01 Nov New Laws Will Fine You For Just Touching Your Phone While Driving
Beginning today, new laws will see motorists in NSW fined for just touching their phones while driving.
While talking and driving is already illegal, under the new rules a driver must not hold or touch a phone at all unless it is mounted, they are passing it to a passenger or their vehicle is legally parked. Texting, video messaging, emailing or using the internet are all prohibited while driving.
“The new laws make it clear that a driver cannot hold a phone in his or her hand other than to pass it to a passenger,” police said in a statement.
The aim of this new law is to tackle mobile phone use while driving, as Centre for Road Safety General Manager Marg Prendergast says using a mobile while driving is dangerous as it slows reaction times and increases the chances of having a crash.
“The new laws make it clear that a driver cannot hold a phone in his or her hand other than to pass it to a passenger,” police said in a statement.
“Furthermore, under the new laws, drivers cannot rest mobile phones on their legs or hold it between their shoulder and ear.”
NSW highway patrol Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said the new rules would clear up confusion and improve road safety and warned drivers to be careful about using phones behind the wheel.
“The penalty for illegally using a mobile phone while driving is three demerit points and a $298 fine,” he said in a statement.
“This is upgraded to four demerit points and a $397 fine if the offence occurs in a school zone.”
It’s still OK to use the phone to make or receive calls, play music and use GPS, so long as it’s kept in a cradle, so Ms Prendergast says motorists will have to buy a cradle or hands-free device if they want to talk on their mobile while driving.
For those wanting to purchase a cradle or a hands free- kit, Phonenomena stocks universal cradles ($35.95), car chargers (price dependent on handset) and Supertooth HD Bluetooth speakerphone ($119) for a non-intrusive/non install solution. For road warriors, we offer fully integrated car kit (requires installation) options for various handset models. If you would like to order any of these or would like more options and information, please give us a call on 1300 721 281 or email us at sales [at] phonenomena [dot] com [dot] au.
For more information about the new road laws visit the RTA website.