AA survey: 54% use phone while driving
A survey by AA found that 54% of motorists confess to chatting, texting and even surfing the net while in control of a car — up from 50% in 2009.
“What is interesting is not so much that the number is high — although it’s obviously alarming — but that the trend is getting worse. That what’s disappointing,” said AA’s Conor Faughnan.
The poll by AA Motor Insurance, conducted last January with 22,000 customers by email, found that 53.8% of motorists admitting using a handheld mobile phone at least occasionally while driving — a rise of 3.4% on May 2009.
Mr Faughnan said around 40%-45% of these drivers said they used a mobile from time to time, but that a subset of 5.9% used a mobile regularly, including nearly 2% on a daily basis.
“There’s a large chunk of people for whom it is not a habit, but occasional, and their behaviour could be improved.
“But there is a subset of around 5% who do it recklessly and that has to be addressed.”
The poll also found a number of other worrying trends:
* 40.7% said they text while driving, up 8.4% on last year.
* 43.3% of women confessed to texting, compared to 38.9% of men.
* 9.3% said they surfed the web via their Smartphone while driving.
* 11.2% of men checked the web while driving, compared to 6.5% of women.
“There is a particular problem in Ireland. We are a nation of phone junkies,” said Mr Faughnan.
“It is a really bad and foolish habit.”
He said driving while using a handheld mobile phone was the second most common penalty point offence in Ireland after speeding.
Figures show that 33,497 people were fined and given penalty points for this offence in 2009 and a further 23,000 motorists in the first eight months of 2010.
Mr Faughnan called on employers not to ring their staff if they know they are on the road and driving and gave the same advice to spouses.
He also told motorists to pull over if they have to make or take a call.
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