One of the biggest car insurance providers in the UK has said that a recent 10% increase in premiums can be mostly attributed to motorists texting while driving.
It is common knowledge that using a mobile phone at the wheel is extremely dangerous. However, the number of accidents caused by people texting whilst driving has increased. This increase in accidents has contributed to car insurance prices to rising by around 10%.
David Stevens, who is chief operating officer at insurance firm Admiral, said “more people are texting while they are driving” and added that “young people struggle to put their phones aside and it can have a disastrous impact”.
Studies have shown that using a mobile phone when you are driving will drastically slow down how fast you react in an emergency situation.
The AA recently found out that around 16% of young people (age 18-24) thought that using a mobile phone to send a text message was acceptable if they were in “slow moving traffic”.
What many people fail to realise is that it’s actually illegal to use your phone if you’ve pulled over and have the engine of your car still running. Around half of those asked said that they thought it was okay to do so.
Other factors to blame for the increase in insurance premiums, according to Admiral, are the number of whiplash claims and the fact that there are more cars on the road due to cheaper fuel prices.
