A new survey has revealed that over two in five young drivers are illegally reading or sending messages on their phones while driving.
The poll, commissioned by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, surveyed 2,025 UK motorists.
The charity said that many young motorists “struggle to detach themselves from the distractive nature of a smart phone”, adding that texting, social media use, and video calling are “rife” within this demographic.
The findings show that 43 per cent of respondents aged 17-24 admitted to illegally writing or reading a phone message while driving in the past 12 months.
This figure stands in stark contrast to older age groups, with 29 per cent of drivers aged 35-44 and just 10 per cent of those aged 45-54 reporting similar behaviour.
Meanwhile, one in six (16 per cent) young drivers confessed to engaging in instant messaging behind the wheel during at least half of their journeys.
More than a third (34 per cent) said they have used a handheld phone to record video footage or take a photo when at the controls of a vehicle.
Penalties for illegal phone use were doubled in March 2017 to a £200 fine and six penalty points.
Analysis by IAM RoadSmart found offenders also face “legal, insurance, commuting and re-test” costs totalling up to £12,000.
Department for Transport (DfT) figures show that 154 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes on Britain’s roads where a driver using a mobile was a contributory factor in 2024.
IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes said: “A troubling number of young people are not only dicing with death, but they are also putting themselves at huge financial risk giving into the urge of using their smart phone.
“While the fear of missing out appears to be a huge problem when behind the wheel, younger drivers should be far more worried about the implications of illegal phone use.
“Even if the risk of a serious collision isn’t enough to deter this behaviour, losing your licence so early on will stunt your employment chances, disrupt education, and will put you at a significant financial disadvantage.
“It’s almost a decade since the penalties were increased for mobile-phone related driving offences, and we would support upping the fine level once again.
“Perhaps a good place to start might be by matching the fine to the price of a new smart phone.”
A loophole allowing drivers to escape punishment for hand-held phone use if they were taking a photograph or playing a game was closed by new legislation in March 2022.
A DfT spokesperson said: “Using a mobile phone has been a criminal offence since 2022.
“There are tough laws and penalties for anyone caught doing so.
“We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads, with our Think! campaign targeting the root causes of dangerous driving, and our road safety strategy – the first in a decade – set to bring more measures.”
The survey of 2,205 UK drivers was conducted by research company Online95 in September.
