THOUSANDS of drivers are being stung with fines for breaking a sneaky new rule that bans them from TOUCHING their phone.
A toughening of the Highway Code last year made it illegal for motorists to handle their mobile in any capacity behind the wheel – even changing a song while stuck in traffic.
AlamyIt is now illegal to even touch your phone when behind the wheel[/caption]
A breach is punishable by up to six points on your licence and a £200 fine.
It appears to have snared scores of unwitting road users, with stats showing more than 7,136 people got points for using their phone between January to March.
That is a staggering 35 per cent jump on last year and likely a result of the mobiles crackdown, according to Cuvva which obtained the data.
While making calls and texting has been banned since 2003, last year the Government broadened the Highway Code rule 149 to include using a phone at all.
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Freedom of Information requests revealed that speeding on a public road remains the most frequently committed offence, snaring 156,457 drivers.
Speeding on a motorway is next, catching 38,386 motorists, with another 10,286 people driving without insurance.
Darryl Bowman from Cuvva said: “Driving uninsured is a big concern.
“Unfortunately, it’s often the motorists who abide by the rules on the road that end up having to pay more for their annual car insurance.
“To cover uninsured drivers who are involved in incidents with insured drivers.”