From today onwards (1 March), motorists caught using their phone behind the wheel will face new, tougher penalties. Under new laws announced by the department for Transport, offenders will now risk a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence. motorists who recently passed their driving test will also risk having their licence revoked. 
Advertisement – post continues below

The new policies apply in England, Scotland and Wales, with repeat offenders facing a £1,000 fine and a six-month driving ban. The law will goal to deter motorists from texting, making phone calls without a hands-free kit and using social media or other applications whilst driving. 
The new deterrents arrive in the aftermath of the RAC’s report on Motoring 2016, which suggested that record numbers of motorists were using their phones on UK roads. It estimated that 11 million motorists had admitted to making or receiving a phone call in the 12 months prior to the report, with a additionally five million taking photos or videos while driving.
It, among other studies, prompted the government to issue a substantial increase to the current maximum fine of £100 and three licence penalty points and has renewed the effort to highlight the dangers posed by using a phone whilst driving.