Hands-free mobiles 'are more risky than drink'

Drivers on the phone are four times more likely to crash and have an average 30 per cent slower reaction time than drinkers at the legal limit, according to studies from around the world.

It means up to eight million British drivers could be risking the lives of themselves and others by chatting at the wheel.

The findings have sparked calls for a campaign to make drivers turn off their phone when they step into their vehicle.

Studies show that a quarter of British drivers – as many as eight million – use their phone while on the move, either with a hands-free kit, or by holding their mobile.

It is legal to use hands-free car kits but police can still prosecute drivers if they think the use of a phone was a contributory factor in an accident.

It is illegal to drive while using a hand-held phone, punishable by a £60 fine and three points on the driver's licence.

However the law is widely flouted.

Experts say it is not the holding of the phone which is the distraction but the concentration on the conversation.

However ministers said it would have been legally impractical – for reasons of evidence-gathering – to outlaw hands-free phones.

Research from the University of Sydney's Injury Prevention and Trauma Care Division found people who use mobile phones whilst driving are four times more likely to crash – including people using hands-free devices.

A separate study at the Transport Research Laboratory found that drivers talking on both hand-held and hands-free mobile phones have on average 30 per cent slower reaction times than those who have been drinking and 50 per cent slower times than sober drivers.

Similar results were found during tests at the University of Utah in the United States, comparing use of hands-free phones and drinking at the UK legal limit.

Paul Purdy of yesinsurance.co.uk said: "We would like to see the launch of a campaign that urges drivers to switch off their mobile phone before setting off on a trip, so that messages can be received by voicemail.

"While we would not go as far as calling for a complete ban on hands-free devices, we would like to see the Government placing a much greater emphasis on warning drivers that using a hands-free device can be as dangerous as drinking.

"Conversations with passengers can incorporate periods of silence but telephone conversations tend to be continuous, requiring a greater commitment in terms of concentration from the driver."

According to research conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory, at any one time 2.5 per cent of drivers are using the phone while driving – with two-thirds illegally using handheld phones.

In London the figures were even higher, with 3.7 per cent of car drivers and 4.8 per cent of van drivers being on the phone at any time.

Research by America's Ohio State University indicates that pedestrians are also at increased risk of accidents when they are using a mobile phone.

Their tests showed that 48 per cent of mobile users crossed the road in front of approaching cars, compared with 25 per cent of those not using phones.

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