Insurer urges motorists to give driving full attention

As Harriet Harman, the Labour Party's Deputy Leader, appears in court for her involvement in an incident in which she was allegedly using a mobile phone whilst driving, research from Sainsbury's Car Insurance highlights that driving with a mobile phone is unfortunately a common occurrence.

Despite it being illegal to use a non hands-free mobile phone whilst driving, 12 per cent of motorists surveyed said that they did this in the previous month and 11 per cent admitted to sending text messages whilst driving.

This trend is also evidenced by recent research by the Transport Research Laboratory, which revealed that more drivers are using hand-held mobile phones than before tougher penalties were introduced two years ago.  It found 2.6 per cent of car drivers used hand-held phones in 2006 - when fines rose to £60 and three points could be added to licences - compared with 2.8 per cent now.

Overall, more than two-thirds of British drivers (69 per cent) admit to having engaged in some form of potentially dangerous activity whilst driving in the previous month, according to the Sainsbury's Car Insurance findings.  Other driving bad habits motorists admit to include eating and drinking at the wheel (43 per cent), driving whilst feeling tired (32 per cent) and speeding (17 per cent).

Ben Tyte, Sainsbury's Car Insurance Manager said:  "Despite the law that bans driving with a mobile being introduced in 2003, far too many people are still using non hands-free mobiles and even sending text messages whilst behind the wheel.  We would urge motorists to give their driving their full attention and not be tempted to engage in anything that could distract them.  The possible consequences of not concentrating when on the roads are very serious indeed, not just for the driver but other road users, passengers and pedestrians."

Sainsbury's Car Insurance offers motorists an extensive range of cover and benefits including 24 hour accident recovery.  This includes a courtesy car when using one of its recommended repairers (Comprehensive cover only) and a no-claims discount of 70 per cent if you take out a policy and have not made a claim in the past five years, rising to 75 per cent after a further five years' claim-free driving with Sainsbury's Car Insurance.  It also offers new-for-old replacement child car seats after an accident as a standard feature of its comprehensive policy, even when there is no perceived damage, as well as support and compensation if you're a victim of car jacking or road rage.