Texting at the wheel takes its toll

car insurance quote - How important is it to send a text while you’re driving? As important as someone’s life? Of course not. But it’s incredibly tempting to read and even respond to texts while at the wheel. And it’s incredibly dangerous, as recent incidents confirm.

Tragic texts

There’s the case of 13-year-old Hope Fennell, who was crushed by an 18-ton lorry on her way home from school.

The driver, Darren Foster, had been arguing with his girlfriend via text in the run-up to the accident. He was so worried the texts would be used against him that he deleted them from his phone while Hope lay dying.

Foster admitted dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice, but the coroner ruled that he was not to blame for Hope’s death.

Then there’s 19-year-old Jordan Wickington, who was cycling to work when he was run down by Kiera Coultas.

She was composing a text message at the time, and was subsequently jailed for four years after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Texting at the wheel takes its toll - car insurance quote

Mobile menace

In 2012, 378 accidents were reported involving the use of mobile phones at the wheel, according to the Department for Transport. The accidents led to 548 casualties and 17 deaths.

But the actual death toll is probably much higher. So-called ‘in-vehicle distractions’, which could include mobile phones, led to more than 9,000 accidents and 196 deaths between 2010 and 2012.

Driver ignorance

It has been illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone at the wheel for a decade, but many motorists are ignorant of the law.

RAC research shows that 12% of drivers do not know that texting and driving is illegal and 21% do not realise it is illegal to check Facebook and Twitter while driving.

If that were not bad enough, a shocking 61% of motorists have not got the message that texting at the wheel of a stationary car with the engine on is also against the law.

Research findings

The research perhaps explains why it’s so common to see someone chatting on their mobile while on the move.

In the RAC survey, three quarters of motorists reported regularly spotting a driver on a hand-held mobile, with almost half claiming they witness other motorists talking on a mobile on most journeys.

Texting while a car is stationary is common, with over half of motorists (53%) regularly seeing other people texting in stationary traffic during half or some of their journeys.

Perception gap

We might be happy to tell tales on other road users, but we are apparently less keen to confess to our own crimes, with just 8% admitting to using a hand-held phone while driving.

Yet many of us are aware of the dangers. Over a third (34%) worry about other drivers being distracted by talking on mobile phones while at the wheel.

The distractions are indeed serMaybe we don’t expect to be caught. Just over half (51%) believe it is unlikely they will be caught sending texts while their car is stationary while four in 10 (42%) motorists think it unlikely they will be collared for texting while driving, and 16% consider it ‘extremely unlikely’.

Or perhaps there is not a strong enough deterrent. If you are caught, the punishment is three penalty points and a £100 fine, rising to a possible £1,000 on conviction in court.

Tougher penalties

There is a therefore a growing call for tougher penalties, with many experts believing that drivers caught on their mobiles should at the very least receive a one-year ban – the same punishment as drink drivers.

A police crackdown wouldn’t go amiss, either. Or maybe a hard-hitting public awareness campaign, similar to the anti-speeding and anti drink-driving campaigns.

Of course, it’s too late for many bereaved families. But it’s never too late to save another life. So next time you want to pick up your mobile, just think, who is really dying to take the call.ious. The Transport Research Laboratory, a private think tank, has conducted some research into the effect of mobiles on the driving skills of motorists between the ages of 17 and 24.

The results show that reaction times slowed by 13% when drivers were at the drink drive limit, by 21% when they were high on cannabis, by 26.5% when speaking on a hands-free mobile and by 37% when texting.

Getting away with it

So why are so many motorists happy to use their mobile behind the wheel? 

Texting at the wheel takes its toll - car insurance quote