Law leads to drop in drivers using phones

Scotland has seen a 30 per cent reduction in drivers using mobile phones at the wheel, although some are still willing to take the risk, according to recent research.
Drivers still admit to taking risks by calling and texting while driving, although the number has fallen since new legislation introduced earlier this year.Drivers still admit to taking risks by calling and texting while driving, although the number has fallen since new legislation introduced earlier this year.
Drivers still admit to taking risks by calling and texting while driving, although the number has fallen since new legislation introduced earlier this year.

Motorists anonymously admitted to several sins including Snapchatting behind the wheel and speeding over the legal limit.

But results, collated by commercial vehicle insurer Stavely Head, have revealed that the number of committed offences has decreased overall since the introduction this year of new legislation cracking down on mobile phone use.

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The new law has had the biggest impact on Scotland. Prior to March 1, when it was introduced, 70 per cent of Scots said they used their phone while behind the wheel. Since the crackdown, that number has reduced to 40 per cent.

The anonymous confessions quiz, which can be found at http://www.staveleyhead.co.uk/assets/confessions-of-the-road/index.html was originally launched in September 2016 when 8,000 motorists took part, revealing some shocking results and proving that action needed to be taken.

On June 1 this year, the test was re-launched to find out if driver behaviour had changed since the government crackdown March 1 and April 24 with an additional 9,600 motorists taking part.

Despite there being a decrease in Scotland, drivers are continuing to call and text while driving and 21 per cent even said they had used snapchat since the new law came in, with seven per cent admitting to having taken a selfie. The results show that Snapchat use is on the rise across the country. Prior to the government crackdown, 28 per cent of motorists said they used Snapchat while driving. Since March 1 there has been a one per cent increase, with 25-34 year olds claiming to be the biggest offenders.

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Ashley Peters, Managing Director at Staveley Head said: “The anonymous confessions data has been gathered solely to raise awareness. We are glad to see that the government crackdown has had an impact on driving behaviour and would hope to see further improvements over time.

“The data proves that bringing in a new law had a positive impact on driving behaviour which is great news.”