Top road safety figures have lent their backing to new research underscoring the dangers of hands-free phone use while driving.

Evidence suggests that hands-free phone use while driving is as dangerous as physically using a mobile phone

The UK’s roads policing lead and the CEO of The Road Safety Trust are supporting the findings of an Open University (OU) educational project highlighting to police that hands-free phone use while driving is no safe alternative to hand-held use.

The new OU project, entitled ‘We need to talk about hands-free’, uses an interactive video to show just how distracted drivers are when they use their phone behind the wheel.

The Are you a focused driver? project, which features on the OU’s OpenLearn platform, is aimed at police officers and highlights that hands-free phone use while driving is no safe alternative to hand-held use.

A total of 470 officers from England and Wales took part in the task and the research showed that the video changed attitudes to the safety of legal hands-free mobile phone use by drivers dramatically. After taking part, 88% reported that, in future encounters with phone-using drivers, they would explain the dangers of all phone use, not just hand-held use.

The OU research findings have been revealed as a National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) campaign cracks down on people being distracted by their mobile phone whilst driving – and the NPCC is also urging drivers to carefully consider the findings.

While hands-free mobile phone use by drivers is not illegal, a vast body of research has shown it is no safer than hand-held phone use. Existing analysis shows drivers using either a hand-held or a hands-free phone are four times more likely to be involved in a collision, often fail to notice hazards – even when they appear directly ahead of them – and take longer to react to any hazards they do notice.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner, NPCC lead for roads policing, said: “I welcome any research which progresses our understanding of risk and how it can be removed from our roads.”

She added: “This is a positive step forward in terms of preventing harm and reducing fatal and serious collisions. This work should be applauded and carefully considered by everyone who uses the roads.”

Ruth Purdie, chief executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “Evidence shows that hands-free is as dangerous as physically using a mobile phone.

“The cognitive distraction can increase crash risk, reduce hazard detection, and lead to poor situational awareness.

“Therefore, it is vital, as this report highlights, that police officers are not recommending hands-free as a safe alternative to illegally using a hands-free device.

“We hope this project can shine a light on the issue and provide officers the guidance they need when encountering offenders.”

The OU project can also be used by fleets to show the many dangers of hand-held mobile use while driving.

Gemma Briggs, professor of applied cognitive psychology at the OU, said: “Research emphatically demonstrates that hands-free phone use is no safer than hand-held phone use due to the cognitive distraction it causes.

“The problem is not many people realise this, and many resist these research findings.

“This project has highlighted the importance of the advice that is given being focused on safety, not just legality.”

To access the OU interactive video, please click here.