Half of drivers say it is acceptable to use your phone when you are driving, despite new rules coming into force today. A loophole allowing drivers to escape punishment for hand-held phone use if they are taking a photo or playing a game has been closed and new rules ban virtually all hand-held use of mobile phones on Britain’s roads, in what Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described as a “zero-tolerance approach”.
New legislation means making phone calls and texting are not the only functions banned when behind the wheel. Taking photos or videos, scrolling through playlists and playing games are also prohibited.
Anyone caught using their hand-held device while driving could face a fine of up to £1,000 as well as six points on their licence. Department for Transport figures show 17 people were killed and a further 114 were seriously injured in crashes on Britain’s roads in which a driver using a mobile was a contributory factor.
Drivers will still be allowed to use their phones to make contactless payments, such as at drive-thru restaurants, as long as their vehicle is stationary. They can also use their device as a sat-nav if it is secured in a cradle.
But 48% of people surveyed believe it is acceptable to use their phone while driving and 40% of drivers use their phones to navigate and change their route whilst driving.
Research was carried out by Perspectus Global, who surveyed 1,020 UK drivers on behalf of Nextbase to uncover the top worries and distractions of UK motorists.
Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, said: "We welcome the news of updates to these rules to close loopholes around mobile phone use whilst behind the wheel, but the results of our research that nearly half of UK motorists think it is ok to use their mobile phone behind the wheel is really concerning. It is vital that motorists are aware of the dangers that result from using your phone while driving, not least a reduced reaction time when hazards occur unexpectedly.
"Using your mobile whilst driving not only puts yourself and other drivers in more danger, but risks getting an immediate £200 fine if caught. Using a Dash Cam is the best way that motorists can protect themselves from other drivers that undertake this dangerous behaviour as well as protecting themselves from fault."
The survey found 40% of drivers use their phones to navigate and change their route whilst driving and 21.9% admit to changing their music manually on their phone whilst driving. This rises to close to 1 in 3 (31.5%) drivers between the ages of 16-29.
10% of those surveyed have admitted to taking video calls whilst driving, 8% of drivers admit to using their phone behind the wheel to join meetings and 5% of drivers admit to using their phone to check emails and reply to messages whilst driving.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I will do everything in my power to keep road users safe, which is why I am taking a zero-tolerance approach to those who decide to risk lives by using their phone behind the wheel. I’m ensuring anyone who chooses to break this vital law can face punishment for doing so, and we’ll continue our efforts to ensure our roads remain among the safest in the world.”
AA president Edmund King said: “This is a much-needed toughening of the rules to help make our roads safer. The best thing to do is to convert your glovebox into a phone box. We all need to keep our hands on the wheel and our eyes on the road.”
An £800,000 Think! awareness campaign will run until the end of April. An RAC survey of 2,000 UK drivers conducted last week indicated that 43% of motorists are not aware of the changes being introduced, and 45% believe they will not be effective.
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis: “The dial really needs to be turned up when it comes to enforcement, and that means police forces having the resources and technology they need to more easily catch those drivers that continue to flout the law.
“Cameras that can automatically detect handheld phone use exist and are in use in other countries, so we think it’s high time the UK Government evaluated this technology with a view to allowing police forces to deploy it at the earliest opportunity.”
