Can you tap to pay at a drive-thru?
You’re driving home and start getting hunger pangs. Entering the drive-thru of your favourite fast-food outlet, you pull out your phone to pay. Have you broken the law?
A recent rule change means you haven’t broken the law. Drivers can now use a mobile phone to pay for goods and services while the vehicle is stationary in a road-related area.
Road-related areas include footpaths, nature strips and of course, shopping centre car parks and even a drive-thru.
This means a driver can stop at the fast-food window and use their mobile phone’s Apple Wallet or a similar Android app to make electronic payments. Motorists can also use QR codes or vouchers on their phone for similar purposes.
Is your licence stored on your phone? You can now also show identification on your mobile phone when required to do so. That includes when a police officer requests it during a traffic stop.
You can also show identification on your mobile phone if it’s required to enter or leave a road-related area.
This exemption also applies to Learner’s Permit and P1 licence holders who are otherwise prohibited from using any function of a mobile phone while driving.
Want to know more about using your mobile phone while at the wheel? Watch our video to see when you can’t use your phone while driving.