You could be fined if you try and turn off ‘Armageddon alert’ while driving this weekend

Over the coming days, you might want to be on guard as the government is set to send out its 'Armageddon alert'.

While it's something no one wants to think about these kinds of things, it's good to be prepared.

So in an effort to make sure the country is as ready as it can be in the event of disasters such as floods and wildfires, the government is sending out a warning.

In England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the message will read: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.

“In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.

“Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”

UK Gov

Whereas in Wales, residents will receive the message in English as above as well as a Welsh language version that reads: “Prawf ar Rybuddion Argyfwng yw hwn, sef gwasanaeth newydd gan lywodraeth y DU a fydd yn eich rhybuddio pan fydd argyfwng sy'n berygl i fywyd gerllaw.

“Mewn argyfwng go iawn, dilynwch y cyfarwyddiadau yn y rhybudd i'ch cadw chi ac eraill yn ddiogel.

“Ewch i gov.uk/alerts i gael rhagor o wybodaeth.

“Prawf yw hwn Does dim angen i chi wneud dim.”

It's been designed to ring out even if your device is on silent, with a 10-second burst of sound and vibration.

Once you’ve seen the message, you can get rid of it by hitting ‘OK’ or swiping away like you would for any other notification.

As there were obvious concerns that this could distract drivers while out and about, the alert will go off on the evening on 23 April, when it's hoped there will be fewer people on the roads.

Prostock-studio/Alamy

However, if you do happen to be out in your car when the alert comes through, do not try and turn it off while behind the wheel.

As you might be aware, using the phone while driving is illegal and could see you hit with a £200 fine and six points on your licence.

Rule 149 of the Highway Code states that using a mobile device while driving could even see you taken to court. So it's not really worth it.

If you can, either stop the car before turning the message off, or better yet, you can just opt out of it all together if you know you'll be driving at the time.

Topics: UK News, Politics, Technology

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom