Motorists ‘lost’ without their smartphones

Using a mobile phone as a sat nav device is the leading cause of motorists breaking the mobile phone law in almost all regions of the UK, claims new research.

The survey by Swinton Insurance found that nearly half (46%) of drivers who admit to using a mobile phone whilst driving, do so for navigation purposes.

The main temptations for motorists are:

• Navigation (46%)
• Answering calls and texts (30%)
• To listen to music (27%)

Under new laws which took effect in March 2017, the penalty for using your mobile phone while driving doubled to a fine of £200, plus six points added to your driving licence.

If offenders are caught twice and accrue 12 points, they will also automatically appear in court and face a fine of up to £1,000 and a driving ban of up to six months, while new drivers caught committing an offence within two years of passing their test face having their licence revoked.

And while it’s not illegal to use navigation apps completely, motorists can be prosecuted if they touch the handset while driving.

Worryingly, the survey found that two out of three motorists (66%) don’t know the correct penalty fine amount.

Smartphone temptation

Almost a third of motorists who admit to mobile phone use say that they just can’t resist answering calls and texts whilst driving, risking the safety of other road users.

The 17-24-year-old age group is the most likely to hold a phone while driving, and 38% of young drivers admit to using their phone more now than they did two years ago.

Interestingly, 25% of drivers stated that they use their phone for emergencies and 22% say it’s because they are too impatient to wait until the end of the journey.

Overall, only 30% of motorists feel that putting their mobile phone out of sight in the car would deter them from using it.

“Our latest research shows that despite legal and safety concerns, the pull for motorists to be active on mobile devices is still overwhelming,” said Mike McGrail of Swinton Insurance.

“It’s also important to note that if a driver were to receive penalty points as a consequence of being caught using a mobile phone while driving, insurers would deem them to be higher risk, as they would with any type of motoring conviction. This is likely to increase the cost of their car insurance quote.”

“With navigation serving as the main reason to use a phone in a vehicle, we would urge motorists to consider the purchase of a separate satellite navigation device that operates hands-free to avoid temptation.”