View from the back seat of a car on a quiet country road at dusk, the driver's hands on the steering wheel and the road ahead
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
killthephone

WHAT THE LAW AND THE HIGHWAY CODE SAY

Hands on the wheel,
phone out of reach.

6 POINTS and a £200 fine

  • Never in your hand
  • Mounted, not blocking
  • Stop to call
  • Glovebox, not lap

Holding a phone while you drive is illegal, for almost any reason.

Since 25 March 2022 the ban covers texting, calls, photos, playlists and games, even when the phone is offline. The Highway Code goes further: it says hands-free is also likely to distract you.

Updated

Is it allowed?

THE SHORT ANSWER

Do not hold it.
Better still, leave it.

The law bans holding a device.
The Highway Code says any phone use is a distraction.

THE LAW

Not in your hand, ever

It is illegal to hold and use a phone, sat nav or tablet while driving, even at traffic lights, in a queue or in flight mode.

Is it allowed?

THE ROADS

Most on rural roads

In DfT figures for 2024 to 2025, 51% of fatal or serious collisions involving a driver using a mobile device were on rural roads.

See the numbers

HANDS-FREE

Legal is not the same as safe

A mounted phone is allowed if it does not block your view. But the Highway Code says it is far safer not to use any phone while driving.

What to do instead

General information only, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a qualified lawyer or a free advice service.

IS IT ALLOWED?

What are you
about to do?

Pick a situation to see what GOV.UK and the Highway Code say. The bar shows how much trouble it can get you into.

Phone check

Choose a situation
Checking a text at red lightsIllegal

The ban still applies when you are stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic. It can mean 6 penalty points and a £200 fine.

Skipping a song, phone offlineIllegal

Since March 2022 any hand-held use counts, including scrolling playlists, and the law applies even if the device is offline or in flight mode.

Sat nav in a windscreen mountAllowed, with care

Hands-free use is allowed if you never hold the device and it does not block your view. You can get 3 points if you lack a full view of the road or proper control.

Hands-free call on the motorwayLegal, but risky

Hands-free calls are legal, but the Highway Code says they are also likely to distract you. Police can stop you if they think you are not in control.

Calling 999, unsafe to stopAllowed

You may hold a phone to call 999 or 112 in a genuine emergency when it is unsafe or impractical to stop. Paying contactless in a vehicle that is not moving is also allowed.

Sources: GOV.UK, Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving; The Highway Code, rule 149.

Based on GOV.UK guidance on using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving, and Highway Code rule 149. General information, not legal advice.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A small share,
an avoidable one.

One figure from police collision records,
one from the public consultation behind the 2022 law.

3%

Fatal collisions involving a driver or rider using a mobile device

In DfT's 2025 factsheet, based on forces directly recording road safety factors for 2024 to 2025, 3% of fatal collisions involved a driver or rider assigned the "using mobile device" factor. Drivers aged 17 to 44 were over-represented.

FATAL COLLISIONS · DfT

81%

Consultation respondents backing the tougher law

The Department for Transport said 81% of respondents supported making it easier to prosecute drivers using a hand-held phone, before the law changed on 25 March 2022.

THE 2022 LAW · DfT

DfT notes that these road safety factor figures come only from police forces directly recording them and may not be representative of national trends, and that not all collisions are reported to the police.

FOUR HABITS TO TRY

Sort the phone
before the engine.

A smartphone with a dark screen held in a dashboard mount below the windscreen, leaving the view of the road clear
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

The simplest way to keep within the law is to make the phone unnecessary while the car is moving.

  1. Set the route first

    Put the sat nav or map on before you pull away, with the device fixed in a holder that does not block your view.

  2. Put it out of reach

    The AA's advice when the law changed: convert your glovebox into a phone box.

  3. Let calls go to voicemail

    The Highway Code suggests finding a safe place to stop, or using voicemail and listening to messages later.

  4. Stop safely to use it

    Hand-held use is allowed when you are safely parked, not when you are stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic.

THE HANDS-FREE QUESTION

Hands-free
is not risk-free.

A winding two-lane country road through green fields and hedgerows, with a single car in the distance
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

In 2019 the Commons Transport Committee reported evidence that talking on a hands-free device creates the same risks of a collision as using a hand-held phone, and said there was a misleading impression that hands-free use is safe.

Hands-free use is still legal in the UK. But the Highway Code says it is likely to distract your attention, and if police think you are not in proper control of the vehicle you can be prosecuted.

Questions

Questions people ask

Can I use my phone at traffic lights?

No. GOV.UK says the law still applies when you are stopped at traffic lights, queuing in traffic, or in a car whose engine turns off when it stops.

What is the penalty for using a phone while driving?

You can get 6 penalty points and a £200 fine. If you passed your test in the last 2 years you will lose your licence. A court can also ban you and fine you up to £1,000, or £2,500 for a lorry or bus driver.

Is it legal to use my phone as a sat nav?

Yes, if it is hands-free, for example in a windscreen mount or dashboard holder, you never hold it, and it does not block your view of the road and traffic ahead.

Are hands-free calls safe?

They are legal, but the Highway Code says hands-free equipment is also likely to distract you and that it is far safer not to use any phone while driving. A 2019 Commons committee heard evidence that hands-free calls carry the same collision risk.

Does the law apply when supervising a learner?

Yes. GOV.UK and Highway Code rule 149 say you must not use a hand-held phone when supervising a learner driver.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. GOV.UK: Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving
  2. The Highway Code: General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders (rule 149)
  3. DfT: Reported road casualties Great Britain, fatal 4 mobile device factsheet, 2025
  4. GOV.UK news: Zero tolerance for phone use behind the wheel as law changes (25 March 2022)
  5. CIHT: Call for crackdown on phone use at the wheel (Transport Committee report, 2019)

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