UK phone‑in‑driving fines total
- Freedom of Information data compiled from UK police forces show 70,472 drivers were fined for using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel over the last three years. - At the standard £200 fixed penalty, that total equates to about £14.1 million in fines, with motorists also typically facing six penalty points on their licence. - The crackdown sits under tougher rules introduced in 2022, when England, Scotland and Wales widened the offence to nearly any handheld phone use while driving. (gov.uk)
UK police forces issued 70,472 fines in three years to drivers caught using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel. (rac.co.uk) The total comes from Freedom of Information responses gathered across forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. At the standard £200 fixed penalty, that works out to roughly £14.1 million in fines. (rac.co.uk) Drivers caught using a handheld phone can also get six penalty points on their licence. New drivers can lose their licence if they build up six points within two years of passing their test. (gov.uk) The legal threshold widened on March 25, 2022, when rules in England, Scotland and Wales were strengthened to cover almost any handheld use, including taking photos, scrolling playlists or unlocking a screen. (gov.uk) That change closed gaps in the old law, which had focused on “interactive communication” such as calls and texts. The 2022 update made clear that holding and using a phone for nearly any purpose while driving is illegal. (gov.uk) You can still use a device hands-free, but only if it stays in a cradle, sat nav mount, dashboard holder or windscreen mount and does not block the driver’s view. Police can still stop motorists if they think hands-free use is distracting. (gov.uk) The only narrow exceptions include calling 999 or 112 when it is unsafe or impractical to stop, making a contactless payment at a vehicle that is stationary, and using a device to park remotely. (gov.uk) The RAC said the figures show enforcement remains active even after years of public warnings and tougher penalties. For drivers, the arithmetic is blunt: one handheld phone stop can mean £200, six points and, for some newer motorists, the end of a licence. (rac.co.uk)
