Anyone in Europe with a driving license knows it: it is strictly forbidden to use their mobile while driving. The only way to use the phone while driving is in hands-free mode, whether you have a system installed in the car or control the mobile by voice or with Android Auto.
Using a mobile phone while driving is prohibitedBut when the car is stationary, like at a red light, is that also prohibited? This is surely a question that many smartphone users ask themselves when driving and to which they do not know the answer.
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Can we use the mobile at a red light?
Article 18 of the general traffic regulations talks about the ban on using mobile phones while driving. Since this article only mentions the use of the device, it would be technically forbidden to use it at a red light. This means that it is illegal to use the mobile as a browser, to send messages or to read notifications on the phone screen.
If you want to differentiate the moments in which it is possible to use it, we must go to Schedule I of the Road Safety Act. In this appendix we find a series of concepts such as the status of the vehicle: stop, park and stop. These statuses or classifications allow us to know if the use of the telephone is possible at these times. Legally, to use the mobile in the car, the driver must immobilize the car, after having made a stop or having parked it.
- Parking lot: What we normally call parking involves the immobilization of a vehicle that is not in a stop or stop situation. The mobile can only be used when it is stopped or parked, because during the arrest, the car is considered to be in motion.
- Detention: It is the immobilization of the vehicle for traffic needs, emergency or to comply with a rule. This concept refers to times such as stopping at a red light, for example at a stop or during a traffic jam. It is considered that we are currently driving, therefore it is forbidden to use the mobile.
- Stop: It is the immobilization of the vehicle for less than two minutes, without the driver leaving the car. It could be when we stop to pick up someone, or when someone else gets out of the car, for example.
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Until December 31, 2020, he was sanctioned by 3 driving license points and a fine of 200 dollars the use of mobile telephone devices while driving, except when the communication takes place without the use of the hands or the use of headphones or similar instruments.
New rules
Since January 1, 2021, there have been a series of changes in this regard, which must be taken into account. To be sanctioned, you will not have to use your mobile actively, but just hold the mobile with your hand. This is an important change, as it will no longer be sanctioned only for active use, but also the mere fact of holding it is grounds for sanction.
The fine of 200 dollars remains the same, but there are changes in the point deduction. Go from 3 to 6 points in this case. The use of a mobile phone is considered a serious offense and is therefore punished with these 6 points of the card and a fine of 200 dollars. Placing the phone on the dashboard, with an approved support and without handling while driving, will not be liable to a fine.
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