Motoring news
18/09/2008
Texting is a serious issue for car insurance companies
Research shows mobile phone texting while driving is much more dangerous than drink-driving, and car insurance companies will continue to take the issue most seriously.
Average driving reaction times using mobiles to text while behind the wheel slowed by 35 per cent, according to studies by the Transport Research Laboratory.
On the road, this figure translates more worryingly to seeing texters having poor steering control and drifting out of lanes.
Reactions of drivers who had been drink-driving and were at the legal alcohol limit were about 12 per cent slower. Using cannabis was found to dull reaction times by 21 per cent.
So, just as speeding can be linked to accidents, mobile texting while driving also looks to be connected to insurance claims.
Where a first endorsement on a UK licence can lead to car policy premiums rising by £60, a conviction for using a mobile phone at the wheel would also see insurers increasing the cost of cover, perhaps by a similar amount.
A spokesman at the Duck2Water car insurance company said, "It is impossible to ignore the potential cost of accident claims if people crash vehicles while using mobile phones. Insurance companies are bound to reflect this by charging higher premiums."
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