From 27 February, if you are caught using a hand held mobile in your car, the penalty goes up to a £60 fine and three points on your licence.

There are serious implications for employers, who can be prosecuted if they cause or permit employees to take or make calls or send texts while driving. Additionally:

• The penalties also apply if you don’t control your vehicle because you are distracted by a conversation on your hands-free mobile
• The police will be stepping-up enforcement around mobile phones, increasing the chance of being caught
• Using a mobile phone whilst driving includes when you are stopped at traffic lights, when you are queuing in traffic and if you make or receive calls, pictures or text messages, or try to access the internet
•  DTI  advice is - switch off before you drive off.

For more information, visit www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk.

Click ‘more’ for the regulations in greater detail.

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You don’t have to spend money on advertising to get your company noticed. Here’s a few tips to help promote your business for free.

Don’t buy space when it’s free
Both morning & evening newspapers that serve this area run daily business pages that need to be filled with news. Get to know the business columnists. They always welcome fresh ideas and like to be well informed.

Recognise the story
Have you won a big contract, hired new staff, moved to new premises because you’ve expanded? Write a press release to let everyone know about your success.

Learn to write!
A press release needs to be concise, 250 -300 words is a good guideline. You need to summarise the key point of the story in the first line and expand on it in the paragraphs below. Include a quote to give the story a human ‘face’.

Contact details are important
Always include contact details as journalists may want to follow up the story and always welcome the opportunity to speak to someone involved.

Pictures sell a story
. .but they have to be good - take a picture with your office camera and you won’t see it in the paper. If your story is good, book a professional. Photographer members are listed in the Chamber’s online directory.

Use your Chamber
The chamber publishes a bimonthly magazine and web site and always needs members’ news, contact Terry Dunne or call 0151 227 1234 for more information.

Take part in surveys
A Wavertree-based business took part in a national chamber survey about manufacturing, their case study was used on a press release about the findings of the survey and their spokesperson was featured on TV and radio.

Be a spokesperson for your industry
Liverpool Chamber is always seeking members of the business community to give comments on national news such as change in interest rates, taxation, read tape, issues that affect the business community, if you’d like to contribute contact Pamela Holstein or call 0151 227 1234.

Focus on quality
Word of mouth is the best kind of free advertising. Keep focusing on providing exceptional service and going above and beyond what clients expect, and word of mouth advertising and you’ll get new business from referrals.