31 per cent use map apps, 30 per cent eat and drink, and 15 per cent adjust dashboard screens while behind the wheel.

Aviva Insurance Ireland Ltd is suing Vivo Shell Ltd, owner of the property on which an Applegreen Service Station operated and which also owned three of the 16 apartments built on the site.

The research also found that more than half of drivers do not have equipment in their car which could prove vital if they become unintended pedestrians, regardless of the time of year.