Mobile phone use by young drivers on the rise, RAC finds

YOUNG drivers are increasingly using mobile phones at the wheel, RAC research has found, as it warned that increased fines were not an effective deterrent.

Drivers aged between 25 and 34 admitted a range of dangerous activities involving a hand-held phone, with nearly half (47 per cent) saying they made or received calls while driving. This was up by seven per cent on 2017.

Across all age groups, 25 per cent of drivers said they used their mobile phone while driving, up from 24 per cent last year. It is not just phone calls that are the problem, the research found, as more than a third of drivers aged 25 to 34 (36 per cent) also send texts, social media posts or emails while driving, compared to just 16 per cent of drivers in all age groups.

Harsher punishments introduced in 2017 mean drivers can get six penalty points on their licence and a £200 fine for using a hand-held phone. Those who have passed their driving test in the last two years can lose their licence.

However, the research will raise fears that the stricter rules are not working because drivers are rarely caught. Most cameras on roads are set up to catch speeding.

Pete Williams, the RAC road safety spokesman, said: “While the introduction of tougher penalties for hand-held phone use at the wheel was absolutely the right thing to do, we fear any benefits have run their course with this data showing illegal use is now rocketing among some groups of drivers.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Our Think! campaigns continue to have a positive impact on road users, encouraging safer behaviour to reduce the number of people killed and injured.”