Penalties for mobile phone use while driving double next week

From next week, the penalties for using a mobile phone while driving will double.

At present, drivers who are stopped while using a mobile phone are issued with three penalty points on their licence and a £100 fine.

Under the new legislation, which comes into force on March 1, the penalty will be six points and a £200 fine. In more serious cases, police officers have powers to prosecute drivers for careless or dangerous driving.

Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston, Head of Road Policing for Police Scotland, said: “We are using this change in the law to, once again, reminding drivers that using a mobile phone while driving has always been unacceptable and even careful drivers can be distracted by a call or text – and a split-second lapse in concentration could result in a serious or fatal collision.”