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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Mike Kelly

New Highway Code rules mean drivers at drive-thrus face a £200 fine and six points

Bad news for users of drive-thrus - a change to the Highway Code means that drivers risk six points and a £200 fine for using their phones to pay at them.

The code's rules around mobile phone use at the wheel have been refreshed alongside updates to the "hierarchy of road users"

If you use services like Apple Pay to purchase food at drive-thru restaurants such as McDonald's and KFC it could mean problems for drivers, reports BirminghamLive.

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It was already illegal to text or make a phone call (other than in an emergency) using a hand-held device while driving. Now, the laws go further.

A loophole has been closed, and drivers are now also banned from using their phones to take photos or videos, scroll through playlists, play games and pay at drive-thru services while their engine is on.

This will mean anyone caught using their hand-held device while driving will face a £200 fixed penalty notice and six points on their licence.

On top of this, tougher mobile phone laws are set to be brought in next month.

On March 25, tougher laws are set to be brought in to cover things like unlocking your device and accessing any application on your phone.

This could mean drivers in drive-thrus could be subject to tougher rules in the future.

Rule changes could effect people who use services like Apple Pay to purchase food (Publicity pic)

On the tougher rules being brought in next month, Edmund King, AA president, said: “The AA has long campaigned to toughen up these rules, and we welcome this announcement.

"This is a much needed upgrade of the law to help make our roads safer. Mobile phones offer many distractions and this sends a clear message that picking them up to use them will not be tolerated.

"The law will also become tougher as the use of smartwatches, tablets and laptops behind the wheel will apply.

"Drivers will be extremely limited on when they can pick up their phone, mainly to call the emergency services when there was no opportunity to safely pull over and to make contactless payments at drive-thrus.

"Being sat in a traffic jam or waiting at the lights is not an excuse, we want people to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road."

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