Hoot Guide to mobile phone law

Hoot Guides offer an informative, concise and sometimes even entertaining look at broad range of motoring topics (that's right, we don't just do cheap car insurance).

We've covered everything from the London congestion charge to understanding the jargon on your car insurance documents, via car theft, repair work and road tax - and the number of Hoot Car Insurance Services employees coming forward with pearls of car-related wisdom to share shows no signs of abating.

Cheap car insurance is the stuff that gets us out of bed in the morning, but variety, as they say, is the spice of life. The average Hoot team member knows his or her way around many other aspects of modern motoring, and, as you can judge from the growing number of guides on offer, is only too keen to share that knowledge with you.

This Hoot Guide is all about mobile phone law, which underwent significant changes in 2007 in order to clamp down on offenders. So, even if you think you know the causes and consequences inside out, it's well worth taking a look so as to be sure you're up to date.

The risks
The risks associated with driving whilst talking on a mobile phone are increasingly well-documented, and those reports make for worrying reading. Current research suggests that people who take or make calls while at the wheel are four times more likely to crash than those who don't.

Successive tests have proved that while on their mobiles, drivers tend to 'switch off' - they miss road signs, weave in and out of lanes and their speed fluctuates alarmingly. On top of this, reaction times slow considerably and they are more likely to take unnecessary risks such as tailgating or overtaking dangerously.

The law
In the UK, there has been a law against using a hand-held mobile phone while driving since 2003, and in February 2007 it became an endorsable offence.

The law applies to any communications device which "must be held at some point during the course of making or receiving a call, or performing any other interactive communication function." In other words, it doesn't matter if you're calling your mum, sending a text message, answering your pager or playing wireless Mario Kart on your Game Boy: the same law still applies.

The only exception for private individuals is when making an emergency call, and this only applies in circumstances which prevent you from stopping safely.

Furthermore, it's important to understand the legal definition of 'driving'. Under current legislation, you are considered to be 'driving' at any time while the engine is running - so if you decide to pull over and make a call, make sure your key's turned all the way left before picking up your phone.

Hands-free calls
It's still perfectly okay to use a hands-free kit for making calls whilst driving - at least for the time being.

However, the same research which condemned driving on a hand-held mobile has shown that hands-free calling provides a similarly dangerous distraction. Now road safety organisations such as RoSPA are calling for this too, to be made illegal.

RoSPA's website http://www.rospa.com has the following to say regarding the use of hands-free kits: "Unfortunately, in RoSPA's view, this law does not ban the use of hands-free mobile phones. Although the government accepts the evidence that using a hands-free phone while driving distracts the driver and increases the risk of an accident, they do not think a hands-free ban would be enforceable. RoSPA disagrees."

If these calls from RoSPA and other groups gain momentum, we could be looking at a blanket ban on mobile communication while driving in the near future.

The penalties
Currently, drivers who are caught breaking the law regarding mobile phones and driving can expect three points added to their licence and a fine of £60.

Because it carries these penalty points, motorists who commit the offence might also see a substantial hike in the price of their next motor insurance quote. Typically, you can expect to pay your car insurance firm an extra £180 in the three years following a conviction.

Cheap car insurance from Hoot
If you've just splashed out on a fancy hands-free kit for your car and are now afraid to use it, don't worry! Hoot Car Insurance Services can help you recoup some of the outlay with one of our seriously cheap car insurance quotes.

Our staff well deserve their reputation as one of the hardest-working teams in the cheap online car insurance business, and we'll do our damnedest to find you motor insurance cover at an unbeatable price.

So hang up your phone pronto, and come get a cheap car insurance quote!