February 27th, 2007 
blogstaff 
The new, stricter penalties for using a mobile phone whilst driving come into effect from today.
The fixed penalty fine increases from £30 to £60, and 3 points will be added to the offenders license. If the case is taken to court, motorists run the risk of a fine of up to £1,000 and even disqualification from driving.
The police are advising motorists to take the new law seriously.
Meredydd Hughes, the chief constable of South Yorkshire police and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) roads policing spokesman, said:
“It’s important to remember that 77,000 people have already been fined for driving whilst using their mobile phones, a figure that highlights this offence is policed robustly.
“Driving whilst using a mobile phone is not acceptable and these penalties will hopefully deter those who think they are above the law.”
There’s no excuse. If you drive, don’t use your mobile phone unless you are using a Bluetooth headset, or fully fitted car kit. And even then, only use the phone when you have to.
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Not strict enough- can’t stand people who chug along at 25mph whilst gassing on a phone, ban ‘em!
about time people need to focus on the road not there phone
….come on! “ban ‘em!’, you can only get 11 points if you fail to stop after an accident!
I think £60 and 3 points is fair….
haha..my ‘ holier than thou’ wife has just received a letter…. photographed using mobile phone while driving over level crossing….
Now seeing as she gets away with every little thing she ever does ( she gets flagged down speeding, and gets only a warning for doing 46 in a 30)- and yet constantly ‘re-trials’ me for any tiny misdemeanour i have ever purpertrated I’m quietly hoping she gets publicly ‘stocked’ and then HUNG for this .
funnily though – she’s worked it out that she was on the phone to me…narking on and on about some trifle while Im telling her not to phone while driving…………
this is set to be sooo sweeeet, when Mrs Ne’er-do-wrong getsa 3point endorsement and record of it for 5 years.!
ha bl**dy ha wifey!
learn will you please – not to use your mobile to nag me even when I’m out of the house.
I think it is an idiotic law, and very Ill thougth out. How long before talking to a passenger is banned also. The fact is people will communicate whilst driving whatever the law is. with the advent of this law, People are now using text messages whilst driving to reduce the likelyhood of getting caught, by doing it under the height of the dashboard. Which I believe is far more dangerous, as it requires reading them and writing them.