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Mounted mine low on the dashboard once and still got a talking-to from a traffic officer who said even a partially obstructed view counts as careless driving. In the UK you're looking at a £1,000 fine minimum and potentially points on your license, though it gets worse if you cause an accident because of it. The law's pretty strict about keeping your windscreen clear - they don't really care where your device is as long as it doesn't block what you need to see ahead.
You can get fined if your sat nav is blocking your view of the road or windscreen. In the UK, it falls under the "driving without due care and attention" laws, and you're looking at a fine of up to £1,000 if you get stopped. Some places are stricter about where you can mount it - basically it needs to be positioned so it doesn't obstruct your vision of the road ahead or your mirrors.
The exact penalty varies depending on whether a cop actually pulls you over and what they decide to ticket you for. Some forces might just give you a warning, others could hit you with the full fine. The safest bet is mounting it low on the dashboard or using a windscreen mount that's positioned in a spot that doesn't block your sightlines - like the bottom corner of the windscreen rather than dead center. Insurance companies also get annoyed about this stuff, so if you have an accident and it turns out your sat nav was in the way, that could affect a claim too.
The sat nav issue gets enforced under careless driving rules in the UK, and while fines vary, you're risking points on your license and potentially higher penalties if it contributes to an accident. What people often miss is that even a perfectly positioned device can still get you in trouble if a police officer decides the glare or your attention to the screen was the problem - it's not just about physical obstruction. The safest approach is mounting it low on the dashboard or using a windscreen mount that doesn't obstruct the top third of your windscreen, and keeping your eyes on the road rather than the device when possible.
Got caught in this trap once when I mounted a cheap dashboard holder right at eye level. Police pulled me over, and the officer made it clear - anything blocking your line of sight through the windscreen is a problem. In the UK, it's treated as careless or inconsiderate driving, which can land you a fine up to £1,000 in magistrates' court. You can also get points on your license (typically 3-9 points depending on severity), and if your blocked view contributes to an accident, the penalties jump significantly higher.
The key thing is positioning. Your sat nav needs to be mounted low and to the side, or on the windscreen in a way that doesn't obscure your view of the road, traffic lights, or pedestrians. The law doesn't forbid using one at all - it's about how you use it. Phone mounts that stick up in your sightline are particularly risky. Since then I've used a simple suction cup mount clipped to the bottom corner of the windscreen, and it's legal because I can see everything I need to.
The specifics depend a bit on where you are - this is clearly UK-focused in the other answers, but the principle varies slightly by region. That said, they're right that it's careless driving territory. The key thing people sometimes miss is that it's not just about the fine itself; even if you're lucky enough to get away with a warning, it still counts as a driving offense on your record, which affects your insurance premiums pretty significantly.
The tricky part is that enforcement is pretty subjective. One officer might be fine with a sat nav mounted lower on the dash, while another will pull you over for the exact same setup. What matters legally is whether you can clearly see the road ahead without obstruction - so if your line of sight through the windscreen is genuinely blocked, you're vulnerable. The safest approach is mounting it as low as possible on the dashboard, keeping it to the side, or using a proper dashboard suction mount on the side of the windscreen rather than the center. Phone holders that stick to the windscreen are usually the best bet since they don't obstruct the driver's view at all.
The enforcement varies a bit depending on where you are, but the core issue is that anything obstructing your view through the windscreen counts as careless driving. In the UK specifically, fines tend to land somewhere between £100 and £1,000, though the exact amount depends on how bad the obstruction is and whether an accident was involved. Best approach is just mounting it low on the dash or using a proper windscreen mount that doesn't block your sightline - not worth the hassle.
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