Drivers warned not to turn off emergency alert test or face fine of £1,000

17 April 2023 , 23:31

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Drivers are being urged not to interact with the alert notification when behind the wheel (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Motorists have been warned not to switch off their phones as the government prepares to test its new emergency alert system next week.

The test is due to take place at 3pm on Sunday, April 23, and there are concerns that it could serve as a major distraction for motorists due to the siren-like noise that will sound as the message comes through.

However, drivers are being warned not to tamper with their phones while driving, as they would be breaking the law.

James Armstrong of car insurance provider Veygo told the Daily Record that touching your phone could put you in violation of rule 149 of the Highway Code.

Drivers can be taken to caught for using screens while at the wheel (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The rule specifies that it is against the law to use a hand-held device such as a phone or sat-nav while driving and could result in the motorist being slapped with a £200 fine and up to six penalty points.

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Drivers could even be taken to court and banned from driving or fined up to £1,000.

The UK Government advice states: "You should not read or otherwise respond to an emergency alert whilst driving or riding a motorcycle."

It continues: "If you are driving, you should continue to drive and not respond to the noise or attempt to pick up the mobile phone and deal with the message. Find somewhere safe and legal to stop before reading the message.

"If there is nowhere safe or legal to stop close by, and nobody else is in the vehicle to read the alert, tune into live radio and wait for bulletins until you can find somewhere safe and legal to stop."

The new alert system is designed to issue warnings about serious threats to the population, such as natural disasters and terror attacks (YouGov)

If you're planning a journey in your car on April 23 and are concerned that the alert might prove a distraction from the road, you can opt-out.

To opt out, search for 'emergency alerts' in your settings and turn off 'severe alerts' or 'extreme alerts'.

You must do this before you get behind the wheel.

However, it’s advisable to keep them on for your own safety.

Officials from the Whitehall emergencies Cobra committee plan to use the new alert system to warn of local floods, storm surges and wildfires.

But it could also be deployed to ask the public to to look out for a suspect car as police race to rescue kidnap victims; to clear areas of people if intelligence suggests a bomb is about to explode; to warn of escaped, dangerous prisoners; or to tell householders to shut windows and doors if a tyre factory is ablaze, spewing poisonous gases across communities.

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The system will only be triggered where “necessary to protect life and limb or extreme damage to property”.

Officials have spent months preparing for Sunday’s trial, with the system activated within the last month.

Will Maule