I just got stopped and fine £60 and 4 points for holding a mobile?

Question

in my hand while driving. I was not using it. talking, calling or texting? I just had it under my hand while i was holding the stearing wheel?

If this is illegal then surely it is just as illegal to hold a sandwich or drink as well? The police man was sooo vicious and aggressive with me? Surely this cannot be illegal i wasnt using it?

Answer 1

sounds like you have a bad case of persecution complex, the world hates you and all you stand for, so you shudn't have the phone in your hand. not even turned on!!! or off !!!

Answer 2

Well serves you right. It should have been more.

Why cant you people see how dangerous this is.

Answer 3

i heard that they prefer you to do everything before or after driving, not during. he could have at least given you a warning. this is exactly why i'm losing disrespect for cops, they abuse their power and always go with their instincts.

Answer 4

The police can do what they d**n well like so get over it.They may break the law at will and do so.If they are liked in the force they will get away with almost anything.Remember earlier this year,a  police officer was out on bail (for murder) hello people,out on bail for murder,then went and killed his mother in law and then committed suicide.That is TWO MURDERS AND THEN HIMSELF.Just what chance do you think you have,when you touch a mobile phone?Think yourself lucky we don't have sharia law yet,they will chop your fingers off.

Answer 5

Good result.

Answer 6

If you were holding it, you could not have had both hands fully on the steering wheel, therefore you are not incomplete control of the vehicle.

You are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke while driving a vehicle, and that includes being stuck in traffic jams, moving nowhere?  The law is an ***, presided over by asses!

Answer 7

It is illegal I'm afraid, and to answer your point, you could also be stopped for holding a sandwich or drink as well - irrespective as to whether you were eating / drinking that item.

If it was not in use, then you had no need to hold it.....

Answer 8

No it isn't illegal =\

I hate the police =]

Answer 9

Why were you holding it then?

Answer 10

Appeal against it, your mobile provider can tell if you were on the phone at the time of the alleged offence. If you appeal the Police have to get this info to prove thir case.

Answer 11

that's true, if you're just holding it then it shouldn't be a problem, but the cop that pulled you over had no way of knowing that, for all he knows you turned it off after he pulled you over.

I'm guessing a lot of people who do talk on their phones and get pulled over use the same excuse. but officer i wasn't using it, i was just holding it.

Although I feel bad for what happened, don't think there is anything to do about it. not sure how it works in UK, but maybe you could go to court or something, cause over in canada if you don't pay a ticket you get summoned to court to plead your case. maybe you can do that, not sure if it'll work though.

Answer 12

Two sides to answer really,

the police officer after all is doing his job, he didn't know if you were texting someone or doing anything with your phone or not.

But, 4 points & £60 ? that's a f-joke.

Its quite obvious that the Government is corrupt, has been for some time now and well, you were just unlucky, it could have happend to anyone, I nearly had a £1000 fine, yes £1000 for wearing my HOOD on a rainy day at a retail park.

now is that £1000 really going to teach me a lesson or is it going to the big white men down at the station.

Answer 13

It definately cant.

Answer 14

Despite the fact that you weren't using it, you can't disagree because it could have genuinely seemed like you were which is why you have to be so careful although the policeman could've been a bit more nicer about the situations. Its just the way the law is, i always thing the same to about how people eat and drive which is also distracting. You'd think that they'd use their time to solve stabbings on the street but then again alot of car accidents are caused by people being on the phone!  

Answer 15

I think it IS illegal to hold a sandwich or drink too.You are supposed to have both hands on the steering and eyes on the road!

Just bad luck on your part but i sympathise with you all the same ;((

Answer 16

Hooray. Nice to know the police are actually clamping down on this. Even if you was just holding it you would not have had total control of the car.

The supplementary comments you have made suggests because you haven't received the sympathetic answers you expected, you have gone on the attack to most of the people who have answered. If you spoke to the policeman like that, I'm not surprised he booked you. Pay the £60, accept the 4 points on your licence and stop acting like a spoilt child who hasn't got its' own way.

Answer 17

YES ITS LEGAL,,,YOU SHOULD HAVE BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL,  

Answer 18

If you weren't using it why did you have it in your hand? Anyway sorry but yes it's illegal, and yes so is having a sandwich or a drink; it's classed as not being in proper control of your vehicle. Sometimes it seems ridiculous, for example I recall in the news a while back someone being done for eating an apple while stopped at a red light, but at then end of the day it's against the law. Some police officers will turn a blind eye to some objects, but never a mobile phone. He shouldn't have been vicious with you though, you could complain about his attitude (assuming you were nothing but polite during the incident).

Answer 19

slap him  

Answer 20

Apparently it is illegal.

Its your word against the policeman's as to whether you were using it or not.  And even if you weren't using it, it can still be argued that holding it in your hand while driving is an unsafe practice because you don't have a secure hold on the steering wheel.

Pay the fine and learn your lesson -- from now on, your mobile phone needs to be in your bag or on the seat next to you, and not in your hand at all.

Answer 21

Doesn't sound like they had the legal right to do that... what about holding a volume button on the radio while driving - or getting a chewing gum out of a packet while driving. should we all be fined for doing that?