Best car phone holder to buy, as updated mobile device driving rules announced
Yahoo Life’s editors are committed to independently selecting wonderful products at great prices for you. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
Although using your phone whilst driving has been banned for many years, the UK government have just tightened the guidelines, meaning you can now be prosecuted for simply holding your phone, or other devices, while driving.
Since 2003, it has been an offence to use a mobile phone while driving in Great Britain. However, the regulations only specified it was against the law to use a hand-held device for ‘interactive communication’, which included phone calls, texting and browsing the web.
Since then, smart phones have come a long way, leaving many uses out of the ‘interactive communication’ scope, such as taking a photo, skipping a song on your Spotify or checking the time.
Therefore, the regulations in 2022 have been updated to make the law a lot clearer.
How the law changed in 2022
From March 25 the UK government has stated that you are now breaking the law if you pick up your phone, or device such as a tablet or sat nav, while behind the wheel for any use.
The scope has been expanded well past the current regulations of simply holding a phone to make a call or send a text to include such things as checking the time or unlocking the device.
Other banned activities include illuminating the screen, checking notifications, taking a photo or video and looking at an app.
Plus, the law still applies even if you're stopped at traffic lights or stuck in a traffic jam.
There are, however, a few exceptions which include the need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency, when you're safely parked or if you're making a contactless payment when your vehicle is not moving, such as going through a drive-though.
You can also continue to use devices that are hands-free, such as a built-in sat nav or Bluetooth headset, as long as you don't hold the device at any stage during usage and it's not blocking your view of the road.
What are the penalties
If you are caught with a device in your hand you can get six points on your license, as well as a £200 fine.
However, if you only passed your driving test in the last two years, you will lose your licence.
Best car phone holder to buy
With the new regulations in place, we went on the hunt to find the best hands-free phone holder, as many of us now use our mobiles to get us from A to B, instead of the use of a traditional sat nav.
With over 47,000 reviews, it's easy to see why the YOSH car phone mount is Amazon's best-selling mobile phone cradle.
For starters, it's highly likely to be compatible with your car and phone, your car just needs to have horizontal air vents for it to attach to, but this is common in most vehicles.
It will also work whether your phone be an Apple, Samsung, Huawei LG, Nokia or similar, as you simply have to affix an adhesive magnetic circle sticker to the back of your phone case for it to work.
The disc will then correspond with the magnet inside the mount to keep your phone hands-free and secure.
The holder also cleverly allows you to rotate your phone, for if you want horizontal or vertical viewing.
Many customers call the device "fantastic", with many shoppers who own larger and heavier iPhone models saying it's "reliable" and "sturdy".
Plus, the highly rated device is currently on sale, down from £10.99 to only £7.59.
Buy it: YOSH Car Phone Mount | £7.59 (Was £10.99) from Amazon
Watch: What are the new driving laws?
