MOBILES WORSE THAN "DRINK-DRIVING"

Talking on a mobile phone while driving is more dangerous than being over the legal alcohol limit, according to research. Tests by scientists at the Transport Research Laboratory said drivers on mobiles had slower reaction times and stopping times than those under the influence of alcohol. And it said hands-free kits were almost as dangerous as hand-held phones.

Using a hand-held mobile while driving is illegal in more than 30 countries, but in the UK drivers are usually prosecuted for dangerous or careless driving.

"The problem is you actually get sucked into the telephone conversation, and the conversation starts to take precedence over the driving task," , a researcher said.

The research said reaction times were, on average, 30% slower when talking on a mobile than when just over the legal limit, and nearly 50% slower than when driving normally. Drivers were also less able to maintain a constant speed and found it more difficult to keep a safe distance from the car in front.

Janet Anderson, Member of Parliament , is currently trying to push a bill through which would prohibit the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving. The second reading is expected to take place on 12 April. Ms Anderson said: "We must all recognise that driving and using mobile phones can kill. It takes less than a second for a lapse in concentration to result in an accident." "It must therefore be made crystal clear to drivers who insist on behaving in this way that they endanger the safety of the public generally, and their own safety too. "