Dial Direct Insurance on Cell Phones in Cars

It may surprise you that every year in South Africa there are a high number of accidents, many resulting in death, on our roads as a direct result of people using cell phones while driving, particularly people not using cell phone hands-free kits.

Dial Direct Insurance has found American research that has shown that motorists holding and using cell phones while driving are four times as likely to cause accidents than motorists not using cell phones. This is a pretty scary statistic considering just how many drivers we see using cell phones every day.

However, perhaps what is even scarier is that it is illegal to hold and speak on a cell phone in South Africa. In fact, if you are caught breaking this law by the traffic police, you will be receive a hefty R500 fine.

According to a study released earlier this year by the American Insurance Information Institute (AIII), approximately 80% of all car crashes and 65% of near-crashes were caused as a direct result of some kind of driver 3-second 'lack of concentration ' right before the incident.

Main causes included changing the car stereo, looking around for items in the car, applying make up, arguing with a passenger and the biggest culprit of all, you guessed it, speaking on cell phones.

It seems as much as we humans believe we can multi-task - driving with one hand on the wheel, the other clutching a cell phone, as well as concentrating on the conversation as well as what's happening on the road - perhaps this is simply a bridge too far.

But what has this all got to do with Dial Direct insurance, you may be wondering. Well, very simply, if you want to remain accident free and keep your Dial Direct monthly insurance premiums and excess as low as possible, then it is up to you to help minimize your risk on the road by not using your cell phone while driving for your sake as well as for everyone else.