The vast majority (93%) of motorists still see widespread illegal use of mobile phones on the road despite the ban on hand-held mobile phones having been in effect for 20 years.

8% of drivers admitted to using a phone at the wheel, rising to 14% amongst 35–44-year-olds

The research, carried out by the AA Charitable Trust, found that 8% of drivers admitted to using a phone at the wheel, rising to 14% amongst 35–44-year-olds.

And about half of motorists (49%) of drivers think it’s unlikely they will get caught using a handheld mobile phone while driving/riding, according to government research.

On 1 December 2003, legislation was introduced making it illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving on the road. Drivers caught using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving may be issued with a fixed penalty notice with points on the driving licence and a fine.

Rises in fines mean that the penalty for using a mobile phone whilst driving now stands at £200 and six penalty points, with a maximum fine of £1,000 (£2,500 if driving a lorry or bus) if the case goes to court and a possible disqualification from driving or riding.

In 2022, a loophole in the law where you can drive, take photos, videos or play games was closed – it means that anyone driving and using a handheld device in any capacity could receive a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence. Under this penalty, drivers who passed their test in the last two years will lose their licence and need to re-take the test.

The number of fixed penalty notices for using a phone has decreased dramatically from 162,400 in 2011 to 19,700 last year but the AA Trust questions whether this is down to better compliance or less enforcement. It is estimated there has been a 20% decrease in dedicated traffic police over the last decade. In 2022 in addition to the 19,700 fixed penalties some 4,336 were convicted at court with an average fine of £197.

Government data for 2020 reveals that 17 people were killed and 499 injured in road traffic collisions in Great Britain where the driver was using a mobile phone. This compares with 55 deaths and 3,119 injuries in collisions where ‘distraction in vehicle’ was recorded as a contributory factor.

Although ultimately the responsibility lies with drivers to abide by the law, the AA says the fact that almost half of drivers think it unlikely they will be caught shows we need more targeted high-profile police campaigns. Several successful campaigns have used police in HGVs making it easier to spot offenders in other vehicles.

New cameras, using AI, aimed at catching drivers using their mobile phone behind the wheel are proving successful in police trials – and the AA Trust says they should be rolled out as soon as practical.

The research suggests that some people are addicted to their phones as evidenced by people walking the streets glued to their phones. In a 2017 poll for the AA Charitable Trust (based on 17,979 drivers) more than half of young drivers (51%) said they couldn’t bring themselves to turn off their phones before driving; nor could 21% of the general driving population.

Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “It is tragic that 20 years on people are still being killed and seriously injured on our roads due to selfish drivers using their phones. Despite high-profile campaigns from ourselves, government and others, the use of phone is still not as socially unacceptable as drink driving. This is despite our previous research that you’re twice as likely to crash text driving as you are drink driving. You wouldn’t drink and drive. Don’t text and drive.”