Number of young drivers illegally using phones behind the wheel reaches eight-year-high

The proportion of young drivers illegally making and receiving phone calls behind the wheel without hands-free technology is at its highest rate in eight years – 21 years after it first became punishable by law* – according to new data from the RAC.**

Figures from the RAC’s 2024 Report on Motoring show half (55%) of drivers under 25 admitted to making and receiving voice calls behind the wheel, compared to 27% of the overall driving population and just 16% of those aged 65 or older. This is up six percentage points on 2023 and three percentage points since 2016 when the data was first recorded.

Four-in-10 (43%) younger motorists also said they have listened to a voice note while driving without using hands-free while 40% have recorded such a message. The corresponding rates for the overall driving population are just 14% and 9% respectively.

The findings come 21 years after the Government first made it an offence to use a handheld mobile phone or similar device while driving – and more than two years since it closed a loophole that previously meant drivers could escape punishment if they could demonstrate they weren’t using the phone for ‘interactive communication’.***

Looking at other types of handheld phone use by motorists across all age groups, 15% of all drivers have checked messages on their phones, and one-in-10 (10%) say they have used their phones to write texts, emails or social media posts while driving. Alarmingly, there has been a particularly notable increase in drivers taking photos and/or recording videos: in 2024, almost one-in-10 drivers (8%) admit to having done so in the past 12 months, up from 5% in both 2023 and 2022.

Non-compliance with the law is again significantly higher among younger drivers, with 39% of under-25s having checked messages manually when driving while almost a third (30%) have taken a picture or recorded a video, a steep increase on 2023’s 19%. Meanwhile, 40% of under-25s have made or received a video call while driving, up from 30% in 2023 and 17% in 2022.

A pressing need to dial down handheld phone use

A fifth (22%) of all drivers questioned for the RAC’s 2024 Report on Motoring said other drivers using handheld mobile phones behind the wheel is one of their top motoring concerns, representing the report’s sixth biggest overall concern.

When it comes to what to do to curtail dangerous handheld phone use, more than three-quarters of all drivers (77%) say they would like to see the widespread introduction of cameras designed to detect illegal phone use at the wheel, a rate that falls only slightly to 67% among the under-25s. This year, Devon and Cornwall Police trialled the UK’s first free-standing AI camera which caught almost 300 drivers in the first three days.****

Meanwhile, 91% of all drivers agree there is ‘never any excuse’ for using a handheld mobile phone – other than to call 999 in an emergency when it is not safe to stop, as is legally permitted.

Home Office figures published last week showed that the number of fines for using a handheld mobile phone while driving increased by a third (33%) last year, from 27,776 in 2022 to 36,842 in 2023. This is likely due to a change in the law in 2022 that broadened the scope of the offence.*****

There were 23 fatalities on the UK’s roads in 2023 where a driver using a mobile phone was deemed to be a contributing factor in the collision, up from 18 in 2019. In addition, distraction and impairment is a factor behind more than a third (34.9%) of all fatal collisions according to the latest official figures.******

RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis said: “It’s extremely concerning that despite now having a ‘zero tolerance’ handheld phone law in place, an increasing number of young drivers appear to be using their phones to call, text, voice note or even video chat while operating a vehicle.

“We suspect a major reason for this is drivers not believing they are likely to be caught. But hopefully, growing use of AI cameras which allow police to detect drivers breaking the law will get the message across that offenders will be caught and punished with six penalty points and a £200 fine. For young drivers who passed their tests in the last two years, this means losing their licences.

“Anyone who uses a mobile phone at the wheel in any way is not just risking their own lives, but those of their passengers and all other road users. The only ‘screentime’ drivers should have in the car is looking through the windscreen as they focus on the road.”

Nicholas Lyes, Policy and Standards Director for IAM RoadSmart, said: “Using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel is dangerous and unlawful, and could cost you or someone else their life. Even a momentary distraction can be disastrous, and it is deeply concerning to see that an increasing number of young people are using their phones while driving – particularly to make a video or to take a photo. Almost one in five drivers killed on our roads are aged 17-24, so action needs to be taken, not just by the police, but by drivers themselves who hold a great deal of responsibility behind the wheel.”