Teen driver loses his licence as dozens of dozy motorists are caught using their mobiles just HOURS after tough new law was introduced
A TEENAGE driver caught using GPS on his phone to find a garage has become one of the first drivers to lose their licence under harsh new laws to stop people using a mobile at the wheel.
The boy told reporters his parents would "kill him" after he was slapped with the new six-point penalty within two years of passing his test, meaning his licence will be revoked.
Scores of motorists have already been spotted using their mobile phones at the wheel today just hours after tougher new driving laws were brought into force.
Shocking pictures show drivers flouting the law as they casually made calls and sent text messages behind the wheel - despite the punishment being doubled in a major crackdown today.
While drivers can usually rack up 12 points on their licence before losing it, those caught within two years of passing their test will have their licence revoked after getting six.
The 19-year-old driver of a black Ford Focus said: "I just feel p***ed off to be honest.
"All I was doing was trying to find a garage to change my tyre."
The teenager, who would not give his name, said he could not disagree with the penalty and added his parents would "kill him".
The driver of a black BMW will also lose her licence as she had passed her test just a year ago before being caught on her phone in Ock Street, Abingdon, Oxon. today.
The pair were caught during one of dozens of operations taking place across the UK, with new laws threatening those caught with a £200 fine and six points on their licence.
Plain clothes officers spotted drivers on their phones close to the A34 before radioing through to uniformed officers waiting in a side-road to pull over offenders.
Nine other drivers were caught out during Thames Valley Police's roads policing team's crack down, including the driver of a Red Suzuki who said: "It was my stupid fault.
"I think the new rules are fair - it's going to stop people."
The driver of a white Toyota thought the six-point penalty was too much.
She said: "I think it's quite a lot.
"I have heard about it it but I didn't expect it would happen to me.
"I never normally use my phone while driving I was just in slow traffic.
"I think the points are not fair but the fine is fair."
Paul Dancer, a company director, who was driving a VW pick-up truck, said: "I was aware of the new laws.
"I have a hands free but it was in my gear stick hand by my gear stick.
"I have just been told because it wasn't in a cradle I have now got six points.
"If it's in a cradle that's fine, that's what I don't understand.
"It's not that I feel hard done by but I'm on the road a lot for work and I think a lot of people have done it."
By noon today, Dorset Police said they stopped 31 drivers on their mobiles, while Norfolk Police tweeted it had stopped 11 drivers on their phones in 90 minutes.
One of these was a driver of a 7.5 tonne lorry using his phone while travelling around a roundabout in the Bournemouth area, the force said.
Another driver stopped by cops was responding to a message about her lost puppy being found.
It is illegal to touch a mobile phone - even with a hands free set - while driving, and has been since 2003.
The law applies if you are stopped at lights or are queuing in traffic if your engine is still running.
You can only use a handheld phone is you are safely parked or need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency, and you are permitted to use a hands-free phone as long as no buttons are pressed.
The law changed today to introduce tougher penalties for drivers caught using their phones.
From now on if you are a new driver and get caught you could face a total ban. Drivers can also face doubled points and £200 fines.
One officer part of the team in Oxon. trying to catch offenders said he had found one motorist gave their phone to their child to hide when caught out.
PC Dave Renfrew said: "One gentleman I saw while we were doing a check while I was in a fully marked police car.
"The spotter saw him as well and he denied it. It turned out he had given it to his child to hide."
Police constable Peter Billingham added: "Using your mobile phone while driving is becoming more socially unacceptable. It's my biggest pet hate for car drivers."
Inspector Gavin Biggs said he had "no sympathy" for the drivers caught out under the new stiff penalties.
"It's been a long time coming," he said of the new legislation.
"I'm really pleased about it. People know that it's an offence, yet they continue to do it. Our enforcement shows we have a strong stance against it.
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"Yes six points is quite steep but people know the dangers of what they're doing. Everybody who has been using their mobile phone today has been using it for texting or social media. They've been doing it down by their side below the level of the dashboard - they're clearly doing that to hide what they're doing.
"They understand it's unlawful, they understand it's dangerous."
As the law changed today more than 20 motoring offences were detected by officers from Kent's Roads Policing Unit.
Of these, 12 drivers were stopped for using their phones, four for not being in proper control of their vehicle and four for driving at excess speed.
A driver who appeared to be talking to a parrot perched on the steering wheel was also stopped after his van was spotted swerving between lanes on the M20, the force said.
One driver was summonsed and his vehicle seized for using a mobile phone while driving, not using a seat belt and driving without insurance.
Thames Valley Police (TVP) said it had stopped 11 people for using phones, including two new drivers, in its first patrol of the day. It also stopped five people for not wearing seat belts.
A journalist believed to be on his way to cover the launch of new penalties was also stopped for using his mobile while driving.
Other police forces are expected to release figures at the end of the week-long national crackdown.
Around 3,600 motorists were handed penalties during a similar initiative last month.
The new measures are being introduced following a series of high-profile cases and research suggesting the practice is widespread.
New drivers can have their licence revoked if they get six penalty points in their first two years on the road, which could now be the result of sending a single text message.
More experienced motorists can lose their licence if they receive 12 points in a three-year period.
Twenty-two people were killed and 99 seriously injured in accidents on Britain's roads in 2015 where a motorist using a mobile was a contributory factor, latest figures show.
Lorry driver Tomasz Kroker was jailed for 10 years in October after killing a woman and three children by ploughing into their stationary car on the A34 near Newbury, Berkshire, while distracted by his phone.
According to the Transport Research Laboratory, reaction times are twice as long for drivers who are texting compared with those who have been drinking.
A new advert developed by the Government's road safety group Think! and the AA Charitable Trust shows a drunk man suggesting he should swap places with his sober girlfriend, who is texting on her phone while driving him home.
The campaign will be featured at cinemas and on billboards, radio and social media, with the message: "You wouldn't drink and drive. Don't text and drive."
Motoring groups believe a sharp decline in the number of offenders caught is partly due to police budget cuts affecting enforcement.
An RAC survey found that one in four motorists admits checking texts, emails and social media while driving.
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