57%ofni drivers have used phone at the wheel

Survey also reveals 15% confessed to checking sat nav on their mobiles

AROUND one in eight drivers in Northern Ireland have admitted to texting while behind the wheel, according to a new survey.

The Road Safety Issues in Northern Ireland 2019-20 report, published yesterday, also revealed that nearly three-fifths (57%) of all drivers confessed to using their phone in some capacity while driving.

Around one in 11 (9%) admitted to making a hand-held call while driving, it found.

The report is produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) and is covered under the 2019-20 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) which engaged with 9,000 households here.

Aside from making a call, the next most common action when behind the wheel by those surveyed was to use their phone for sat nav or music (15%), followed by having a quick check of the phone (9%) and texting (5%). Checking e-mail, social media or internet (2%) made up the rest of the other responses.

The findings come as stiffer penalty points and fines for those using a mobile phone while driving came into force earlier this month. The new tougher rules, which brought Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK where the laws were changed in 2017, see anyone caught using a hand-held mobile phone receive six penalty points on their licence and a £200 fine.

If drivers are caught a second time — or accrue 12 points on their licence — they will face a court hearing, disqualification and fines of up to £1,000.

Newly-qualified drivers, who have a ceiling of six points for the first two years after passing the test, will face an immediate ban.

The report records the top three risks stated by respondents of using a mobile phone while driving were being more likely to cause a crash (94%), being more likely to be involved in a crash and being less likely to notice a danger ahead (both with 86%).

Just under half (49%) of those surveyed believe that drivers were likely to be stopped by police for using their mobile phone while driving. And over two thirds (69%) of respondents correctly identified that the police penalty for being caught was a fine plus penalty points.

Almost three-fifths (59%) of those surveyed, however, believed that this penalty should be increased.

The report also found that those living in the most deprived areas and those aged 65 or over were less likely to have used a phone — 52% and 27% respectively — while driving in the last 12 months.

The majority of respondents (90%) also correctly discerned that the presence of street lights generally means that the speed limit is 30 miles per hour in the area.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon, in announcing the stiffer penalties — which came into effect on February 3 — insisted that “distraction while driving is one of the main causes of road traffic collisions on our roads”.

“Many of those collisions are causing serious injury and some resulting in loss of life,” she said.

“My message couldn’t be clearer — drive responsibly, put your phone down or risk losing your licence. This is not a minor offence and you will not get away with it.”

‘Put your phone down, this is not a minor offence’