Car Insurance
"Quarter of motorists still using mobiles"
Fri, 04 Nov 2005
Almost one in four UK motorists persist in using their mobile phones while driving, a new survey has found.
Despite the implications for road safety and increased car insurance costs, nearly a quarter of the 1,000 drivers questioned claimed to make calls while on the road, quadrupling their chances of being involved in a crash.
The figures from whatcar.com vary greatly from those produced by the Department for Transport (DfT) however. Statistics released from the government department suggested that just 1.5 per cent of motorists talk on the phone while at the wheel.
"Our survey proves handheld mobile phone use at the wheel is a far more widespread problem than the DfT thinks," said Steve Fowler, What Car? group editor.
"It doesn't matter if you're only making a quick call – handheld phones are dangerously distracting."
Results of the survey have led What Car? to call for legislation to be introduced, making the provision of hands-free kits compulsory with every phone.
An increased number of traffic police on the roads would also help to enforce mobile phones laws, What Car? claimed.
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