Plymouth drivers still using mobiles at the wheel

A worrying 8 million UK drivers are still using their mobile phone while driving, a new study has shown - including those living in Plymouth*.

Despite the majority of people in Plymouth (93%) knowing it’s illegal to use their phone while driving, people admitted to texting, surfing the net and checking social media at the wheel – some even use dating apps or make an online purchase.

Law firm, Jefferies Solicitors, who commissioned the survey, scarily found that 1 in 5 (22%) of people in Plymouth who have used their phone while driving have done so travelling at speeds between 11-40mph. These findings come to light as the Pokémon Go craze sweeps the nation, once again bringing attention to the use of mobiles at the wheel.

Almost a quarter (22%) of the city’s drivers keep their phone somewhere easily accessible in the car, such as next to the handbrake, while more than two thirds (66%) leave their device in their pocket or handbag –  only 5% keep it safely out of reach, such as on the back seat.

One in three (29%) people in Plymouth see another driver using their phone every day and most (73%) are bothered by this – more than a quarter (27%) go as far as to react, such as shouting, beeping, or gesturing.

Reassuringly though, almost everyone in the area (90%) want a zero tolerance approach to be implemented.

Michael Jefferies, managing director of Jefferies Solicitors comments: “It’s worrying to see that people continue to take risks, despite being aware that using their mobile phone while driving is illegal.  We see a large number of motoring offence claims involving serious injuries or fatalities – and more recently, mobile phone use is investigated following a collision to determine the cause. These types of accidents can easily be avoided if drivers only use their phones when it’s safe to do so.”

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: “Research has firmly established that using a mobile phone while driving adversely affects driver performance and increases the risk of crashing. Drivers who use a mobile phone, whether hand-held or hands-free, are much less aware of what’s happening on the road around them, fail to maintain proper lane position and react more slowly, taking longer to stop.

“Using a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of crashing, and injuring or killing innocent people. Sadly, as this survey shows, many people still use a mobile phone behind the wheel despite it being illegal and dangerous to do so. They don’t seem to consider the consequences of what could happen.”