The message isn't getting through: nearly half of drivers risk lives for a phone call

Nearly half of drivers are putting lives on the line by chatting on their phones at the wheel, according to a survey out today by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line. Almost half (48%) admit risking their own and others’ safety by chatting on a phone while driving, of which two in three (65%) flout the law by using a hand-held phone, which has been illegal since 2003. A huge proportion (25%) talk on their phone at the wheel at least once a week, suggesting phone addiction is getting the better of many.

Brake and Direct Line are launching a campaign urging drivers to ‘drive smart’ by putting their phones out of sight and out of mind while driving. They are warning that using a hands-free or hand-held phone at the wheel can lengthen reaction times to a similar extent to drink driving [1], significantly increasing the risk of a devastating crash [2]. Hard-hitting billboard adverts by Brake and Blue Hive will be displayed across London next week to get the message across that using a phone while driving can be fatal (previews available from Brake).

Unlike many other types of deadly risk-taking on roads, male and female drivers, young and old, are almost equally guilty of phone use at the wheel, showing widespread misunderstanding of the dangers. Men are slightly more likely to chat on a phone than women (50% compared to 47%) and young drivers are slightly more likely than older drivers (52% compared to 48%). However, far more young drivers than older drivers break the law by using a hand-held phone (41% compared to 30%).

Young drivers are also far more likely than older drivers to use their phones to text, email or surf the web at the wheel. A horrifying 44% of young drivers admit texting at the wheel, compared to 27% of older drivers, while 21% of young drivers email, go online or use apps, compared to 9% of older drivers.

Julie Townsend, Brake deputy chief executive, said: “Use a phone while driving and you are taking a horrendous risk with your own life and the lives of others. Many drivers who wouldn’t dream of drink-driving are using phones while driving, oblivious that the effect on your reaction times can be similar. We’re urging people to drive smart, recognising that phone use at the wheel can and does destroy lives, and no call or text is ever that important. If you need to use your phone urgently, pull over somewhere safe first: it’s as simple as that. We are also calling on the government to do more to tackle phone use at the wheel, including banning hands-free phones and bringing in far stiffer penalties.”

Andy Goldby, Director of Motor Underwriting and Pricing, said: “Driving whilst using a hand-held phone is against the law, yet many drivers continue to flout it. Whilst it is legal to speak ‘hands-free’ it’s just as distracting, and even the slightest distraction whilst driving can have the gravest consequences.

“Much more needs to be done to deter motorists from the dangers of using mobile phones whilst driving, as any action that involves taking your eyes off the road or your mind from the task increases your chance of a collision. Too many people are either still unaware that using a mobile phone can be a major distraction to their concentration while driving, or are simply ignoring the rules of the road. Mobile phones have now become such an intrinsic part of many people’s lives; unfortunately they can also be a way of ending them.”

Recommendations to government

Brake is urging the government to:

• Ban the use of hands-free mobile phones when driving in line with research showing it dramatically increases crash risk.
• Change the law so being caught using a mobile phone while driving results in a disqualification for a minimum 12 month period, to provide a real deterrent from this dangerous behaviour; failing this, at the very least we need a far higher fixed penalty fine for this offence.
• Make traffic policing a national policing priority, to enable an increase in traffic police, enforcing mobile phones offences and providing an effective deterrent to drivers who would flout the law.
• Conduct widespread media campaigns that highlight the dangers of mobile phone use at the wheel, alongside other distractions, and the consequences of causing a serious crash or being caught.
• Incorporate road safety into the national curriculum to ensure the next generation of drivers understands the dangers of using a phone at the wheel.

About the survey

The report is based on a survey of 841 drivers and riders carried out by Brake volunteers, at a range of locations across the UK. Every effort was made to ensure that a wide variety of people responded. Brake thanks all volunteers who helped conduct the survey and collate the results.

For more results from Brake and Direct Line surveys on safe driving, see www.driverpoll.com.

Notes to editors

Brake

Brake is an independent road safety charity. Brake exists to stop the five deaths and 65 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. Brake runs awareness-raising campaigns, community education programmes, events such as Road Safety Week (19-25 November 2012), and a Fleet Safety Forum, providing advice to companies. Brake’s support division cares for road crash victims through a helpline and other services.

Road crashes are not accidents: they are man-made, preventable, violent events that devastate lives. Brake does not use the term accidents because it undermines work to tackle needless casualties and causes insult to families whose lives have been torn apart by road death or injury.

Direct Line

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home, travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line.

Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales no 1179980. U K Insurance Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Direct Line and UK Insurance limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc which is wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0845 246 3761 or visiting 

End notes 
[1] Using a hands-free mobile whilst driving can be more dangerous than drink driving, Transport Research Laboratory, 2009
[2] Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study, University of Western Australia, 2005
[3] ibid