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27% rise in car insurance holders using mobiles while driving

08 Feb 2010

Posted by Judith Stevenson

Car insurance policyholders are continuing to flout mobile phone laws, with the latest figures showing an increase in the number of people using handsets behind the wheel.

A report from the Department for Transport showed that the proportion of car insurance policyholders using handheld mobiles increased from 1.1 per cent to 1.4 per cent between September 2008 and November 2009.

This marked a 27 per cent rise in offenders, despite the introduction of laws in 2003 to curb the practise.

Van and lorry drivers were also at fault, with an 18 per cent rise in the number using phones at the wheel seen over the period.

Research shows that reaction times slow by almost half when people talk on their mobile phones, while texting causes reactions to reduce by a third.

The news follows the government's unveiling of a new campaign reminding car insurance policyholders of the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seatbelt.