Seven thousand pounds for a text? You need a better deal
2 minute read | September 30, 2016
According to research conducted by GoCompare.com for Mirror Money, being caught using your phone while behind the wheel could result in a serious dent in your finances.
If caught using your phone while driving you could receive a CU80 conviction, which means three points on your license and a £100 fine. While this is a far cry from the thousands we mentioned earlier, the true cost of the CU80 comes when it’s time to renew your insurance.
The conviction is one of the worst you can have on your license when it comes to insurance, adding approximately £1,855 to your premium. When you consider a CU80 remains on your license for four years, that’s an additional £7,420 in premiums, quite a lot for a simple text.
The reasoning behind this is that using your phone while driving is a conscious choice, something that could make you more susceptible to road traffic accidents in the future. Obviously the older you are, the lower the cost of any possible premium increase; although even at 40 years of age premiums could increase by as much as £208 a year.
A report by the RAC found that an estimated 11 million driver’s admitted to making or receiving a call while driving in the past 12 months. With Transport Secretary Chris Grayling backing a campaign to double the penalty points for phone related driving convictions it’s only going to get worse for serial texters.
With so much attention currently on motorists using their phones behind the wheel, the chances of being let off with a warning is unlikely. Drivers are going to be made examples of with police forces expected to showcase their efforts to effectively reduce the number of incidents.
So what can you do to stay safe? The simple answer is not to use your phone. While it’s easy to quickly check your phone in traffic or driving on a stretch of road you know well, is it really worth the added cost? Here are a few tips to avoid becoming another statistic.
- Put your phone on silent. Simply hearing the beep will cause you to lose concentration with your mind on who has sent you a text.
- Put your phone away. The old adage ‘out of sight, out of mind’ works wonders and will stop you from instinctively checking your phone while sat in traffic.
If you’re going on a long journey inform those people who are likely to contact you. There are numerous situations where you will be unable to use a phone and you get by just fine. Enjoy the peace and tranquillity or put on the radio. Better yet, concentrate on the road.
Back to resources