More motorists admit to taking ‘selfies’ when driving

Seven per cent motorists have admitted to taking "selfie" photographs while behind the wheel of their car, according to a new survey from UK insurer Confused. com. That number includes the third of the 2,000 motorists surveyed who admitted to continuing to use a mobile device when driving. Fewer than a tenth said that they had been cautioned by the police for mobile device use when driving , and 57 per cent of those who were caught said that they continued to use their phone when driving afterwards.

It's younger drivers who are apparently the worst offenders. Nine per cent of 18-24 year olds admitted to using Snapchat, eight per cent Twitter and five per cent Instagram when driving. Of those surveyed, 10 per cent admitted that using a mobile device behind the wheel had caused them to have an accident. According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), "your mobile phone makes you four times more likely to crash. And when you consider that driver distraction plays a role in 20-30 per cent of all road collisions, phone use and driving is an issue that we all need to think differently about."