ROAD safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist is reminding drivers that updated mobile phone laws make it an offence to use a handâheld device for almost any reason while driving - even when stationary in traffic.

GEM points out that the rules cover not only making calls and sending texts, but also scrolling a playlist, programming satnav, taking photos or ‘just checking' notifications.

Any handâheld use while driving now risks a £200 fixed penalty and six points on your licence, with new drivers facing automatic revocation if they reach six points within two years of passing their test.

Government data show that mobile phone use was recorded as a contributory factor in 32 fatal collisions in Great Britain in 2025, although the true scale is likely higher because distraction from hands-free phone use is not always identified or recorded.

Studies show that using a mobile phone at the wheel makes a driver around four times more likely to be involved in a crash, with the risk similar for both handâheld and handsâfree use because of the distraction it causes.

In response, police forces and local authorities are investing in highâtech enforcement, including roadside cameras and AIâbased systems designed to spot drivers with a phone in their hand or on their lap.

GEM is urging all drivers to treat mobile devices as offâlimits while driving, and to use safer alternatives such as setting navigation and music before moving off, using inâcar controls, or pulling over in a safe place and switching the engine off before using a phone.

The only times you're legally allowed to hold your phone while driving are in a genuine emergency, when calling 999, or when stationary and making a contactless payment with your phone at a toll plaza or a drive-through restaurant.

There is also a strong case for considering enforcement cameras at traffic lights. Anyone who drives regularly can see how often traffic is delayed because a driver fails to move off promptly when the lights turn green, often because the driver's attention appears to be elsewhere. That delay can frustrate other road users, leave some drivers trying to catch up on lost time and, in turn, contribute to unnecessary tension on the roads. Used in this way, GEM believes camera enforcement would not only help deter offending drivers, but also reduce the knock-on disruption caused to everyone else.

Although hands-free phone use is legal, GEM warns it is not safe. Researchshows it can distract drivers just as effectively as holding a phone, and in some studies the effect is similar to driving at - or even above - the legal alcohol limit.

GEM head of road safety James Luckhurst said: "Too many drivers still believe that checking a message at the lights, changing a playlist in slowâmoving traffic or nudging a satnav when they're in a queue is somehow different from using a phone on the move. It isn't; the law is clear that if you are driving, and you have a phone in your hand for pretty much any reason, you're committing an offence.

"Modern enforcement technology means there's now a much greater chance of being caught, even if you think no one is watching. But more important than the fine or the points is the risk that a moment's distraction could cost someone their life.

"So our message is simple: set it before you set off, or pull over in a safe place and switch off the engine before you touch your phone."