Mobile video calls a danger on UK roads

November 2020

The RAC has warned that the growth in popularity of video calling services, such as FaceTime, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, poses a “new, clear and present danger” on UK roads.

In its annual Report On Motoring, a poll of 3,068 drivers indicated that motorists aged 17-24 are more than twice as likely to make or receive video calls, with the average across all ages being one in 12.

Three in 10 drivers of all ages say they make and receive voice calls on handheld phones while behind the wheel. This is up six percentage points on last year and is the highest proportion since 2016.

Other drivers’ use of handheld phones is the second biggest overall motoring-related concern identified with the state of local roads in first place.

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “The problem of illegal phone use at the wheel has far from disappeared and represents a new, clear and present danger on the UK’s roads in 2020.”

In 2019, there were 637 casualties on Britain’s roads, including 18 deaths and 135 serious injuries, in crashes where a driver using a mobile was a contributory factor.

The Department for Transport says its finalising plans to strengthen the law, adding to the work of its award-winning THINK! campaigns in changing drivers’ behaviour.

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