More than 28 per cent text while driving says poll
Of those who used a vehicle for work, 31 per cent said they texted while driving compared with 28 per cent for non-work drivers. Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire
More than a quarter of motorists text while driving while those who use cars for work are even more likely to offend.
And more than one in seven say they apply make-up or shave while at the wheel, the survey by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line found.
Of those who used a vehicle for work, 31 per cent said they texted while driving compared with a figure of 28 per cent for non-work drivers. A total of 17 per cent of for-work drivers admitted to attending to personal grooming while at the wheel compared with 14 per cent for non-work motorists.
Drivers using vehicles for work were more likely (37 per cent) to talk on hands-free mobiles while on the road than non-work drivers (24 per cent). The poll also found that 54 per cent of for-work road users admitted to speeding on 60mph roads, compared with 34 per cent for non-work drivers.
Mary Rutherford died in head-on crash Credit: family photo
Sixty eight year old Mary Rutherford, from Withernsea, died when the car she was in was hit head on by Nikita Ainley. She was just 18 and was sending a message on her mobile phone as she drove.
Mrs Rutherford's daughter, Dawn Timmings has previously spoken about her grief and anger over the way her mother died:
"My mum didn't deserve to die like that. I just don't understand what could be so important that you'd put people's lives at risk like that."
Phone records proved that Ainely, now 20, had been sending a message when she smashed head-on into Mrs Rutherford's car in May 2011.
But it was only last month that she pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. Road safety campaigners say sentences should be tough and that people who text while driving can e up to 23 times more likely to crash
Mum and daughter in happier times Credit: family photoscene of the crash near Withernsea in 2011 Credit: Calendar news
Today marks 20 years since the first text message was sent to a mobile phone.
The first ever text was sent on December 3 1992, when Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old British engineer used his computer to send the message "Merry Christmas" to an Orbitel 901 mobile phone.
Text messaging is 20 years old today Credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
According to research by Ofcom, the media regulator, the average UK consumer now sends around 50 text messages every week.
In 2011, more than 150 billion text messages were sent in the UK, which was almost triple the amount sent five years previously in 2006 - when 51 billion texts were sent, according to an Ofcom report.
