A third of Kiwis text and drive – study

Thirty-two per cent of Kiwis said they would text and drive, new research has revealed. The findings come from a Vodafone study, which is working with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, 2degrees and Spark as well as the NZ Police and Auckland Transport to tackle the problem of distracted driving. Vodafone’s study surveyed close to 1000 people. ‘‘We know that it’s safest not to use a phone at all while driving,’’ said Waka Kotahi senior manager for road safety Fabian Marsh. ‘‘Unfortunately, the reality is that phone use by drivers is commonplace in New Zealand and this is a hard behaviour to shift.’’ The research’s results will help the working group to develop solutions to help Kiwis drive more safely.