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Drivers face being slapped with a heft fine and points on their licence for using their phone to pay for food and drink at a drive-thru.
Current Highway Code rules state that mobile phones must not be used to make phone calls or text messages while behind the wheel of the car.
Breaches of this rules could see drivers hit with a fine of £200 and six penalty points.
And they are set to get tougher still, with changes to the law coming into force from March 25.
Drivers will be penalised for unlocking their phone and accessing any application on their phone.
This will cover accessing any application including using the internet or taking photos.
Birmingham Live reports that leaning in to pay with your phone at your favourite drive-thru restaurant could also see drivers fall foul of the new rule.
On the tougher rules being brought in next month, Edmund King, AA president, said: “The AA has long campaigned to toughen up these rules, and we welcome this announcement. This is a much needed upgrade of the law to help make our roads safer. Mobile phones offer many distractions and this sends a clear message that picking them up to use them will not be tolerated.
“The law will also become tougher as the use of smartwatches, tablets and laptops behind the wheel will apply. Drivers will be extremely limited on when they can pick up their phone, mainly to call the emergency services when there was no opportunity to safely pull over and to make contactless payments at drive-thrus.
“Being sat in a traffic jam or waiting at the lights is not an excuse, we want people to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.”
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