Skip to main content

UK motorists concerned about increase in mobile phone use while driving

Over 86 per cent of UK motorists think distraction caused by mobile phones has become worse in the last three years, according to the second Safety Culture Survey commissioned by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart. In second place was congestion at 81 per cent, reflecting the increasing number of vehicles on the roads as the recession ends. Of the 2,000 UK drivers surveyed, nearly three quarters believed aggressive driving had worsened over the last three years, with more than 60 per cent reporting the
November 23, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Over 86 per cent of UK motorists think distraction caused by mobile phones has become worse in the last three years, according to the second Safety Culture Survey commissioned by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.  In second place was congestion at 81 per cent, reflecting the increasing number of vehicles on the roads as the recession ends.  

Of the 2,000 UK drivers surveyed, nearly three quarters believed aggressive driving had worsened over the last three years, with more than 60 per cent reporting the same for drug-driving.

The survey asked about the potential car driving problems faced by motorists now compared to three years ago, perceived threats to personal safety whilst driving, support for potential new regulations and many other aspects of motoring life.

Many UK drivers believe the dangers of mobile phones and technology are bigger threats than any other factor on the roads. Some 94 per cent considered drivers checking or updating social media as a threat to their personal safety, while 93 per cent said that was the case for drivers text messaging or e-mailing, and for 91 per cent it was the case for drivers talking on mobile phones.

Some 89 per cent of those surveyed felt people driving after drinking alcohol was a threat to their safety compared to 88 per cent who felt that about those who took illegal drugs and then drove.

There is also huge approval for stricter measures to prevent and reduce drivers using mobile technology in cars, including banning reading or sending text messages, regulating in-car technology to minimise distraction to drivers and prohibiting mobile phone use while driving. Nearly two-thirds agreed that all drivers be encouraged to improve their driving skills by taking advanced driving tuition and passing an advanced driving test.

In the wake of the survey, IAM RoadSmart has also issued road safety tips in time for Road Safety Week, the UK's biggest road safety event.

These include switching off the mobile phone when you get behind the wheel, keeping to the speed limit, always wearing a seatbelt, giving space to motorcyclists, slowing down near schools and in residential areas and not jumping red lights.

Related Content

  • The need to accelerate systems standardisation
    January 31, 2012
    While the US has achieved an appreciable level of success when it comes to implementation of standards-based systems at the urban and intersection control levels, the overall standards implementation effort is not progressing at anywhere near a level commensurate with the size of the country and its population, says Christy Peebles, business unit manager with Siemens Industry, Inc.'s Mobility Division. She attributes the situation to a number of factors: "There's a big element of 'Not Invented Here' syndro
  • Assessing the potential of in-vehicle enforcement systems
    December 4, 2012
    Jason Barnes considers the social and ethical ramifications of using in-vehicle safety technologies to fulfil enforcement functions. Although policy documents often imply close correlation between enforcement, compliance and safety – in part, as a counter to accusations that enforcement is rather more concerned with revenue generation – there is a noticeable reluctance among policy makers and auto manufacturers to exploit in-vehicle safety systems for enforcement applications. From a technical perspective t
  • Driverless cars will be on UK roads within four years, says minister
    October 4, 2018
    Fully driverless cars will enter the UK in three to four years, says transport secretary Chris Grayling at the Conservative Party conference in the city of Birmingham. A report by Reuters says Grayling is committed to ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040. “Newer diesel cars today are cleaner than ever before and of course there will be a role for diesel for many years to come as technology evolves,” Grayling adds. However, OpenText has carried out a survey of 2,000 UK consumers,
  • Internet-connected cars their functionality and safety challenges
    February 27, 2013
    Internet-connected cars are poised to flood the market in the near future. Pete Goldin considers the functionality they offer, the technology they use and the challenge they represent in terms of driver safety. Many vehicles on the road today offer some sort of inter­net connectivity and experts agree that this capability will become a competi­tive differentiator in the automotive industry in the next few years. The era of the digital vehicle, it seems, has started. “We clearly see that cars in the near f