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Rules of the road

From 1 March 2017, the penalty for using your phone while driving doubled meaning now drivers will get six points and a £200 fine.

We get being close to your phone is important – it’s how you get calls from new customers, but nothing is worth putting yourself or other road users in harm’s way. Not even that hilarious Snapchat from your mates.

We’ve teamed up with Garmin to tell you what you need to know about the rules and regs plus a few other tips to stay safe behind the wheel.

Using maps
We all know that having your phone in your hand to make a call is illegal. But using it as a sat-nav is against the law too if it’s in your hand.

The only way to use your phone for sat-nav purposes is to have it fixed, hands-free to your window screen or dashboard. We wouldn’t really advise that though – who wants to be stuck in the countryside with no phone signal, late for a job and no way of getting your map up and running? Better using an actual sat-nav. Just make sure you set the route before you leave, so you don’t touch it while on route. If your sat-nav is voice activated then you’re winning, it’s fine to talk to it (sing to it if you like), you just can’t touch it.

In a jam
According to the RAC, 47% of us think it’s ok to check your phone while stopped in traffic. As long as your engine is running, it’s against the law, so save checking that message until you’ve parked to avoid a penalty – it’s probably not that important after all.

The extra 10%
Contrary to popular belief and what you might hear down the pub, the idea that ‘it’s ok to drive 10% over the limit and not get caught’ is a myth. If a police officer catches you with a mobile radar speed gun exceeding the limit, you are liable for prosecution even if just one mph over.