A new survey put together by road safety charity Brake and Insurance company Direct Line showed that the number of people owning up to using their mobiles whilst driving has increased. One in eight drivers admitted to still using their mobiles whilst at the wheel _ a full ten years after doing so was made illegal _ and one in 25 confessed to still reading or sending text messages. Out of the 1,000 drivers surveyed, 38 per cent noted that they currently used hands-free mobiles whilst driving, which was a 22 per cent increase on 2006. Using hand-held mobiles whilst driving has been illegal for a decade, but Brake is currently calling for a complete ban on usage. The survey showed that 68 per cent of motorists agreed using their phone was a dangerous practise, but only 36 per cent supported a ban on hands-free mobiles, and 4 per cent said that they felt all mobile phone use should be allowed. Julie Townsend, the deputy chief executive for Brake, said: 'It is shocking that, 10 years after the ban, one in eight drivers continues to flout the law and put lives in danger by using a hand-held mobile at the wheel. 'Just as worrying is the widespread belief that using a hands-free kit is a safe alternative. Don't kid yourself: it's not. Using a hands-free phone while driving can end and ruin lives just as surely as using a phone hand-held, and no phone call or text is worth a life. 'The Government needs to act now to stop this risky behaviour. We all need to take responsibility and put our phones safely out of reach and earshot while behind the wheel, and refuse to speak on the phone to others who are driving.î Rob Miles, motor director for Direct Line, said: 'The potential for casualties from mobile phone distraction is frightening. Hopefully, as drivers become more aware of the dangers inherent in the use of mobile phones whilst driving, it will become as much of a social taboo as drink-driving has become in recent years.î
