Over a third of motorists still use their mobile phones whilst driving

The Daily Mail reported today that over a third of motorists admit to still using their mobile phones while driving.

With the increased functionality of current Smartphones, for most of us, our phones barely leave our sides. With a greater number of people than ever before using their phones to email, connect to social media sites, organise their lives and give them directions, it is no surprise that despite the steep fines, some people just can’t bring themselves to put their phone down when they get behind the wheel of a car.

In research carried out by insurers L.V. it was discovered that 33% of motorists admit to using their mobile phones whilst driving. Worryingly though, 3% of these people admitted to having an accident or narrowly avoiding one as a direct result of using their phone whilst driving in the last 12 months.

In another survey carried out in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff, 1 in 20 motorists showed ‘erratic behaviour’ when using a mobile behind the wheel as opposed to 1 in 50 who did not.

Data gathered from 40 UK police forces shows that 1,009,913 motorists have been convicted of using a mobile phone whilst driving between 2003 and 2012 and the number of cases has gone up dramatically during that time. In 2003 only 463 motorists were convicted, compared to 161,096 in 2010!

The penalty for using a mobile phone behind the wheel is currently £60 and 3 points on your driving licence but ministers are currently considering increasing this to £90.

In 2012 116,130 people have already received penalties- don’t add to that statistic! Invest in a Bluetooth hands-free such as the Visor Go Bluetoothhands-free car kit from Supertooth. The kit features voice control so you can pick up your calls without taking your eyes off the road and  the auto-connect feature recognises your paired handset whenever in range.  You can even pair 8 handsets simultaneously- great if you have more than one phone! This portable visor solution is fully transportable and features 15 hours talk time and 800 hours standby time. It is also fully transportable so can be used as a loud-speaker in your office or at home as well as in your car.