You might think driving offences are more likely if you’re on the phone while driving, but simply having a mobile phone in your car could cause you to have an avoidable accident – and face legal action as a result.
New research from insurance provider esure reveals the impact of having a mobile phone in your vehicle, even if you’re not trying to use it while at the wheel.
Some of the statistics are not surprising – if you try to send a text message while driving, your reaction times are 23% longer – but some might make you think twice about leaving your mobile set to ‘loud’.
For instance, in simulations with real drivers, a ringing mobile phone caused motorists to look away from the road for seven seconds or more in 20% of cases.
“These findings are a real concern,” says esure’s chief executive officer, Stuart Vann. “So many drivers are putting themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk by simply having a ringing, beeping, flashing mobile in the car – even if they don’t answer it.”
The research also revealed that receiving a text message distracts drivers for four times as long as other ‘normal’ driving distractions, while posting a brief status update to a social networking site can cause them to drift across their lane or lose track of how close they are to the car in front.
Any distraction such as these could leave motorists facing legal action on driving offences like careless or dangerous driving – even without causing an accident or collision.
However, if you need to make calls while on the move, you may be able to demonstrate your commitment to careful driving simply by using a hands-free kit or Bluetooth headset.
Both can give a clear, visible demonstration that your phone is not impairing your driving, as well as making it easier for you to make and receive calls without committing any driving offences.
Motoring Offence Lawyers specialise in helping those who are facing prosecution for driving offences whether that is a speeding offence, drink driving offence or insurance offence.
