Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with mobile phone manufacturers on encouraging the development of phones that are disabled when their users are driving motorised vehicles.

We appreciate that phones deactivating when entering a motorised vehicle would ensure consumers’ compliance with existing laws regarding the use of mobile phones while driving. However, the Government currently has no plans to discuss this issue with mobile phone manufacturers. It is important to recognise it is not possible to determine whether the owner of a mobile device is driving or a passenger within a vehicle, and so automatic disabling features are likely to be difficult to create with accuracy.

Most Android and iPhones already have ‘do not disturb’ or ‘drive mode’ features embedded within their operating systems, which can activate automatically once a device connects to a car’s Bluetooth network.

While mobile phones are a vital part of modern life and business, drivers must always use them safely and responsibly.

The Government amended the offence of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving in March 2022. The offence is now triggered by any use of a hand-held mobile phone while driving, reflecting the real world where smart phones or devices are used not only for calls and texting.

The change in the law in 2022 has made it easier for the police to enforce this offence as they no longer have to prove that any use they identified from the roadside involved calls and texting.