It was on this day in 2003 that it finally became a specific offence to use a mobile phone in your hand whilst driving in the UK.

The new offence was introduced after a study from the Transport Research Laboratory had claimed that people using a phone whilst driving were four times more likely to have an accident. Those caught breaking the law could be fined up to £1,000 and would get three points on their driving licence.

The head of the AA motoring trust, Andrew Howard, welcomed the law change claiming it would finally give people the excuse they wanted to stop using their mobiles without worrying about "not looking cool”.

Despite a further tightening of the laws since and the introduction of harsher penalties, thousands of UK motorists are still prosecuted each year due to mobile phone use.

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