Driven to Distraction Costing Brits £3.3 Million* a Year

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Jul 18, 2011, 10:00 ET

CHESTER, England, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

A Conviction for "Driving Without due Care and Attention" Increases Motor Insurance Premiums by up to 27 per Cent

Changing Music, Eating and Drinking While Driving Among Worst Habits Behind the Wheel

Distracted drivers are rife on our roads, and are risking hefty hikes to their car insurance premiums if they are caught being careless behind the wheel, says moneysupermarket.com.

Analysis, by Britain's number one comparison site reveals that the 16,485 motorists who are convicted of driving without due care and attention each year are not only facing a £60 fine and three points on their license but also an increase in their car insurance premiums of over £200 (27 per cent), amounting to an additional £3.3m on annual premiums.

Additional moneysupermarket.com research reveals that over eight in ten drivers (82 per cent) get preoccupied whilst driving^[¹^]. The top three distractions admitted by motorists include:

Changing stations on the radio/changing a CD (61 per cent)
Eating and drinking (51 per cent)
Taking mobile phone calls (23 per cent)

Furthermore, a fifth of drivers (16 per cent) admit sending text messages while driving, with over a third (36 per cent) of under 35s saying they had done this. Motorists also admit to ignoring basic safety measures, with 15 per cent of drivers not wearing a seatbelt. The research found motorists living in Northern Ireland are the biggest danger on the roads, with 87 per cent of drivers admitting to having been distracted to the point of driving without due care and attention - compared to 74 per cent of those living in the North West.

Peter Harrison, car insurance expert at moneysupermarket.com said: "The UK's roads are becoming busier every year so taking your eyes off the road, even for a second to make a phone call or eat a quick snack, could lead to severe, or even fatal, consequences. More worryingly, as our research shows, some motorists are not only being unnecessarily distracted but are even failing to take basic safety precautions when driving such as wearing a seatbelt.

Motorists who are convicted of "driving without due care and attention" (conviction code CD10) can expect their insurance premiums to increase by an average 27 per cent - or £202 a year^[²^]. In some instances, having a CD10 conviction could add as much as an extra £402 to the cost, an increase of 63 per cent.

Peter Harrisoncontinued: "Although it may be unintentional, careless drivers are a menace on the roads and are a danger to both themselves and others. The penalties for this kind of behaviour are huge and can really impact on the cost of your insurance premiums. Not only are these bad driving habits, but also expensive habits if you are caught - it really isn't worth taking the risk."

Notes to Editors:

*Number of CD10 Convictions in 2010 - 16,485 *£202.56

^[¹^] Research undertaken by Opinium Research based on poll of 2,030 British adults carried out May 28 - 31 2011.

^[^{Driving Distractions by type}^]

   
                                            Percentage of
            Driving Distraction               motorists

    [Changed stations on the
    radio/changed CD/ changed music on
    my IPOD]                                   [61%]
    [Had a drink]                              [51%]
    [Eaten a snack]                            [51%]
    [Taken/made calls on a non
    hands-free mobile phone]                   [23%]
    [Slowed down to watch accidents]           [21%]
    [Sent text messages on a mobile
    phone]                                     [16%]
    [Not used your seatbelt]                   [15%]
    [Fallen asleep/dozed]                       [5%]
    [Applied
    aftershave/perfume/lipstick/make-up]        [5%]
    [Updated my profile/been on facebook
    via my mobile phone/smart phone]            [2%]
    [Tweeted via my mobile phone/smart
    phone]                                      [1%]

^[²^]Motor insurance premiums for a clean licence vs. a CD10 conviction code:

   
                                      Licence with
                                         a CD10
         Provider       Clean Licence  conviction

    AXA                   GBP603.53    GBP1,006.12
    Swiftcover            GBP640.98     GBP806.95
    Privilege             GBP699.60    GBP1,019.72
    LV=                   GBP720.49        N/A
    esure                 GBP777.16        N/A
    Churchill             GBP867.08    GBP1,239.14
    Endsleigh             GBP883.08    GBP1,525.87
          Average         GBP741.70     GBP944.26

Sourced by http://www.moneysupermarket.com 08.06.2011

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SOURCE moneysupermarket.com