Strict new driving rules have come into effect, making it clear that touching a phone while driving is against the law. Drivers are warned that in addition to blocking calls and texts, they cannot touch the phone to use it for stationary navigation, video recording, or editing music recordings.
But the law says you can use your phone for free, so if you’re planning a course before you leave, or if you’ve safely stopped to make changes, you won’t be breaking the rules. And you can use your phone to pay for transportation when your car is “stable”.
But drivers may not be aware of the other rules, which means that even if you use your phone completely touchless, or even if you’re a passenger, you could face criminal charges. According to the Department of Transportation: “You should always have complete control of your vehicle. The police can stop you if they think you are out of control because you are distracted and you may be prosecuted.”
This means that you can be penalized for using your phone, even if you never touch it, including by distracting you with loud music, videos or incoming messages, or a passenger using the phone. Looking at the phone can be seen as a distraction, like arguing with a passenger.
It is also against the law to place your phone where it obstructs view from any window or where it interferes with controls such as the steering wheel. The rules state: “You can get three penalty points if you don’t have a full view of the road and are moving forward or without enough control of the vehicle.”
It is against the law to touch the phone while you are a passenger if you are supervising a student driver. Basically, the same rule applies to drivers, which means you can’t touch your phone while a caller is supervising you for any reason.
The exception to the rule…
You can use the device manually if:
- You need to call 999 or 112 urgently and stop it is dangerous or impractical
- You have parked your car safely
- You make contactless payment in a stationary vehicle, for example in a restaurant
- You can use the device to stop the car from a distance
Source: Belfastlive
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