobile phone offence.
According to the AA, four companies in its survey of 13 insurers refused to offer cover at all to offenders, while the average premium increase imposed by an insurance company for a mobile phone offence was nearly 20 per cent, and as much as 29 per cent.
On an average car insurance premium of £767, this would add up to £222 to bills.
The AA said its survey of insurers showed a "clear trend" - that a mobile phone offence is considered to be more serious than speeding.
The penalty for speeding is three points on a licence and a £100 fine.
Michael Lloyd, the AA’s director of insurance, says: “Mobile phone misuse – texting, changing music, making calls – is widespread but it requires the offender to be witnessed by an officer, while speeding offences can be identified by roadside cameras.
"A recent clamp-down on phone-drive offences by police caught 8,000 drivers in a week-long campaign – 40 drivers per hour being caught for illegally using a hand-held device while behind the wheel."
Lloyd said that if a cop witnesses a clear lack of attention or dangerous behaviour while using a phone, the offence is likely to be increased to careless or dangerous driving, which carries a heavier penalty.
He added: "Only two of the insurers researched would offer cover for someone with a dangerous driving offence to their name, typically increasing their premium by 58 per cent."
What's changing?
It has been illegal to touch a mobile phone while driving since 2003.
You can only use a handheld phone if you are safely parked or need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it is unsafe or unpractical to stop.
The fixed penalty used to be £30 but in 2007 it was raised to £60. This was raised again in 2013 to £100.
From tomorrow, under new legislation, it will go up again to £200. You will also get six points on your licence, up from three previously.
As new drivers only start with six points for their first two years on the road, a conviction will mean an instant driving ban.
According to a new study, almost two-fifths of drivers are unaware that fines for using mobile phones while driving are about to double.
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