Mobile driving ban: Drivers know but don't care

Two minutes watching traffic on any busy road will quickly tell you what we all already know: drivers in the UK are not obeying the law which states they must not drive while talking into a mobile phone.

And according to research from the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) that very practice is one of the most dangerous practices behind the wheel, only challenged in the danger stakes by tailgating - driving bumper-to-bumper.

Mums on the school run, office workers arranging their night out, workmen travelling from job to job, there appears to be no one group any more remiss than any other but all know they are breaking the law and continue to do so freely.

Steve Norris, a member of the IAM Council and former transport and road safety minister said too many drivers are slipping into bad habits "either through ignorance, impatience or, even worse, aggression".

He said phoning while driving is "a clear threat to the safety of others".

At the heart of the issue appears to be an 'it won't happen to me' culture of drivers who take their safety for granted.

As such it's unsurprising that the young are the most cavalier in their attitudes. Only 30 per cent of drivers aged 17 to 29 regard driving while on the phone as 'highly dangerous' according to a survey by the IAM. This compares to 50 per cent among other drivers.

Likewise men also tend to overrate their prowess behind the wheel. While 61 per cent of women see the danger in driving while on the phone only 44 per cent of men accept the risks.

"No one has the right to drive badly but the results of bad driving fill our hospitals every day. Using handheld mobile phones at the wheel has the potential to kill," said Norris.

Norris said the practice of phoning and driving should be regarded as being as antisocial as drinking and driving.

According to the Department for Transport, a total of 26,400 fixed penalty notices were issued by 27 of the 51 police forces in Great Britain during the first 10 months of new mobile phone driving regulations between 1 December 2003 and 30 September 2004.