Almost one in three (30% ) drivers admit to using their mobile phone while driving.
Of this 30%, almost half of them (46% ) admit to occasionally using their mobile phones without hands-free, equating to 14% of drivers. Half of those who use their phones when driving will only do so on hands-free, and a further 4% say that they will always pull over if they need to use the phone for any reason.
Of those who admitted to using their phones when driving, the highest percentage are in the 25-44-year age group at 40%, with those who are aged 55+ less likely to do so at 20%, with the findings broadly similar for both men and women at 29% and 31% respectively. These are some of the stark findings of a nationwide survey* of 1,000 adults, 879 of whom are drivers, conducted recently on behalf of Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC (Aviva ).
Of the 50% who only ever use their mobile phone hands-free when driving, the highest percentage was amongst those aged 55+ at 74%.
Those who admitted to either occasionally using it without hands-free or because they don’t have hands-free was highest amongst those aged 25-34-years at 61% and 11% respectively.
Checking maps and directions is the most common used feature of mobile phones when driving amongst 79% of respondents. This is followed by 38% who check text messages, 35% who send text messages, 30% who send voice notes, 19% check emails, with 14% checking social media and 6% sending emails.
The Aviva survey found that:
Of those who use their phones while driving, the percentage who check maps and directions, whilst high across all the age cohorts, is highest amongst those aged 25-34-years at 89% and amongst women at 84% (men: 73% )
Those in the 25-34-year age cohort also recorded the highest frequency of sending text messages (53% ), checking emails (34% ), and sending emails at 11%.
Checking text messages (45% ), sending voice notes (68% ), and checking their social media (59% ) was highest amongst the youngest age cohort of 18-24-years.
More men claimed they use their phones to check text messages (41% ), check emails (27% ), send emails (10% ) and check their social media (15% ), with more women checking text messages (45% ) and sending voice notes at 37%.
Wearing inappropriate footwear
The research also found that 49% of drivers have at some stage worn inappropriate footwear when driving. Almost 1 in 4 (24% ) admitted to wearing flip flops while driving, 17% have worn slippers, 15% have done so in bare feet, while 13% have worn platform boots or shoes and the same percentage have worn wellies. Other inappropriate footwear recorded include 8% who have worn stilettos and 2% who have driven while wearing a foot or ankle cast.
