Drivers have been issued with a warning over the emergency alarm signal set to be sent to every mobile phone in the country next week.
The alert will activate an alarm and flash a signal onto the screens of every 4G and 5G phone in the country at 3pm on April 23, but the way in which drivers respond to it could land them in trouble, Wales Online and the Mirror report.
The alarm activation is a test of the emergency alert system the government will use to tell people about risks to life and safety - such as flooding and high winds. The alarm will sound on every phone, even if they are switched to silent.
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But James Armstrong, CEO of temporary car insurance provider Veygo, said that any driver who tries to turn off the alarm when it activates will face six points and a fine.
According to government advice, you shouldn't read or respond to an emergency alert whilst driving. The advice listed on the official page instructs motorists to keep driving and not respond to the noise, or attempt to pick up the phone to switch it off.
It is illegal to touch a hand-held device while driving. This includes when you're stationary at traffic lights, in traffic, supervising a learner driver, in flight mode, or controlling a vehicle with a stop-start motor.
As the notification requires you to switch it off manually, touching your phone could put you in violation of rule 149, which could result in you being stopped by a police officer, fined £200, given up to six penalty points, and potentially even taken to court and banned from driving or fined up to £1,000.
Instead, when it's safe, find somewhere legal to stop your car before reading the message, or if possible, ask a passenger to clear the notification off for you.
There is a way to turn alerts off if you think they might be distracting, however, but it's not recommended.
To opt-out, search for 'emergency alerts' in your settings and turn off 'severe alerts' or 'extreme alerts'.
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