Many young drivers admit instant messaging behind the wheel, survey finds

Charity IAM RoadSmart, which commissioned the poll of 2,025 UK motorists, said many inexperienced drivers “struggle to detach themselves from the distractive nature of a smart phone”.

It added that texting, social media use and video calling is “rife” among young drivers.

Some 43% of survey respondents aged 17-24 said they have illegally written or read a phone message while driving in the previous 12 months.

That is compared with 29% of drivers aged 35-44, and 10% of those aged 45-54.

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One in six (16%) young drivers said they had engaged in instant messaging behind the wheel during at least half of journeys.

More than a third (34%) said they have used a handheld phone to record video footage or take a photo when at the controls of a vehicle.

Penalties for illegal phone use were doubled in March 2017 to a £200 fine and six penalty points.

Analysis by IAM RoadSmart found offenders also face “legal, insurance, commuting and re-test” costs totalling up to £12,000.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show 154 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes on Britain’s roads where a driver using a mobile was a contributory factor last year.

IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes said: “A troubling number of young people are not only dicing with death, but they are also putting themselves at huge financial risk giving into the urge of using their smart phone.

“While the fear of missing out appears to be a huge problem when behind the wheel, younger drivers should be far more worried about the implications of illegal phone use.

“Even if the risk of a serious collision isn’t enough to deter this behaviour, losing your licence so early on will stunt your employment chances, disrupt education, and will put you at a significant financial disadvantage.

“It’s almost a decade since the penalties were increased for mobile-phone related driving offences, and we would support upping the fine level once again.

“Perhaps a good place to start might be by matching the fine to the price of a new smart phone.”

A loophole allowing drivers to escape punishment for hand-held phone use if they were taking a photograph or playing a game was closed by new legislation in March 2022.

A DfT spokesperson said: “Using a mobile phone has been a criminal offence since 2022.

“There are tough laws and penalties for anyone caught doing so.

“We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, with our Think! campaign targeting the root causes of dangerous driving, and our road safety strategy – the first in a decade – set to bring more measures.”

– The survey of 2,205 UK drivers was conducted by research company Online95 in September.