Drivers could be banned from using hands-free mobile phones in England and Wales, a group of MPs has suggested
Current laws give the “misleading impression” that hands-free options are safe, they warned.
While it has been illegal to use a handheld phone at the wheel since 2003, using a hands-free device creates “the same risks of collision”, the Commons Transport Select Committee said.
The government said that, where legal, drivers must always use phones safely.
An expert told the committee that taking a hands-free phone call caused “essentially the same” amount of distraction as being at the legal limit for alcohol blood level in England and Wales.
A public consultation on the proposal should be published by the end of 2019, the cross-party group said.
It would only apply to England and Wales, as the issue is devolved in Scotland.
