Mobile ban

By Chris Thorp

02nd October 2007

Young drivers are being told to Terminate their calls! A UK car insurance provider is calling for British legislation to follow the trend set by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to ban young drivers from making any calls from behind the wheel.

While it’s already illegal to use a mobile without a satisfactory hands free kit, yesinsurance.co.uk is recommending a total ban for drivers under the age of 20. The firm claims research has indicated around 24 per cent of UK drivers occasionally make calls while driving, but estimates that this figure is much higher in the under-20 age group.

"The California law prohibits mobile phone use in drivers under the age of 18, but we would like to see this extended to all teenagers in the UK," said Paul Purdy of yesinsurance.co.uk.

To back up its call for a new law, the firm has compiled research from the Transport Research Laboratory, The University of Sydney and the University of Utah. The data indicates that drivers using mobiles – including those using hands free kits – are four times more likely to have a crash.

The insurer is so convinced of the scale of the problem that yesinsurance.co.uk even claims that “up to eight million drivers in the UK may be taking risks that can equal those of drink-driving, simply by using mobile phones.”