Dangerous phone use at the wheel
'rockets' according to new research
After a fall in the proportion of drivers admitting to using a handheld phone while driving in 2017 following the introduction of tougher penalties, new figures show the problem is actually worsening – and illegal use among some groups has rocketed.
Across all age groups, a quarter (25%) of drivers – the equivalent of 10m people – admit to illegally making or receiving calls while driving, compared to 24% in 2017.
Research for RAC Report on Motoring* – the most comprehensive study of drivers’ handheld mobile phone use in the UK – revealed dramatic rises in the proportion of younger working-age drivers admitting to using a phone illegally in 2018.
Drivers in the 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 age groups admit to a range of dangerous activities involving a handheld phone, with nearly half in the younger age group (47%) saying they make or receive calls while driving – up 7% on 2017, and compared to just 25% of drivers in all age groups.
This rises to a huge 57% among drivers who say they do this while stationary but with the engine running. It is a similar picture among those aged 35 to 44, with 39% admitting to making or receiving calls while driving, and 54% saying they do so while stationary.
It is not just phone calls that are the problem – more than a third of drivers aged 25 to 34 (36%) send texts, social media posts or emails while driving, compared to just 16% of drivers in all age groups. Twenty-nine per cent of drivers in the 35-44 age group admit to doing this while driving, up a huge 10% on 2017 and back to the same level as in 2016.
The temptation to use a phone to take photos, selfies or videos is also clear with almost a third of drivers aged 25 to 34 (30%) saying they do this while driving, which is more than double the proportion of all drivers who do this (16%). A quarter of those aged 35 to 44 (26%) also admit to doing this, up a huge 10% on 2017 and 2016, with more than a third (36%) admitting to doing so while stationary, up from 22% in 2017.
Among all drivers there are also significant increases in the percentage who say they use a handheld phone when they are in control of a vehicle, but not moving – such as when they are at traffic lights or sat in congestion.
A huge four-in-10 (40%) admit to checking social media messages, texts or emails while stationary – up from 38% last year – while a third (33%) say they send and post such messages, up from 29% in 2017.
More than a fifth (22%) meanwhile record videos or take photos while stationary, up from 16% last year. The findings have prompted the RAC to raise a warning flag about the apparent fading impact of the tougher penalties that were introduced in 2017 to curb illegal and dangerous use of handheld phones by drivers.
As of 1 March 2017, drivers face six penalty points and a £200 fine if caught.
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said: “We remain committed to reducing the harm caused by distracted driving.
"Through the NPCC strategy, ‘Policing our Roads Together’ we co-ordinate two national campaigns each year to remind drivers of both the penalties for and the consequences of using their mobile phone illegally. However, we take robust action to prosecute offenders at all times and will continue to do so.
“Mobile phones have many more distracting features today compared to when the legislation was first introduced, but our message remains simple, a moment’s distraction can change innocent lives forever, don’t take the risk.”
*Research conducted for the 2018 RAC Report on Motoring was conducted among 1,808 UK drivers and is a statistically-representative sample
