Millennial motorists being driven to distraction

A shocking 37% of both male and females admit to getting distracted by their smartphones while driving, in a study by The Car People.

Road safety campaigners will be worried these figures mean the message about the dangers of using a handheld device while driving is not getting through.

Passengers are the second biggest distraction for younger drivers, with 27% of men and 30% of women admitting that talking in the car disrupts them.

Changing the car radio is a distraction for a quarter of younger male drivers, while just over a quarter (26%) of female drivers get side-tracked by children fighting in the backseat.

READ MORE: Mobile phone driving laws — your questions answered

Other distractions for millennial motorists include looking in the mirrors, using the vehicle controls and trying to work out sat-nav directions.

One in five men (20%) even admit to a wandering eye when driving, compared to just one in 20 (5%) woman whose attention is diverted by attractive pedestrians.

Tougher punishments for drivers using their phones behind the wheel were introduced in March 2017, with offenders now facing six penalty points and a £200 fine if caught.

SEE ALSO: 13 driving myths uncovered

To help combat phone use on the roads, the RAC has set up the Be Phone Smart campaign, an initiative aimed at raising awareness on the dangers of using a phone while driving.

Speaking earlier this summer, RAC safety spokesman Pete Williams called on the government to use more innovative ways to tackle the problem.

He said: “We fear there is a proportion of drivers who simply feel that continuing to use a hand-held phone while also trying to do something as demanding as driving is in some way 'safe', when all the evidence shows otherwise.”

Copyright Press Association 2018. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated.