General motoring News Insurance
More drivers illegally using phones
11th December 2009
The number of car drivers illegally using hand-held mobile phones behind the wheel has doubled over the last two years, according to a study.
Work carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) indicates that motorists are damaging their chances of qualifying for cheap car insurance by using the devices more frequently than when tougher penalties for the offence were introduced two years ago.
A survey of 12,000 cars and taxis and 2,500 vans in 30 locations across London discovered that 2.8 per cent of car drivers are now using hand-held phones while driving, compared to 1.4 per cent in 2007.
Dr Nick Reed of the TRL told the BBC of the dangers of using phones while driving.
"Your reaction time is likely to be slower, you're more likely to drift across into the adjacent lanes and you're less aware of what's going on around you. You're less likely to check the mirrors and know there are vehicles there," he added.
Last week, General Motors UK announced it has joined Roadsafe's government-backed Driving for Better Business Campaign in an attempt to halve the number of road crashes involving vehicles in its 600-strong fleet.
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