The study from road safety charity Brake also estimates that 6.6 million drivers (or 16% of licence holders) have used their phones behind the wheel at some point over the last year – and 1.2 million (3%) do so on every journey they drive.

Two thirds of those questioned agree that Government should act to further limit in-vehicle distraction and three quarters said mobile phone manufacturers should do more to stop phones being used while driving.

The charity is calling for an urgent focus on improving enforcement and a consultation on extending the ban on hand-held mobile phone use to include hands-free.
 
Brake’s director of campaigns Joshua Harris said: “This report reveals the shocking extent of the distraction on our roads. We need the Government to take note of these findings and act to tackle in-vehicle distraction now.”

He added that it is positive to see drivers acknowledge the increasing issue of distraction on the roads and that so many back calls for the Government to tackle the issue.

Vehicle insurer Direct Line, which also worked on the report, said it is “highly concerning” that even with increased penalties and a greater awareness of the dangers and consequences, there is still a large minority of drivers on the UK roads who continue to defy the law and put themselves and others at risk.

The Open University’s senior lecturer in psychology Dr Gemma Briggs says in the report that the problem of distracted driving is not just confined to hand held devices. A driver using a hands free phone, she says, is four times more likely to be involved in a collision than a driver who is undistracted.

Distracted drivers generally are far less likely to spot hazards, she adds, and if they do they take longer to react.

(Photograph: Admin_Design – Shutterstock)