UK drivers at risk by texting on the road

It has been a year since penalties for using hand held mobile phones were introduced. However, almost half of UK motorists are still jeopardising their car or van insurance premiums by continuing the practice. New research involving 2,000 UK motorists saw 45% of drivers admit sending text messages while driving.

Since the introduction of the penalties, if you are caught using a mobile phone while driving you will receive a £60 fine and 3 penalty points on your licence. However, such penalties seem to have had little effect following these statistics. Only 11% of motorists have said that they switch their phone off altogether or put it on mute when behind the wheel.

According to this research, the highest lincidences of SMS text messages being sent from those driving were in London. The lowest levels were reported to be in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Bristol and Edinburgh.

In spite of these figures, 75% of people said that they believe that using a mobile phone when driving endangers the health and safety of others. Findings unveiled by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick also found that the use of mobile phones behind the wheel makes you four times more likely to be involved in an accident.

Constructaquote.com actively promotes good health and safety methods, whether it be while driving or in a working environment. As such, we offer competitive deals on many of our insurance products, which include Van Insurance, Public Liability Insurance, Goods In Transit Insurance or Plant & Material Insurance.