UK penalties for mobile phone use while driving among the highest in Europe The Netherlands and Italy surpassed the UK in their fines

Motorists in the UK are given some of the highest fines in Europe for using a handheld mobile phone while driving.

It’s illegal to hold a phone or sat nav while driving or riding a motorcycle in Britain. The penalty for offending is six points on your driving licence – which means an automatic ban for anyone who passed their test in the last two years – and a £200 fine.

Offenders could also be taken to court and prosecuted and banned from driving.

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If the person is driving a lorry or bus they could receive a maximum fine of £1,000 or £2,500.

Lower penalties

Many European countries, have much lower financial penalties, however.

According to a 2018 survey by German motoring organisation, ADAC, Bulgaria, Iceland, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic all have fines of under €100 (£93).

The lowest fine for the offence is in Latvia, according to the report. The penalty for the offence is just €15 (£14). Bulgaria comes next with its penalty set at €25 (£23).

Germany has fines up to €100 (£93), while France sets the payment at €135 (£125). Spain and Denmark are around €200 (£186).

The Netherlands surpasses the UK. If you are caught using a mobile phone while at the wheel – the fine is €230 (£214).

Shake-up in Italy

In April this year it was reported that a shake-up of Italy’s highway code would see fines for using a mobile phone while driving likely to quadruple to almost €1700 (£1579). Drivers could also face a suspension of between one week and two months.

Repeat offenders in Italy will also be slapped with a fine of up to €2588 (£2404) and a three-month suspension under the planned rule change.

The UK’s £200 fine is the equivalent of €215.