Drivers face £200 fine for changing music whilst driving from next year

19 November 2021, 00:05 | Updated: 19 November 2021, 00:24

Motorists caught scrolling through music playlists will face a £200 fine and penalty points for next year, the Government has confirmed.

New plans announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) will make it easier to prosecute drivers caught using their phone whilst driving from 2022.

Under current UK laws, drivers are banned from texting or making a phone call (other than in an emergency) while using a handheld device.

But from 2022, drivers will not be allowed to scroll through songs, take photos, videos, play games or look at social media on their phones whilst driving.

Motorists caught breaking the new laws face a £200 fine and six points on their licence, however, drivers will still be able to use sat navs and mobile phones navigation apps on the condition that they are secured in a phone holder and not in the driver's hand.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "By making it easier to prosecute people illegally using their phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the law is brought into the 21st Century while further protecting all road users.

Read more: 'I am ashamed': Cricketer Azeem Rafiq apologises over 2011 antisemitic messages

Read more: Mum forced to sell 'forever home' for HS2 plans says govt caused 'unnecessary heartache'

Watch As Van Driver Caught Using His Phone To Make Credit Card Payments While Driving

"While our roads remain among the safest in the world, we will continue working tirelessly to make them safer, including through our award-winning THINK! campaign, which challenges social norms among high-risk drivers."

The crackdown comes after a public consultation which found 81 per cent of respondents supported proposals to strengthen the law.

Read more: Life sentence for man who killed one and injured seven in Birmingham knife attack

Read more: 'Total rubbish - I haven't broken promises to the North': Boris fires back at HS2 anger

The Highway Code will also be revised to make it clear that being stationary in traffic counts as driving and hand-held mobile phone use at traffic lights or in motorway jams is illegal except in very limited circumstances.

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: "As our phones have become more sophisticated, the law has not kept pace and this has allowed some drivers who have been using their handheld phones for purposes other than communicating to exploit a loophole and avoid the maximum penalty.

"While today's announcement is clearly good news, it's absolutely vital that the new law is vigorously enforced otherwise there's a risk that it won't deliver the sort of behaviour change that will make our roads safer."