Be Phone Smart!!

No call or message is worth a life. The distraction of driving on a phone (either held or hands-free) has been shown to be worse than drinking certain amounts of alcohol. Driver reaction times are 30% slower on a hands-free phone than driving with a blood alcohol level of 80mg alcohol per 100ml blood (the current limit in England and Wales), and nearly 50% slower than a driver not on a phone [1]. Drivers on any phone are four times more likely to be in a crash that causes injury.[2] They have slower reaction times and difficulty controlling speed and lane position [3].

Research shows hands-free calls cause almost the same level of risk as hand-held [4]. Brain scanning has confirmed speaking on a hands-free phone makes you less alert and less visually attentive [5]. Laws that only ban hand-held phones mean drivers switch to hands-free phones, so are still distracted [6]. A Brake and Direct Line survey found that, following the UK’s introduction of a ban on using hand-held phones at the wheel in 2003, the proportion of UK drivers using hand-held mobile phones between 2006 and 2014 dropped from 36% to 13%, but those using hands-free rose from 22% to 32% [7].

Messaging, browsing, using apps, or social networking is a huge distraction, as it takes mind, eyes and hands off the road. Messaging drivers have 35% slower reaction times and poor lane control [8] and one large-scale study found they were 23 times more likely to crash than an attentive driver [9]. About half drivers aged 25-34 in a Brake and Direct Line survey admit to messaging, using apps and browsing at the wheel.[10]

In the UK, experts have warned of increasing levels of smartphone addiction by users who are unable to go without checking their phone for short periods or through the night [11]. Even the sound of a mobile phone ringing has been found to cause distraction and increase crash risk [12]. Read more driver distraction facts.