More than two fifths of recent drivers admit utilizing their cellphone on the wheel

More than two in five young drivers admit to reading or sending a phone message while behind the wheel, a survey has found.

Researchers said inexperienced motorists ‘struggle to detach themselves’ from smart phones, with social media use, texting and video calling ‘rife’.

Some 43 per cent of respondents aged 17 to 24 said they had illegally written or read a phone message while driving in the past 12 months – compared with 29 per cent of those aged 35 to 44 and 10 per cent aged 45 to 54.

One in six youngsters engaged in instant messaging during at least half of their journeys, while 34 per cent used a handheld phone to record videos or take photos. 

Department for Transport data shows 154 people were killed or seriously injured last year in crashes where phone use was a factor.

Charity IAM RoadSmart, which commissioned the poll of 2,025 motorists, said a ‘troubling number are dicing with death’.

Researchers said inexperienced motorists ‘struggle to detach themselves’ from smart phones, with social media use, texting and video calling ‘rife’

The report comes amid the increasing roll-out of AI roadside cameras, which are capable of catching motorists handling their devices behind the wheel. 

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

Therefore, being caught using a device at the wheel could result in a new drivers – who passed their test less than two years prior – losing their licence altogether.  

Loopholes around the ‘legal’ use of phones while driving have in recent years been closed, essentially making it an offence to touch a device for any reason while on the move, or when stopped in traffic.

The only time drivers are permitted to handle their phone is when using smartphone payments at tolls or drive-through restaurants, or to contact the emergency services when there is no safe place for them to pull over.

The road safety campaigner said young motorists who evade losing their licences will suffer financially if caught committing this offence.

A typical 19-year-old male that receives a CU80 endorsement for using a mobile phone whilst driving may find themselves with a whopping £10,675 in additional insurance costs, almost £700 in alternative transport costs, and more than £800 for refresher lessons, new test costs and fines, it said.

To put this into context, the total amount is the equivalent of one year of university tuition, a decent second-hand car or several all-inclusive holidays in Europe.

The report comes amid the increasing roll-out of AI roadside cameras , which are capable of catching motorists handling their devices behind the wheel

Many police forces consider it to be part of the ‘fatal four’, causing significant distraction at the wheel.

The charity said it would support an increase to fines to act as a deterrent for young people.

It suggested ‘matching it to the price of a new smart phone’, which could see drivers stung around £1,000, based on the cost of a new Apple iPhone.

The DfT said it is committed to cutting the numbers of those ‘killed and injured on our roads’, with the Government expected to reveal its Road Safety Strategy imminently.

This is likely to include new requirements for drivers over 70 to pass an eye test every three years, stricter drink-drive limits, a crackdown on uninsured drivers and stricter punishments for those caught in vehicles not wearing a seatbelt.