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How bad are your driving habits? Are you as good a driver as you believe yourself to be? A bad driving habit makes you more likely to have an accident and you could be classed as a greater insurance risk.

A great many road accidents – whether fatal or not – are caused as a result of driver distraction. Distracted driving is dangerous driving because distractions result in a delay in processing information and therefore a delay in reaction.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted drivers cause twenty five percent of vehicle crashes in the United States. That's some statistic, and one which is no doubt reflected at least in part here in the UK. Another alarming statistic reports that a person having a hands-free mobile phone conversation is far more likely to have a car accident than a person driving whilst four times over the legal alcohol limit.

Smoking and Driving: In the UK, it is illegal to smoke on public transport. You can light up in the privacy of your own car but don't let that fool you. According to the Highway Code, smoking while driving is a distraction and is a breach of rules. It is possible to receive a £2500 fine if you have a crash and are found to have been smoking at the time. The Scottish Highway Code banned smoking and driving in 2006, but this law has been in effect in Sweden for as long as I can remember. In Canada, an Ontario trucker was fined for smoking in his rig. Police pulled over the trucker and ticketed him $305 for smoking in the workplace, a violation of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Likewise it is illegal to smoke in any work vehicle in the UK, so don't be tempted.

Eating or Drinking and Driving: Spilling a drink while driving can easily cause a loss of focus as the driver tries to recover and attempt to stop it occurring again. The best example of why not to snack or sip whilst driving is a hot drink. A hot coffee can cause a lot of pain when it lands in the driver's lap and even more pain when there is an accident as a result. Whether the drink is hot or cold, trying to recover from the situation causes the biggest distraction. Disastrous results can come from attempting to eat a sandwich or a chocolate.

Listening and Driving: A study by the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University showed that brain power used while driving decreases by 40% when a driver listens to conversation or music. Thankfully mobile phone use (unless using hands-free) while driving is already banned in the UK, and since Jan 1st in Canada too, but what about listening to the radio? A report by the University of Leicester entitled Football Focus suggests that almost two million motorists have had an accident or a near miss while listening to sport on the radio. The study showed considerable and sometimes erratic variations in the driver's behaviour as the match progressed. Also noted were significant speed changes and dangerous lane changing.

Driving Convictions: In the UK, a driving offence – whether driving while using a mobile phone, or driving under the influence of drink or drugs – will undoubtedly result in a conviction and loss of points on the driver's licence. The more points a driver has on his licence, the more high-risk the driver. 12 points added to a licence within a three-year period will automatically ensure that licence is revoked. When the banned driver finally gets his licence reinstated, it can be difficult to find an insurance company which will offer an affordable premium for future cover.

In the UK it is illegal to drive without insurance, and you could be sent to prison. A driver without insurance may also find his vehicle impounded, which incurs yet another cost. In the US it is not unusual for a vehicle to be permanently confiscated from re-offenders.

Insurance Hikes: Most insurance companies interpret a high-risk driver as one who is more likely to make a claim on their insurance and so they raise that driver's premium accordingly. Very often that premium is unnaturally high making it almost impossible for the driver to get insurance of any kind.

Many insurance companies do not consider the actual offence and just put on the pounds to get a bigger profit. In fact a driver with points for speeding will ultimately be a safer driver and stick to the limits in order to avoid further points. The fear of extra points is often what breeds safe drivers.

In this case the driver may actually be penalised twice for the offence – once for speeding and again by the higher premium charged by his insurance company as a result. Bolt-on insurance products such as contract hire GAP insurance, car warranty cover, key loss insurance and even tyre insurance are not affected by speeding convictions, although anyone previously convicted of a fraudulent insurance claim may need to speak to their insurer about eligibility.

Tips To Keep Your Premium Low

Driving while distracted is a major cause of UK traffic accidents. Use these tips to remove the distraction and become a better driver.

•  Help yourself avoid the temptation to smoke by removing the ashtrays from your car
•  Don't drink and drive, even if it is a soft drink. Spill the drink and you will end up in a bigger spill.
•  Do not drive while eating. Greasy fingers will get you into a sticky situation.
•  Don't get carried away with the match on the radio. You could end up carried away, literally.
•  Leave the phone alone! It is not permanently attached to your person. You have a messaging service so use it.
• Using an insurance company who does not penalise first time offenders will get you a much better overall deal.

Tags: car accident, car insurance, car warranty cover, drink driving, driver distraction, driving convictions, driving habits, gap insurance, hands-free, Insurance companies, insurance premiums, insurance risk, mobile phones