Children in motor vehicles
You must not leave infants or young children on their own in a motor vehicle, even if you are only away for a short time. The children may face a number of hazards, such as:
- a fire breaking out,
difficulty in breathing on a warm day (if all windows are closed), and being trapped in electric windows, which could result in serious injury or death.
Animals in motor vehicles
Animals should be securely contained when traveling in a vehicle using an appropriate harness or cage to avoid injury to the animal or to other passengers.
You should never leave animals alone in vehicles. It is cruel and unsafe and can result in injury to the animal and damage to your vehicle.
Using a mobile phone
You must not drive a vehicle or ride a motorbike while using a hand-held mobile phone. It is an offence, for which you may receive a fixed charge and up to 5 penalty points.
You must not send a text message or email or read a text message or email from a mobile phone while driving a vehicle or riding a motorbike. It is an offence for which a person will face a compulsory court appearance and a fine to be determined by the judge. There is also the possibility of a prison term of up to 3 months to be imposed in cases of multiple offences in a 12-month period. There is no option to take the lesser penalty of penalty points for this offence.
You may only use your mobile phone when you are driving if you are phoning 999 or 112, or you are responding to another type of genuine emergency.
Cyclists and e-scooter users should never use a mobile phone when cycling and pedestrians should be careful when using one.
Personal entertainment systems
As a road user, you should avoid using personal entertainment systems through earphones. These systems – for example, personal radios and MP3 players – can distract you, and may prove dangerous when driving or crossing the road. Cyclists and e-scooter users in particular should avoid these systems, as they rely on their hearing while on the road.
If you do use a personal or in-car system, play it at a volume that does not distract or prevent you from hearing emergency sirens or car horns.