{"id":5178,"date":"2026-04-24T20:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=5178"},"modified":"2026-04-24T20:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:00:23","slug":"motorists-fined-more-than-14m-for-using-their-phone-while-driving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=5178","title":{"rendered":"Motorists fined more than \u00a314m for using their phone while driving"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Using a mobile while driving was made illegal in 2003<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose drop-cap \">\n<p>More than 70,000 motorists were fined for using their mobiles at the wheel over the last three years &#8211; costing them \u00a314million in penalties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Using a handheld mobile while driving was made illegal in 2003 and carries a typical fine of \u00a3200 and up to six penalty points.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>But Freedom of Information data covering the entirety of 2023 to 2025, obtained by Confused.com, reveals thousands of motorists are still flouting the law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:0\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Greater Manchester Police issued the most fines, handing out 11,987 penalties, costing drivers more than \u00a32.3million in that region alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Police Scotland followed with 7,107 fines totalling \u00a31,421,400, while the Metropolitan Police issued 7,000 equating to \u00a31,400,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Matt Crole-Rees, motoring expert at the comparison website, said: \u201cUsing your mobile phone when driving is not only illegal, but it can be dangerous for people in the car, on the roads, and pedestrians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cWhile it could seem innocent to quickly go on your phone if your car is in traffic or at a standstill, it\u2019s not worth the risk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cMany are unaware of the consequences, and when it\u2019s considered illegal to use their phone behind the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:1\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>The Freedom of Information request also found enforcement peaked in 2024, when 27,712 drivers were fined in a single year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Despite the penalties, phone use behind the wheel remained widespread, with a separate OnePoll.com survey finding 59 per cent of drivers admitted to using their mobile while driving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Those aged between 25 to 44 were the most likely to do so with 54 per cent revealing this behaviour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>The research found 22 per cent had physically held their phone, while 37 per cent interacted with their device, such as reading messages or adjusting apps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Common reasons for phone use included answering calls (42 per cent) and using navigation apps (40 per cent).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:2\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While 23 per cent used their phone to make a call, in the case of an emergency, and to read a text.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>In addition, drivers said they felt comfortable using their mobile phone when the car was stationary at traffic lights and in a standstill queue (48 per cent).\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Over a quarter (26 per cent) admitted to using their phone in start-stop traffic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While 22 per cent felt it appropriate to go on their phone quickly, and when they felt they wouldn\u2019t get distracted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Motorists who had been caught said they had been penalised twice on average for phone use while driving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:3\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Yet 84 per cent said they had never been caught, despite the offence carrying six penalty points and fines that can rise to \u00a31,000 if prosecuted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Most offenders were spotted by a police officer (81 per cent), while 26 per cent were caught by AI camera technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>A spokesperson for Confused.com, added: \u201cThe findings showed phone use had become a routine habit for many drivers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cWhile you are allowed to use your phone for navigation, it is a legal requirement to pull over wherever it is safe and turn off the engine if you need to make adjustments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cOtherwise, even touching your phone can result in receiving fines or points.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:4\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Top five areas in uK for police fines for using a mobile (2023-2025)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Greater Manchester Police, 11,987 fines totalling  \u00a32,397,400<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Scotland Police, 7,107 fines totalling\u00a0\u00a31,421,400<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Metropolitan Police, 7,000 fines totalling \u00a31,400,000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Hampshire &amp; Isle of Wight Police, 6,322 fines totalling \u00a31,264,400<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:5\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Surrey Police, 5,145 fines totalling \u00a31,029,000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><\/div>\n<p>#Motorists #fined #14m #phone #driving<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using a mobile while driving was made illegal in 2003 More than 70,000 motorists were fined for using their mobiles at the wheel over the last three years &#8211; costing them \u00a314million in penalties. Using a handheld mobile while driving was made illegal in 2003 and carries a typical fine of \u00a3200 and up to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5359,1525,465,2131,4268,1642],"class_list":{"0":"post-5178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"tag-14m","9":"tag-driving","10":"tag-fined","11":"tag-law","12":"tag-motorists","13":"tag-phone"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}