How touching your phone while driving could send your insurance bill soaring by hundreds of pounds each year

BRITS who touch their phones while driving run the risk of sending their insurance bill soaring by hundreds of pounds each year.

Tough new rules mean motorists will be unable to talk their way out of fines and penalty points - while your premiums will be hiked up too.

It has been illegal to use a mobile phone while driving since 2003, but from March 25, 2022, even stricter rules were brought in.

Now any form of touching your phone is illegal and will result in a penalty - even when stopped at traffic lights or queuing in congestion.

As well as receiving a £200 fine and six penalty points, motorists will face another lengthy financial hit too.

Anyone convicted of using their phone behind the wheel can expect to see their insurance premiums rise by 55 per cent on average.

Insurers Admiral calculated the rise in premiums for motorists based on data for customers with a new CU80 driving conviction.

This is the code that represents a driver being caught on their phone when they renewed their motor insurance policies last year. 

It would see the typical annual policy exceed the cost of £1,000 - while the average cost of insurance was £673 back in February this year.

A 55 per cent rise would ultimately push an average policy up to £1,040.

This works out to around £370 a year based on the average car insurance premium.

But it could cost even MORE - as Admiral say a mobile phone offence can increase insurance costs by a whopping 86 per cent.

Admiral's stats revealed that out of the most common new convictions policyholders declared, driving while being on the phone was in the top ten.

The insurer also said the data showed that four in five drivers declaring the offence in 2021 were men.

Three-quarters of Admiral customers convicted were also under 45 years of age.

The figures also found that Southend, Belfast, Glasgow, Chelmsford and Edinburgh were the most prominent areas for drivers convicted of using their phones.

Clare Egan, head of Motor at Admiral, said: "We found that men are far more likely to receive a motoring conviction for using a mobile phone – of the customers that declared this conviction, 80 per cent were male.

"We also found that younger drivers were more likely to be receive a conviction for using a mobile phone – 75 per cent of customers that notified us of their conviction were under 45 years old. 

"More motorists aged between 26 and 35 had a conviction, than any other age group, accounting for 41 per cent of those who informed us last year. 

"To ensure their policy information is correct, drivers should be honest about any previous motoring offences and penalty points they've received, as it could affect their cover if they don't tell their insurer." 

If you are caught using your phone or any touchscreen device while driving, you could be hit with a £200 charge.

But there is also a chance you could be taken to court and fined a maximum of £1,000.

Drivers who passed their test in the last two years will lose their licence.