Mobile phone use while driving at an 8 year high
It's official, drivers using handheld phones has risen exponentially!
Press Release
Research from the RAC shows that drivers are now illegally using their handheld phones for multiple uses while driving, not just for hands free voice calls. More and more drivers are actually admitting to using their phones for live-streaming, watching or recording video or gaming, texting, or using social media, whilst driving!
Clearly this is a total menace for other road users, but particularly for motorcyclists who already suffer from SMIDSY from not being visible enough and don't need the extra hazard of drivers not watching the road for increasing amounts of time.
Far more drivers surveyed actually admit to breaking the law in this way and since Covid this has now increased to 15%. One in five drivers admit to checking messages and 12% say they have taken a photo or made a video while driving! The rate is highest amongst under 25s – half of them say they have made or received a call without hands free capability and 39% have typed a message or social media post while driving. All this is alongside generally diminishing concern about the issue. It seems that potholes are currently more likely to be writ large as a problem in motorists' minds, rather than mobile phone use.
The number of drivers in England and Wales who have been convicted of using a phone while driving is now a stonking 40,723. These figures have goaded the government into taking action and the fine and penalty points for the offence have doubled taking the fine up to £200 and the penalty points up to 6.
Basically we all live on our phones and more and more of our day to day tasks and communication are done via the phone, making them even more tempting while they are sitting there on the passenger seat as we drive along. This is not such a problem for motorcyclists who are more likely to be physically fully engaged in riding their bikes and not as distracted by the phone, which is harder to use on a bike at best of times.
Have you noticed a lot of mobile phone use going on amongst car drivers? How do you feel about this? Does it just pass you by or do you feel that it has become an increasing hazard for motorcyclists?
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