Hands free kits not the answer

Driving whilst using your mobile phone has been illegal for some time now and many drivers have chosen to swap to a hands free kit in their car. Being caught using a mobile phone carries £30 fixed penalty or up to £1,000 on conviction in Court or £2,500 for drivers of goods vehicles, buses or coaches, so it’s not worth the risk.

An important factor in the decision to ban mobile phones while driving is the fact that it means that one of the drivers’ hands will not be on the steering wheel whilst using the phone, thus increasing the likelihood of an accident. Add to this the fact that the driver will be distracted by the conversation they are having and mobile phone use while driving becomes a recipe for disaster.

New studies have been carried out since the ban because many people believe that using a mobile phone is not the only thing that can cause a car accident. Concern has risen over the dangers of people smoking in their car; people endlessly tune their radio or selecting new CDs or those who have animated conversations with other passengers. Recently one in five men have also admitted that they are distracted by the alluring billboard images of women that adorn the roadsides! Distractions are unavoidable and now one safety measure that has been introduced and encouraged is now under scrutiny.

A study by Ford in the US tested drivers’ ability to spot hazards when they were distracted. They found that when people were asked to operate a driving simulation system and were concentrating fully, they only missed 5% of potentially dangerous situations. If the subject was then asked to use a hands free kit to have a conversation, the figure rose to 13%. Shockingly this figure rose to more than 50% amongst teenage drivers.

Paul Jenson from Hoot Car Insurance offered a few tips on how to stay safe whilst driving and how to avoid being distracted.

‘However confident you feel driving you should always expect the unexpected. As a precaution you should avoid doing the following while you’re driving:

Eating and drinking

Smoking

Fiddling with your radio

Arguing with your passenger or another road user

Turning round to look at you passengers

Being distracted by advertising billboards

If your concentration is affected by anything then you could miss a potential hazard and have a car accident’, which could result in an expensive car insurance claim.

webmaster@hootcarinsurance.co.uk

*A replacement car can usually be arranged under any of the following conditions:

1.Non fault accident – where we have the name, car registration number and insurance details of the person who caused the accident, we will supply a replacement car on a credit hire basis. This means the charges for this service will be passed onto the insurance company of the person who was responsible for the accident. This service may not be available where we are unable to get an admission of liability from their insurance company, or wherethe driver is unknown or uninsured.

2.If you have comprehensive insurance, a replacement car may be available under the terms of your insurance policy. Please check your policy details for more information.

3.The repairing garage may be able to provide a replacement car. This is subject to availability.

Young driver car insurance