Vodka is not a good idea if you are about to get behind the wheel. But yesterday The Times knocked one back and climbed into a Honda Civic.

Stationary in the Transport Research Laboratory at Wokingham, Berkshire, the vehicle simulated driving conditions: I wanted to know whether texting while driving is more distracting than drink-driving. Motion sensors and computer graphics created a realistic motorway route.

Just within the drink-driving limit, I stuck to the middle lane, worried about veering off. I noticed once or twice that I had exceeded the speed limit. I had previously done the course sober but texting on a mobile. I drifted out of my lane, and was surprised to see cars coming up from behind. Sometimes my foot came off the accelerator when I typed a message.

Nick Reed, of the laboratory, said: “When people are texting, they tend to be aware of the impairment to their driving but not aware how great that is. With alcohol, the driver is not aware of the impairment. You had misplaced confidence when you had had a drink and were often up to 80mph. When you were texting, you were wandering across the lane. And your reaction times were slower.

“You understood that drink-driving is a serious risk but had less understanding about the dangers of texting.”