Using a Phone or Sat Nav When Driving

Today most of us use smartphones and sat-navs almost without thinking. As we become more and more reliant on technology to find our way around, achieve daily tasks, and tap into the ever expanding forms of entertainment, we’re offering our top advice on how to use a phone or sat-nav safely while driving.

First things first, it is ILLEGAL to use a handheld device while driving in the UK. Even if it’s tempting to check your messages when you’re sat idle at a crossing, the handheld devices ban extends to when your vehicle is stationary. If you need to send a text, you should pull over in a safe space and completely switch off your engine before reaching for your device.

However, the good news is there are ways you can continue to use helpful technology while out and about on the roads.

Acceptable ways of using a phone or sat-nav while driving includes the following:

• Bluetooth headset
• Voice command
• Dashboard holder or mat
• Windscreen mount
• Built-in sat-nav
• You are permitted to make emergency calls if it’s unsafe or you are unable to stop your vehicle.

While these forms of technology use are permitted while driving it is equally important to ensure that those phone calls to your best friends or family are not distracting you from what’s happening on the road.

If you feel that having conversations in the car is a distraction, it’s best to not use your phone at all.

More tips for using a sat-nav safely while driving:

Sat-navs also pose their own safety problems. While sat navs are constantly being updated and improved they are not immune to errors. This means that they should be used as a guide rather than an absolute authority on the road before you. You don’t want to end up driving into a ditch or going the wrong way down a one-way street just because the sat-nav told you to ‘turn left’ or ‘turn right’. It’s always important to pay attention to the road signs and systems in front of you.

We hope this has cleared up any questions you may have had about using a phone or sat-nav safely when driving. At GoGoGo we like to inspire confidence and responsible driving in all our learners, and with above average pass rates, our intensive driving course in Peterborough is well worth checking out.