Official Statistics

Seatbelt and mobile phone use surveys: 2021

Driver mobile phone use and seatbelt wearing rates for 2021 (updating previous figures covering 2017).

From:
Department for Transport
Published
28 July 2022

Documents

Mobile phone use by drivers: Great Britain, 2021

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Seatbelt wearing rates: Great Britain 2021

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Seatbelt and mobile phone use data tables

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Seatbelt and mobile phone use methodology report

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Seatbelt and mobile phone use comparison of survey methods

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Details

This publication presents information about the proportion of drivers observed using a hand-held mobile phone and the proportion of drivers and passengers wearing seatbelts whilst driving in Great Britain from a roadside observation survey commissioned jointly between Transport Scotland and Department for Transport.

In Great Britain in 2021, 1.0% of drivers were observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving on weekdays, of which:

  • 0.6% were observed holding the phone to their ear
  • 0.4% holding the phone in their hand

For seatbelts, on weekdays in Great Britain:

  • 94.8% of drivers were observed using a seatbelt
  • 94.6% of front seat passengers were observed using a seatbelt
  • 91.5% of rear seat passengers were observed using a seatbelt

While seatbelt wearing rates remain high overall, the latest road casualty statistics for 2020 show that 23% of car occupant fatalities in reported road collisions were not wearing a seatbelt. This indicates that car occupants who do not wear a seatbelt are disproportionately likely to be killed in road collisions.

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Published 28 July 2022

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