If caught by police, these bad habits carry a careless driving charge - but if your case is considered more serious, you could even find yourself in court facing an unlimited fine and a driving ban
MORE than half of British motorists admit to regularly indulging in bad habits behind the wheel.
And their careless driving could land them a £100 fine and three penalty points if caught.
Two-thirds of drivers admitted to being distracted by doing their makeup, checking out other drivers and eating breakfast in the car.
While many are not clear-cut offences, police can use them as reasons to slap you with a driving without due care and attention fine.
And worryingly, data from found that far too many of us could be liable for the sanction - but which are you guilty of?
Research revealed 31 per cent of drivers drink their morning brew during their commute, while 16 per cent also eat their breakfast.
Just under a third of motorists also admit to taking their eyes off the road to check someone out, and around a fifth said they have tried to reach for something behind the seat while steering.
Shockingly, eight per cent of motorists also say they've topped up makeup while in the driver's seat, which would certainly carry a careless driving penalty if spotted by police.
But it seems not all drivers are entirely honest about their guilt, as 48 per cent said they had witnessed someone else putting on their make up, and a further 58 per cent had seen another driver with a coffee in hand.
While drivers may be given a Fixed Penalty Notice if caught for any of these bad habits, if you were to cause an accident because you were distracted from the road, you could face severe punishment.
If your careless driving offence is deemed serious (e.g. if you have endangered other drivers or pedestrians, or caused an accident), you will automatically be summoned to court.
In court, the maximum penalty you could face for careless driving alone is nine points on your licence and an unlimited fine – or you could be disqualified from driving altogether.
Fernando Garcia, consumer marketing director at HPI, said: “It is alarming to see both the amount of people admitting to these dangerous driving habits and the range that people do on the road.
“What also stood out to us is the younger generation who are admitting to using traffic lights as a chance for video entertainment from their phones, even with such severe consequences and enforced tighter laws.
“Whilst some of these habits might pass as trivial, such as taking a coat off mid-drive, is also important to remember the catastrophic result this could cause both to the driver and other road users.”
