Motorists face bans for using phone satnavs

DRIVERS who use their mobile phones as satnavs risk being banned from the roads, police chiefs have warned.

Tough penalties that came into force in April were intended to clamp down on motorists using their phones to make calls and send text messages.

But as the bank holiday exodus gets underway, drivers are being warned that the laws also extend to using mobile phones as satnavs. While it is not illegal to use a navigation app, drivers do face prosecution if they touch the handset while at the wheel. The maximum penalty has doubled, to a £200 fine and six points, or even disqualification if they had held their licence for less than two years.

Police chiefs are warning motorists that even pressing their mobile phone screen momentarily, to change the route, could result in a fatal accident.

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “If an officer determines that a driver using their satnav hindered their ability to control the car, the driver could face prosecution.”

The warnings have exposed an apparent inconsistency in the law, with penalties for using traditional satnavs or those built into cars more lenient than those involving a phone.

A spokesman for the RAC said: “While a quick interaction with an inbuilt or independent satnav (ie not on a mobile phone) should be acceptable, if a police officer deems you are not in proper control of a vehicle you may still be liable for prosecution.” In 2015 there were 22 deaths on the roads attributed to drivers using handheld phones, but not all involved people making calls.