Illegal phone use while driving hits eight-year high
The proportion of drivers admitting to illegal handheld mobile phone use has reached its highest level since 2018, with new research revealing a sharp shift away from voice calls towards activities demanding sustained visual attention – including livestreaming and gaming at the wheel.
The RAC Report on Motoring 2026, based on a nationally representative survey of 2,238 drivers, found 15% now admit to browsing the internet, texting or posting to social media while driving. One in five admit to checking messages or notifications, the highest level since 2016.
One in ten drivers admit to watching or recording video or livestreaming while driving, up from five per cent in 2024. Among under-25s the figure rises to 27 per cent. The only category to show a fall was voice calls, but the RAC warns this does not represent a genuine reduction in risk, as drivers appear to be substituting calls for activities that demand even greater attention.
The conviction data reflects the scale of the problem. Drivers in England and Wales convicted for handheld phone use while driving numbered 40,723 in 2024, up from 36,813 the previous year and the highest since 2016. Department for Transport figures for 2024 record 340 collisions in which a driver using a mobile device was a contributory factor, of which 20 were fatal.
Chief Constable Jo Shiner, the NPCC lead for roads policing, said the rise was “deeply concerning,” particularly among younger drivers, adding: “This is not a minor lapse in judgement, it is dangerous, reckless behaviour that puts everyone at risk and must be challenged through education and enforcement.”
Despite the introduction of pole-mounted cameras capable of detecting phone use inside vehicles, the survey suggests many drivers do not feel at meaningful risk of being caught, concern about the issue has fallen to 19 per cent, down from a peak of 41 per cent in 2016.