Drivers face new fines for smoking and texting in their car

Drivers that choose to light a ciggie while driving or pick up a mobile phone to send a text could face harsher penalties that could add up to fines of £90 or more if the Government decides to adopt the penalties they are considering.

According to Patrick McLoughlin, the UK Transport Secretary, the Department of Transport is consulting on measures that will bring down the numbers of careless and dangerous drivers. One measure includes raising the fine for driving with a mobile from £60 up to £90. The penalty points for the offence would stay at three however which is the same as the penalty for going through a red light or speeding.

The DofT is also looking at introducing penalties points and the £90 fine for a large host of other driving offences that could be classified as careless such as lighting a cigarette, eating a sandwich, driving at odd speeds, hogging the middle lane, and cutting other drivers off.

This will not be the first time that a motorist has been charged a large fine for driving carelessly, but it will be the first time that all drivers face harsher penalties if assessed under the new laws.

Last July Maurice Edu the former Rangers star was banned from driving for a total of sixty days after he admitted that he was driving while using his mobile. He pleaded guilty in Glasgow for the offence and was fined the whopping total of £300. Put in these terms, the £90 fine will not look quite so bad, but the Government is considering whether it will serve as a real deterrent to drivers or not.