Drivers caught illegally using a mobile phone whilst driving will no longer be able to avoid penalty points by taking a course, the government have proposed. At present many police forces allow some drivers to attend training workshops as an alternative to penalty points. No date has been given for the change.
The government also says that it will increase the fixed penalty for illegal use of a mobile phone whilst driving from £100 to £200, and double the number of penalty points to be imposed from 3 to 6. The change will apply to both cars and HGVs. The proposal will require legislation before it can be implemented, although no date has yet been announced.
Any driver who reaches 12 penalty points for offences committed within three years of each other will be at risk of disqualification for at least six months under the totting-up rules, unless he can show that this would cause exceptional hardship.
New drivers who reach 6 points for motoring offences committed within 2 years of passing their driving test have their licence automatically revoked by the DVLA and must re-take the test.
This means that when the penalty points increase comes into force, a new driver could lose his licence after just one mobile phone offence. Similarly, any driver could be at risk of a totting-up ban following just two such offences.
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