Jasmine Harman pulled over by police and receives hefty fine for surprise reason
A Place In The Sun presenter Jasmine Harman said police officers fined her for a surprising reason, leaving her social media followers scratching their heads.
The Channel 4 host, 49, who has relocated to Spain from the UK, urged the public to be vigilant.
In a candid video shared on Instagram (February 6), she told her 219,000 followers she had been fined €100 (£83) for using CarPlay while driving.
She explained, “Hello. This is a public service announcement. Many of you may not be aware—I was not aware—that if you’re driving in your car, you can not touch your screen even if you are using CarPlay.
“I thought that was what CarPlay was for: to control your incoming phone calls, maps, listening, and whatever else from the screen without touching your phone, which is obviously a hand-held device.
“Apparently, that is not allowed either. You’re not allowed to touch the screen in your car. I’ve just received a €100 fine, so I thought I would let everyone else know.”
Jasmine concluded: “Every day is a school day.”
The property expert captioned the post: “Now, this may be common knowledge for some, but I wasn’t aware you could get fined for touching your touch screen whilst using carplay! The police told me that’s why we have controls on the steering wheel. Makes sense really! Do you know this? Lesson learned the €100 hard way! You’re welcome!”
Apple CarPlay is a software package that allows you to use your smartphone in your car, allowing drivers to get directions and make and receive calls or messages while remaining safe on the road.
Social media users flocked to the comment section, as one asked, “So in that case, what do you do in a Tesla or most other new cars now in the UK when all the controls are touch screen?”
Another mused: “So, in that case, we shouldn’t operate any other control system in our cars such as AC, fan speed adjustment, lights, radio, demister, fog lights, etc.”
A third remarked, “I knew I couldn’t touch the phone, but the car screen? I’m sorry you got fined.”
“Oh wow, thanks for that, Jasmine. So sorry you got a €100 fine,” a fourth added.
New laws have allowed the public to use Apple CarPlay while driving in Spain, as long as you use its voice-activated features and do not manually touch your phone while driving, as this is considered a distraction and is illegal under Spanish driving laws.
The use of hand-held smartphones and the wearing of headphones is also illegal in Spain while driving, and a fine of several hundred euros can be imposed.
The law in the UK allows drivers to use these systems while driving, but you should always make sure your focus is on the road and not on the screen. It is recommended that drivers use voice features.
