Police have warned that drivers who use their smartphones as a satnav face being fined for using a mobile whilst driving.Reports suggest that, although using a phone as a satnav is not illegal, touching one whilst driving would be, leading to six penalty points and a £200 fine.The Daily Mail quotes a spokesman for the National Police Chiefs Council as saying, "If an officer determines that a driver using their satnav hindered their ability to control the car, the driver could face prosecution."The paper adds that these warnings "expose inconsistencies" between the more lenient penalties for using a traditional or built-in satnav and the harsher punishments involving mobile phone use.The Telegraph quotes the RAC saying, "You shouldn't interact with a handheld mobile device at all while driving. The penalties for use of a handheld phone were raised to six penalty points and a £200 fine from 1 April 2017.
"While a quick interaction with an in-built or independent sat-nav (ie not on a mobile phone) should be acceptable, if a police officer deems you are not in proper control of a vehicle you may still be liable for prosecution.