Text and drive bloody idiot

According to tests carried out by NRMA Insurance, each glance at the phone while texting takes an average of 1.4 seconds, with the vehicle covering 22m when travelling at 60km/h.

Tests were carried out on a closed road with 10 drivers aged 20 to 54 texting "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog". The driver's faces were filmed with the test revealing participants glancing at their phone an average of 38 times.

All states have penalties for illegal talking or texting on a mobile while driving, but that didn't stop more than 200,000 drivers last year - and those are just the ones who were caught in four states. In New South Wales, almost 40,000 drivers were caught illegally talking or texting on mobile phones in the past year. The NSW fine for illegal mobile phone use is $253 and three demerit points.

Almost 40,000 drivers were caught in Victoria, where the penalty is $234 and three demerit points. About 30,000 Queensland drivers were caught, each one risking a fine of $300 and three demerit points. About the same number of South Australian drivers were also caught, with their penalties being up $218 and or three demerit points.

In Western Australia the fine is $250 with three demerit points and in Tasmania it has recently been increased from $110 to $300 and from two to three points. NRMA Insurance spokesperson Robert McDonald said it was risky doing anything else while driving, such as eating or drinking or smoking. "We clearly have an appetite for mobile phones and the convenience of immediate communication," he said. "But we need to resist the urge of sending or reading a text message while at the wheel. It's not only dangerous for the driver, but also for everyone else in their car or on the road around them."

Young drivers are more likely to illegally use mobile phones while driving. A national online study has found more than half (52 per cent) of drivers aged 30 to 39 admitted using their mobiles while driving, compared with one in three (37 per cent) for those under 30. The figure dropped to one in four (24 per cent) for over 40s. Men (36 per cent) were more likely than women (29 per cent) to chat while driving.

So the question is: are these penalties enough to prevent people texting and talking on their phones illegally while driving? Should they be harsher, or should they be dropped and make it all legal…