'Phenomenal' number of drivers caught watching Netflix while behind wheel

People driving while watching Netflix was described as 'frightening'.  Picture: Jenny Kane/AP

A “phenomenal” number of motorists are being caught watching Netflix and other online platforms while driving, a senior garda involved in roads policing has warned.

Inspector Fergal O’Donovan, who is in charge of roads policing in Co Cork, said motorists are also being detected having online meetings on their mobile phones and interacting with others on social media platforms such as Facebook and X.

Insp O’Donovan revealed that the Garda undercover truck, which in particular focuses on detecting drivers using mobile phones, will be in operation on Cork roads in the next few months to target such offenders.

He made his comments when invited to attend a meeting of the East Cork Municipal District Council after several councillors expressed serious concerns about speeding and increasingly poor driver behaviour in their region.

Insp Fergal O'Donovan said a Garda undercover truck will be in operation on Cork roads in the next few months. Picture: Dan Linehan

“I’m astounded to hear people driving are watching Netflix — that’s frightening,” said municipal district chairwoman and Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley.

There is also something out there at the moment [among drivers] that they just don’t care about speed limits.

The inspector said, in the Midleton Garda district alone, more than 700 drivers have been detected speeding, with 95 arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drink and/or drugs this year.

He warned that drink-driving is on the increase and said gardaí are also encountering drivers behind the wheel who have been banned from the roads.

There have been 14 road fatalities in the county since the start of the year, with four in the past two weeks — two each in North and West Cork.

Speeding issues have dominated the municipal district council’s meetings for several months.

Ms Linehan-Foley and Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern said they and their colleagues have been inundated in particular with requests for traffic-calming speed ramps in older estates.

Earlier this month, the Government announced the rollout of roadside cameras to help detect dangerous and distracted driving.

At the launch, James Lawless, the minister of State with responsibility for road safety, called motorists who are using their mobile phones while driving a “scourge”.

Mr Lawless has also hinted that the Road Safety Authority could lose some of its current functions, such as driver and vehicle testing, with a review completed by consultants Indecon offering a range of options for reforms of the organisation.