Motorists warned after nine out of ten drivers admit to breaking this strict rule

Daily Record

3 days ago

Drivers could be fined £200 and hit with six points if they are caught breaking the law.
Warnings have been issued after nine out of 10 drivers admitted to not being able to stay off their mobile phones when driving. Despite being against the law, motorists said they can't seem to break the habit of looking at their devices when behind the wheel.
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This is despite the risk of £200 fines and six penalty points if caught. The increased use of advanced roadside cameras is also helping to detect mobile phone use by distracted drivers. Following changes in March 2022, motorists who use a handheld mobile phone while behind the wheel will be deemed to be breaking the law.
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This includes taking photos or videos, scrolling through music playlists, using streaming services, or playing games, as the government closes a loophole previously exploited by dangerous drivers to escape conviction.
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A report from IMS, a global authority in telematics and connected motor insurance technology, has highlighted the problem of mobile phone use while driving.
The research shows that only 10% of motorists manage to drive from start to finish without interacting with their device. The data is based on survey results from 500,000 drivers over the past year, originally shared exclusively with This is Money.
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IMS's CEO Paul Stacy said: 'Our latest findings show the scale of the issue distracted driving has become on British roads and make clear that the vast majority of us are guilty of it.
'The insurance industry is increasingly using smartphone technology to monitor and manage the road risk of policyholders that buy a usage-based insurance product, and from this data, we can see that smartphone distraction remains a significant contributor to road collisions and insurance claims.'
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis continued: 'We saw a reduction in motorists admitting to illegal handheld phone use after the penalties were toughened in 2017 following pressure from the RAC, but numbers are on the rise again now.
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'In fact, our research shows the proportion of young drivers making and receiving calls illegally hit its highest rate in eight years in 2024.
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'Enforcement of the law is critical, so we encourage police forces to roll out more roadside cameras to catch people in the act and get them to change their ways.'
Government data showed that last year, mobile phone use was a contributing factor in 23 road fatalities.
However, official statistics also show that 'distraction or impairment' was the third most common cause of fatal crashes, playing a role in 34.9% of deadly incidents.