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

  • Increasing and improving disabled access to public transport
    January 25, 2012
    An overview of European efforts to increase disabled access to public transport, by David Crawford
    Read More
  • Driver aids make inroads on improving safety
    November 12, 2015
    In-vehicle anti-collision systems continue to evolve and could eliminate some incidents altogether. John Kendall rounds up the current developments. A few weeks ago, I watched a driver reverse a car from a parking bay at right angles to the road, straight into a car driving along the road. The accident happened at walking pace, no-one was hurt and both cars had body panels that regain their shape after a low speed shunt.
    Read More
  • Here Technologies: location data sharing needs fundamental rethink
    March 7, 2018
    76% of 8,000 individuals surveyed across eight countries feel stressed or vulnerable about sharing their location data, according to a new study by Here Technologies (Here). The report highlighted concerns that companies are abusing public trust in how they gather and use location data, which it claims will mean a fundamental rethink is necessary to help consumers embrace new services such as autonomous cars. The respondents stated that insufficient controls for management of personal data along with
    Read More
  • CES 2021 | Connecting cities
    March 1, 2021
    Covid-19 forced the Las Vegas Convention Center to close its doors for CES 2021, but the trade show’s online debut suggests the pandemic is helping cities
    Read More

Highlighted Content