Phone use at the wheel not smart

Research carried out for the UK driver’s association the RAC shows that even tougher new penalties are failing to dissuade those at the wheel from using phones. The research has shown that 60% of drivers believe being the cause of a crash would make them stop using phones while driving. According to the RAC, too many drivers remain unaware of the dangers of cell phone use while behind the wheel. And 86% of drivers admitting phone use at the wheel said they would stop doing so.
July 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Research carried out for the UK driver’s association the 3443 RAC shows that even tougher new penalties are failing to dissuade those at the wheel from using phones. The research has shown that 60% of drivers believe being the cause of a crash would make them stop using phones while driving. According to the RAC, too many drivers remain unaware of the dangers of cell phone use while behind the wheel. And 86% of drivers admitting phone use at the wheel said they would stop doing so. Of note is that a high percentage of drivers still feel it is acceptable to use a phone while sitting in traffic. However this is also illegal.

The study revealed that being responsible for causing crash while using a handheld phone would make 60% of drivers from doing so again. It also showed that 55% of drivers would stop using a cellphone at the wheel after being stopped by a police officer. Meanwhile the threat of points and a fine would make 54% of drivers stop using a phone at the wheel and causing a near-miss while using a handheld phone would stop 53% of drivers from doing so again.

For more information on companies in this article

RAC

Related Content

  • Self-healing roads, slippery roads and slimmer roads
    November 24, 2017
    This month’s bitumen technology pages bring you self-healing roads, slippery roads and slimmer roads and explains why one UK contractor has started manufacturing its own polymer modified bitumen - Kristina Smith reports. Professor Erik Schlangen, who heads up experimental micromechanics at the Delft University of Technology is receiving calls from all round the world these days. And it is hardly surprising because he and his team have invented a great new technology: asphalt that heals itself.
    Read More
  • Improve highway barriers to cope with higher speed
    February 24, 2012
    The UK association Britpave, the British In-situ Concrete Paving Association group, is keen to ensure that the country’s major highways will be able to cope with proposed speed limit increases. According to Britpave much of the UK motorway central reservation barriers may not be fit-for-purpose if the speed limit is increased from112-128km/h (70-80mph) as proposed recently.
    Read More
  • Sounds on road safety
    May 30, 2019
    Listening to loud rock music while driving could have a negative effect on road safety. This is according to research carried out jointly by IAM RoadSmart and the magazine Auto Express. The research used a sophisticated driving simulator system. A test driver sat in the Base Performance Simulator while tackling a simulation of the Red Bull circuit in Austria. As the person drove, loud rock, classical, pop and hip-hop music was played. The trials included different driving scenarios with control at high spe
    Read More
  • Noise camera knowledge is far from sound
    February 7, 2025
    Despite the UK public wanting measures to tackle noisy vehicles, knowledge of noise cameras, such as the SoundVue system from Intelligent Instruments, is low, according to a recent poll.
    Read More

Highlighted Content