A recent study has revealed almost half of all drivers questioned admitted to using a mobile phone illegally in the past year, and one in four confessed to committing the offence at least once a month. It seems more motorists than ever are breaking the law, endangering themselves and other road users by making and receiving calls, texting and using the internet, says the study.
More than 171,000 fixed penalty notices for using a hand-held device in a vehicle were issued in the 12 months up to last October, making it the fifth most common traffic crime, say police figures, plus a further 35,000 cases are fined by magistrates, Home Office statistics show. Analysis of official figures and the study suggests breaking this law has become somewhat commonplace, the number of drivers admitting the offence is now 10% up on a similar survey last year.
It’s worth noting that at Tradeplan our panel of motor trade insurance companies will penalise a CU80 conviction for using a hand-held device whilst driving just as much as an SP30 for speeding or a TS10 traffic light offence. So a good way to keep your motor trade insurance premium down is to simply put the phone down.
