The consultation is seeking feedback on proposals for increasing the fixed penalty notice level from £100 to £150 for all drivers, as announced in the Government’s Road Safety Plan last December.
The DfT said the vast majority of first time offenders would not incur a fixed penalty or penalty points but would instead continue to be offered a remedial educational course.
The consultation also invites views on increasing the penalty points from three to four points for non-HGV drivers, and three to six points for those that hold a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) licence and commit the offence whilst driving an HGV.
The move has been welcomed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).
Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “Forcing all drivers caught using a hand-held mobile for the first time to attend a re-education course would be a really positive step.
“For many, smartphone use has become an addiction that we can only start to cure through some form of therapy. The IAM does not object to tougher penalties but we do believe that the real deterrent is fear of being caught. That fear can only be increased by increasing the numbers of traffic police on our roads.”
