R U a txtN menace Bhind d wheel?

Drivers fail to get the message on mobile phone use

Date: 20/02/2008 08:00:00

As the first anniversary of stiffer penalties for drivers caught using a hand-held mobile phone approaches, a new survey reveals that texting remains a motoring menace. Nearly half of the drivers surveyed say they carry a mobile in their car and over a fifth of these admit to reading texts while driving and 10 per cent to sending messages.

The research by insurance comparison site, Gocompare.com found that 88 per cent of drivers have in-car gadgets such as phones, sat nav devices and MP3 players and 18 per cent of these say they check their devices at least every 15 minutes. Almost five per cent - equivalent to over a million drivers - admit to checking their in-car gadgets ¨all the time¨.

The survey also revealed that music is potentially driving motorists to distraction with CD players being the top in-car gadget at 76 per cent while 12 per cent have a MP3 player. Of these motorists 43 per cent confessed to selecting music on the move on their CD player and 42 per cent to shuffling their favourite tunes on their MP3 player.

The Gocompare.com survey of driving distractions revealed that:

• Nearly half (49 per cent) of motorists have a mobile phone in their car. Of these 21 per cent of drivers read texts while driving and 10 per cent send texts. 74 per cent of motorists answer their mobile with a hands-free kit.
• 88 per cent of motorists have in-car gadgets. The most popular in-car gadgets are the CD player (76 per cent), mobile phone (49 per cent), sat nav (28 per cent), MP3 player (12 per cent). Men have the most in-car gadgets and are more likely (32 per cent) to have a sat nav system than women (24 per cent).
• 44 per cent admit to eating or drinking while driving and 13 per cent to smoking.

Hayley Parsons, Managing Director of Gocompare.com said, ¨Driving is a complex task and trying to do something else at the same time whether it is using a mobile, changing a CD or lighting a cigarette can be very distracting. And, being distracted at the wheel is one of the biggest causes of road accidents. So, we were shocked at the numbers of motorists who are still illegally texting while on the road.¨

¨It is encouraging that so many drivers have got the message about the dangers of using a mobile without a hands-free kit. However, conversations on these devices can still be distracting and drivers can be prosecuted for using one if they are not in proper control of their vehicle. The best advice for safe driving is to banish your phone or blackberry to the boot so you are not tempted to answer it.¨

Safe driving tips from Gocompare.com:

• Switch to voicemail and store your phone safely before setting-off.
• If you must receive calls always use a hands-free device, or ask a passenger to take the call.
• Pull off the road and park before making or answering a call, text or email.
• Set-up the music for your journey before you set off.
• Plan ahead for your journey and give yourself time for rest, snack and cigarette breaks.

Ends

For further information please contact:
Lynsey Walden at Gocompare.com on 01633 654 055
Gordon or Liz at Maw Communications on 01603 505 845

Notes to editors:
Gocompare.com carried out a survey of 3,191 Gocompare.com customers during December 2007 and January 2008.

Legislation banning the use of hand-held mobiles was first introducing in 2003. This also prohibited texting, the use of a Blackberry or similar hand-held device, video phones and internet access. On 27th February 2007, penalties for using a hand-held phone while driving were increased. The £30 fine was doubled to £60 and three penalty points.

Gocompare.com launched in November 06, the brainchild of Hayley Parsons the co-founder of Confused.com. The first of the so-called “Comparison 2.0” websites with a far greater focus on product comparison as well as price, while cutting edge technology makes the customer experience slick, quick and easy. Unlike some other aggregator services Gocompare.com always provides a guaranteed quote, rather than just an estimate.

Gocompare.com compares motor, home, motorbike and van insurance and also breakdown cover and comparisons are based on the range of cover (using a five star rating process) and not just cost.

Gocompare.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.