Motorists ignore use of hands-free kits

Motorists are still risking using their mobile phone whilst at the wheel of a vehicle, despite the increased penalties which came into force nearly two months ago. The new law now sees drivers facing a minimum £60 fine and three penalty points.

These worrying findings come after a recent poll conducted by Motorpoint, the UK’s largest car supermarket, which revealed that out of the 5,000 respondents who took part, a staggering 69% (which equates to nearly 3,500 people) did not have a hands-free kit fitted to their vehicle. If each one of them were to get caught, this would amount to at least £210,000 in fines, enough to buy a rather exotic sportscar, and 10,500 points on UK driving licences!

As part of the retailer’s continued commitment to the improvement of road safety, having already become the first motor group to sign up to the RoadSafe partnership in 2006, Motorpoint has recently introduced their new range of “Argon” and “Xenon” option packages. This is in order to encourage a greater number of consumers who purchase new cars from Motorpoint, to keep both hands on the wheel, as both option packs use either Bluetooth technology or a docking cradle for the phone.

Commenting on the findings, Gary Warren, Managing Director of Motorpoint, explains: “It is not only the customer’s responsibility to ensure that they do not break the law, but it is also that of MOTOPOINT’S to ensure that we have informed customers about ways which will improve their own safety when buying a vehicle. With the introduction of our revised range of hands-free technology, this allow customers to choose from the most up to date solutions available.”

For more information on Motorpoint, and the “Xenon” and “Argon” options packages, visit motorpoint.co.uk.