New mobile phone use while driving data, from the Department for Transport (DfT), shows that van drivers are twice as likely to use a hand-held device.
The annual report, based on a roadside survey carried out in autumn 2021, revealed that in Great Britain 1% of drivers were observed using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, with 0.6% observed holding the phone to their ear and 0.4% holding the phone in their hand. However, it found a higher proportion of van drivers (1.9%) were observed using a mobile phone while driving, compared to 0.8% of car drivers. This was a similar pattern to the previous surveys in 2017 and 2014.
The highest proportion of drivers using a hand-held mobile phone while driving in 2021 was for heavy goods vehicles (2.2%). However, the number of vehicles other than cars and vans observed was relatively low (for example, only 472 taxi or private hire vehicles were observed in a total sample of 26,497).
