There has been a rise in the number of UK motorists who are adopting the dangerous habit of using their mobile phone handsets while on the road, leading to higher accident rates and car insurance premiums.
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has published figures which suggest that the proportion of motorists breaking the rules in this way has risen from 2.6 per cent in 2006 to 2.8 per cent in 2009. This is despite the fact that two years ago, tougher punishments were introduced for drivers found to be using their handsets in cars which can include three points on the motorist’s licence and a £60 fine.
Data from TRL indicates that mobile phone use distracts the driver from the road, which makes them four times more likely to crash. Higher accident rates lead to more car insurance claims being made, which in turn results in costlier premiums.