‘One in four drivers still using handheld phones while driving’

New research by UK motoring association the RAC reveals that nearly one in four drivers still makes or receives calls while driving, despite the doubling of penalties for the offence in March 2017, to six points and a £200 fine. In September 2016 the RAC revealed that the illegal use of handheld mobile phones at the wheel had reached epidemic proportions. Days later the Government announced the penalty for the offence would increase to six points and a £200 fine in a bid to stamp out the dangerous habit.
September 21, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

New research by UK motoring association the RAC reveals that nearly one in four drivers still makes or receives calls while driving, despite the doubling of penalties for the offence in March 2017, to six points and a £200 fine.

In September 2016 the RAC revealed that the illegal use of handheld mobile phones at the wheel had reached epidemic proportions. Days later the Government announced the penalty for the offence would increase to six points and a £200 fine in a bid to stamp out the dangerous habit.

The figure for illegal phone use while driving is down 28.7 per cent on 2016, but 23 per cent of 1,727 drivers questioned for the new survey admitted making or receiving calls at the wheel.

The survey also indicates mobile phone use while stationery has fallen by 20 per cent, with 40 per cent of drivers admitting to using a handheld phone while in stationery traffic.

RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “Twelve months ago our research revealed that the illegal use of handheld mobile phones by drivers was at epidemic proportions – a year on and the situation still remains dire. Despite the law change and some high profile police enforcement campaigns we are in a situation where overall roads policing officer numbers are down on 2016 by a massive 30 per cent since 2007.

"It is clear we have a hard core of persistent offenders who believe they can get away with it by continuing to flout the law every day and we fear this may get worse with fewer dedicated roads policing officers.”

Related Content

  • March 1, 2016
    Convictions up but many still drug-driving
    As the Department for Transport confirms a six-fold increase in the number of people caught drug-driving, a survey by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line Insurance reveals huge numbers of drivers and passengers are still taking dangerous risks when it comes to drugs. The survey indicates that one in 14 drivers, or seven per cent admit they drive at least once a month after having taken drugs.
    Read More
  • February 26, 2015
    IAM responds to illegal phone use study
    The UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists has responded to the Department for Transport study carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) into the prevalence of illegal mobile phone use while driving, saying that the results are disappointing but not at all surprising. The figures show that, in 2014, 1.1 per cent of drivers in England and Scotland were observed holding a phone in their hand with a further 0.5 per cent observed holding the phone to their ear, equating to more than 470,000 motorists
    Read More
  • March 2, 2017
    Double penalties for motorists using mobiles
    From 1 March 2017, UK drivers caught using a phone while driving will face tougher penalties. Under new legislation announced by the Department for Transport, offenders will receive six penalty points on their licence and a £200 fine, up from the previous three points and £100 penalty.
    Read More
  • September 5, 2013
    Drivers with up to 42 points still on the road
    New figures from the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have revealed that motorists with up to 42 penalty points on their licence are still driving on Britain’s roads. Drivers can be banned from the road if they accumulate 12 points on their licence over a three-year period, but there are 8,000 drivers still getting behind the wheel despite having reached or exceeded that number.
    Read More

Highlighted Content