United Kingdom just made a bit more hard to use your mobile wallet while driving. Using mobile phones while driving is illegal in most parts of the world, but beginning March 1, the United Kingdom has increased its penalties for “holding” and “using” your phone to six penalty points and a £200 fine.
“Using a handheld mobile phone while driving is illegal. It has been since 2003. From 1 March, the penalties for holding and using your phone while driving have increased. It’s now 6 points and £200.
It is not illegal to use hands free, but any time a driver’s attention is not on the road can be dangerous.”
Source: Think.direct.gov.uk
So, basically, if you are planning to use your mobile wallet to pay while you are in the car then you will have to be parked, with the engine turned off and the handbrake on before you can tap your phone to make the payment.
According to National Safety Council, cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. 1 in 4 car accidents in the United States is due to texting while driving. The numbers have already reached alarming proportions, and it’s actually a good thing that the UK is getting tougher on mobile phone usage while driving.
However, we don’t see this as a huge problem for mobile wallet usage in the long run. With the rise of connected cars and virtual voice assistants, you shouldn’t need to pull out your phone each time you want to make a drive-through payment.
In a year or two, you’ll just be able to say “Hey Alexa” or “Ok, Google” to get the job done.
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