More than half of drivers want stricter penalties for mobile phone use

As the Government announces plans for increased penalties for those using handheld mobile phones while driving, the UK and Europe’s largest used vehicle marketplace, BCA, reveals the growing frustration of UK motorists towards careless driving habits. Nearly 90 per cent of motorists who responded to a BCA survey of 445 road users said the use of a handheld mobile device while driving was ‘very distracting’, with 95 per cent claiming to have personally witnessed another motorist doing so. And over half (52 p
December 23, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

As the Government announces plans for increased penalties for those using handheld mobile phones while driving, the UK and Europe’s largest used vehicle marketplace, BCA, reveals the growing frustration of UK motorists towards careless driving habits.

Nearly 90 per cent of motorists who responded to a BCA survey of 445 road users said the use of a handheld mobile device while driving was ‘very distracting’, with 95 per cent claiming to have personally witnessed another motorist doing so. And over half (52 per cent) of those surveyed believed that penalties for using a handheld mobile device should be more severe.

However, the BCA data also revealed that there appears to be a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’, with 42 per cent of motorists admitting to having spoken on a handheld mobile device themselves while driving. Over a quarter (27 per cent) admitted to texting while behind the wheel; 13 per cent have taken a photo and six per cent admitted to accessing social media whilst driving.

“The interesting thing about this study is that, whilst almost everybody was happy to vent their indignation at other drivers’ carelessness, a large number also owned-up to the very things that concerned them”, explained Tim Naylor, Editor of the BCA Used Car Market Report.

“But it is clear from our research that there is a groundswell of support for stronger penalties for using a hand-held mobile while driving – whether talking, texting or accessing social media.”

Related Content

  • Road user charging environmentally necessary
    February 27, 2012
    I like it when an otherwise unremarkable evening turns into something which stays in the mind awhile, and enlivened debate has that habit of planting seeds in the mind which over time grow into thinking with much wider application.
    Read More
  • Cost benefit analysis ‘can’t be carried out with a cookbook’
    June 25, 2018
    There is far more to working out the worth of a project than simply filling in a few headings on a spreadsheet. David Crawford surveys some recent thinking from the US and Canada. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) “can’t be carried out with a cookbook”, warns US analyst Professor Robert J Brent. “ You can’t just get out a spreadsheet and fill in the data for all the headings. Each transport CBA should have something that is distinctive, in terms of location (for example, for a rural area), types of user
    Read More
  • Highways England urged to make CCTV of “swerve to avoid” crashes available to insurers
    March 17, 2017
    With distracted driving causing a dramatic rise in ‘swerve to avoid’ crashes, Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA) has welcomed a clarification by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that traffic flow CCTV is not personal data. In a stance criticised by drivers, fleet operators and insurers, Highways England has apparently used the Data Protection Act to justify the deletion of footage after only seven days, even when it might prove liability in a serious accident. It has also cited the cost of st
    Read More
  • Economic crisis needs non-partisan perspectives to stimulate growth
    February 2, 2012
    Kary Witt, President of the IBTTA and Pat Jones, Executive Director and CEO, talk about the need to put aside partisan perspectives in order to deal with the current economic crisis
    Read More

Highlighted Content