Official Statistics

Mobile phone use by drivers: England 2023

Published 30 May 2024

Applies to England and Scotland

About this release

This release provides an overview of the proportion of drivers observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving in England, from a roadside observation survey carried out in autumn 2023, with links to related information including self-reported use.

A different observation method was used in 2023.  Results are therefore not comparable with previous surveys.

These are official statistics. For more information, see the About these statistics section.

Headline figures

These statistics show, for weekdays in England in autumn 2023:

• 0.3% of all vehicle drivers were observed using a mobile phone whilst driving (a similar proportion to that for Scotland based on data collected in early 2024)

• 0.6% of van drivers were observed using a mobile phone whilst driving, compared to 0.2% of car drivers

• males, and drivers estimated as aged 17 to 29, were more likely to be observed using a mobile phone while driving than females and drivers estimated as being aged 60 or over respectively

• based on data for a small selection of sites, a higher proportion of drivers (0.8%) were observed using a mobile phone during the evening (6pm to midnight)

These estimates are lower than those shown by previous surveys, though the groups with relatively higher phone use are broadly similar.  This could reflect changes in the survey method used for the 2023 survey, as described in the quality and methodology section below.

Things you need to know

Context

Research has shown that using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is a distraction and increases the risk of the driver crashing. This is one of a number of potential driver distractions.

Background

Since 2002, the Department for Transport has commissioned surveys of driver mobile phone use. The results of the mobile phone survey can be used to assess compliance with the legislation in Great Britain.  These ad-hoc observational surveys, conducted every 4 to 5 years, compliment self-reported phone use while driving from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, and more in-depth research. For the 2023 surveys, a different collection methodology was used which means comparison with previous years is not advised.

Definition

Within this report, a hand-held mobile phone (or mobile phone) is used to mean a hand-held device that is being held by the driver at the time of observation. The driver may be receiving or making a call, texting or reading a text, or using it for some other interactive function. It was not possible for observers to determine what the mobile phone was being used for, but a distinction was made between drivers holding the phone to their ear or holding it in their hand. No data was collected on hands-free use of mobile phones whilst driving.

Methodology

For the core survey, observations of driver mobile phone use were made from static images captured at a total of 25 sites across England during October and November 2023.  Sites were surveyed once each on a weekday (either morning or afternoon) for a period of 6 hours, and a representative sample of observations analysed.  Further details are in the quality and methodology section and the accompanying technical report. 

Equivalent data were collected for 5 sites in Scotland during February 2024, and this is presented alongside the England data for comparison.  Data for 3 sites in England during the evening period was also collected during February 2024, to provide an initial indication of differences in wearing rates between daytime and evening periods.

Coverage

All results are for weekdays.  Further figures are available in the accompanying data tables.

Overall phone use while driving

In autumn 2023, 0.3% of all vehicle drivers were observed using a mobile phone whilst driving on weekdays in England.  Based on data for early 2024, overall rates of phone use by drivers were estimated to be broadly similar in Scotland to those for England.  

These figures are lower than those shown in previous surveys, but as noted above direct comparisons should be avoided due to the changes in survey methods.  In broad terms, driver phone use has tended to fall following legislative changes, and then increase as illustrated in the 2021 survey report. The latest survey was carried out in autumn 2023, following changes to the legislation from March 2022.  However it is not possible to conclude whether the lower rate of phone use observed in 2023 reflects a genuine change, is a result of the different methodology or reflects random fluctuations.

The majority of phone use observed was where the phone was in the hand (0.2% of drivers, compared with 0.1% where the phone was held to the ear).

Data on self-reported driver mobile phone use is collected as part of the Crime Survey for England and Wales. The latest figures are for 2019 to 2020. Overall, 46.9% of drivers reported using a mobile phone while driving or stationary in traffic in the last 12 months, though this was mostly via Bluetooth, voice command or a dashboard holder, with 6.4% reporting using a phone in their hand. The equivalent figures for the previous year were 42.1% and 5.5% respectively.  This data is not directly comparable with the observational surveys covering a single moment in time, but provides an alternative source for monitoring trends.

By vehicle type

A higher rate of phone use was observed for van drivers than for car drivers.   Although these figures are not comparable with previous surveys, this pattern was also seen in the 2021, 2017 and 2014 surveys.

There was no phone use observed for bus, coach or minibus drivers.  Again, this was comparable to previous surveys, although the sample size for this vehicle type was relatively small (268 vehicles observed).

Chart 1: Hand-held mobile phone use by country and vehicle type, England (autumn 2023)

Vehicle type	% drivers using mobile phone
Car	0.20%
Van (light goods vehicle)	0.62%
Lorry (heavy goods vehicle)	0.29%
Bus, coach or minibus	0.00%
All vehicles	0.28%

By sex and age

Driver sex and age were coded from images and the difficulties in estimation of age group or sex from images should be kept in mind.  In particular, the proportion of older drivers observed in the 2023 survey was lower than in surveys where roadside observation was used, and this may have impacted on the results shown here.

In England in 2023, a higher proportion of male drivers (0.3%) were observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving than female drivers (0.2%). For car drivers, the rates were lower (0.2% compared to 0.1%).    

Amongst all vehicle drivers and car drivers, the highest proportion of drivers observed using a mobile phone in England was the group estimated as aged 17 to 29 with a much lower proportion observed for those estimated 60 or older.

Chart 2: Hand-held mobile phone use by age group, England, autumn 2023

Driver age group	All vehicles	Cars
Younger (17 to 29)	0.45%	0.29%
Middle (30 to 59)	0.30%	0.22%
Older (60 and over)	0.11%	0.05%

These findings are broadly in line with previous surveys, and with self-reported mobile phone use as collected via the Crime Survey for England and Wales RAS51106 which show that, based on all phone use while driving (including via Bluetooth, voice control or a dashboard holder, as well as in hand) that for the year 2019 to 2020, 49.7% of males reported using a mobile while driving, compared to 43.8% of females.

The same data showed 59.5% of those aged 25 to 29 reported using a phone while driving, compared to 36.3% of those aged 50 and over.

By time of day

In the 2023 surveys, for the first time the survey method allowed observation to take place during the evening period (6pm to midnight).  To explore the impact on driver phone use, a small selection of 3 sites were re-surveyed during the evenings only in February 2024.

This showed that driver phone user appeared to be higher during the evening than for the same sites when surveyed during the day. 0.8% of drivers were observed using a phone between 6pm and midnight, compared with 0.3% for the same sites when surveyed as part of the main daytime survey, although the differing survey month should also be kept in mind. In addition, this comparison is not weighted to allow for traffic flows.

The same broad patterns as noted above, for example higher phone use by van drivers compared to car drivers, and for males compared to females, were also observed for the evening survey.  In all cases there were higher rates of phone use than during the equivalent sites when surveyed during daytime.

Other variables

A range of other variables were captured in the observational survey.  The main points are summarised here, with further detail in the accompanying data tables.

Presence of passengers.  Driver mobile phone use was observed to be lower with passengers present at 0.2% of all vehicle drivers for England, compared with 0.3% where no passengers were observed.  This is in line with previous surveys.

Road type.  In general, the proportion of drivers observed using a mobile phone was higher for major roads (0.3% of all vehicle drivers in England) compared to minor roads (0.2%) and for urban roads than rural roads (0.3% compared to 0.2%).  However, the opposite was observed for van drivers, where for the proportion using phones on minor roads and rural roads was notably higher than for major roads and urban roads respectively. 

There are some differences here compared to previous surveys which may reflect changes in traffic patterns post-pandemic, random variation or changes to survey methodology.

Related information

Self-reported mobile phone use while driving

These statistics are based on observation of driver mobile phone use.  Other evidence is available from surveys of self-reported mobile phone use, including the Crime Survey for England and Wales (see data table RAS51105)

More in-depth ad-hoc surveys are also conducted to support policy development, for example research into the use of mobile phones while driving carried out in 2022.

Attitudes to mobile phone use while driving

The National Travel Attitudes Survey (NTAS) includes a series of questions related to road safety topics, including mobile phone use.  In the latest wave of the survey, most respondents reported a good understanding of the law on mobile phone use while driving.

Mobile phone use as a contributory factor in collisions

Data on contributory factors in reported personal injury road collisions is published annually as data tables alongside the reported road casualties Great Britain report. 

In 2022, 22 people were killed and 652 injured in road traffic collisions in Great Britain where the driver was assigned the contributory factor of using a mobile phone (table RAS0701).  This compares with 85 deaths and 4,103 injuries in collisions where ‘distraction in vehicle’ was recorded as a contributory factor.

It should be noted that figures for contributory factors relate to collisions where a police officer attended the scene and recorded at least one factor, which in their judgement, contributed to the collision.  It may be difficult for a police officer to identify certain factors that may have contributed to a collision after it has occurred, which should be kept in mind when interpreting these figures, which could be underestimates.

Mobile phone offences

Statistics on prosecutions for mobile phone offences are included in the ‘motoring data tool’ published annually by the Ministry of Justice as part of their criminal court statistics.

In 2023, there were 15,300 prosecutions for ‘using or causing others to use a handheld mobile phone whilst driving’.  This number fell steadily for a decade, from 35,300 in 2010 to 4,900 in 2020, but since 2020 has increased. 

Quality and methodology

Survey methodology

Full details of the 2023 survey methodology are available in the accompanying technical report.

Observational surveys of mobile phone used have been carried out since 2002, with a reduced frequency from 2009 onwards. Over this period the survey methodology including areas sampled and sites selected has changed several times.  All surveys up to 2017 were based on roadside observation, and for the 2021 survey, a video-based approach with the same survey sites was used in an attempt to modernise the collection method.  Although the survey methods evolved, the broad approach was consistent. 

For the 2023 survey, there was a more radical departure from the established survey collection method, where data was collected via an infra-red camera, mounted to a survey vehicle.  This camera captured images of passing vehicles, which were then reviewed at a later stage to record any phone use, as well as estimating age and sex of the driver and front seat passenger.  

The use of this survey vehicle meant that changes were required to the survey sites.  A smaller number of sites in England (25, rather than 60) were surveyed once each during October and November 2023.  However each site was surveyed more intensively (with a greater proportion of vehicles observed), so that the overall number of observations analysed was greater than in past surveys.  An additional 5 sites were surveyed in Scotland during February 2024.  

As in previous years, an attempt was made to select sites in different areas of the country, and on different types of road.  While attempts were made to achieve a representative selection, there were some constraints related to the operation and storage of the survey vehicle.  More detail is available in the accompanying technical report.

For the mobile phone surveys, results are based on moving sites, those where observations are made of moving vehicles in traffic. The 2023 survey approach involved analysis of two images of each vehicle, which capture a snapshot at a single point in time but allow for re-review and identification of behaviour which may initially appear as phone use.  This compares with previous roadside identification, where observers could observe a vehicle as it moved, but only had one chance to capture the observation.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths. These observational studies provide an indication of the extent of mobile phone use by drivers in traffic at any one time, rather than relying on self-reporting.  They allow any large changes in driver phone use to be detected and allow monitoring of broad trends over time contributing to understanding the scale of driver phone use.

The image-based approach used in 2023 has the advantage of allowing cross-checking for quality assurance, particularly for observations of non-compliance.  As a result, it is less likely that there are false observations of phone use, and this may be one reason why the 2023 figures show a lower prevalence of phone use than in previous surveys.

Although overall a relatively small proportion of vehicles were observed which means results are subject to sample variation, particularly for smaller subsets (for example particular vehicle types), the survey method in 2023 allowed a greater number of vehicles to be analysed than in previous surveys.

The use of an infra-red cameras allows data to be captured during evening time periods, where roadside observation is not practical, which provides an insight into how phone use might differ throughout the day.

Limitations. Caution is required in interpretation of these results, based on the data collection methods used.  

For the 2023 survey, the use of a distinct marked survey vehicle may have impacted on the propensity of drivers to use a mobile phone in its vicinity and the images analysed represented only one snapshot at a point in time.  While work was done to attempt to explore this effect, it remains hard to determine the extent to which 2023 results may have been influenced by this factor.

In general, as the number of observations of driver phone use are rare, smaller changes or differences between groups should be interpreted carefully and the value of the survey is in detecting larger changes for bigger subgroups at national level.

Some observer judgement is required – either at the roadside or, in 2023, for image analysis.  Cross-checking was carried out to understand this, which showed that, for example, the estimation of age varied across coders to a larger extent than the recording of sex.  There is also evidence that the proportion of older drivers was lower than compared with previous roadside surveys (up to 2017), and the vehicle mix was also somewhat different (with fewer taxis observed).  While this could reflect changes in the traffic mix at different survey sites and post-pandemic, the observation method may also have had an impact.  

Finally, while an attempt was made to select a representative set of sites, covering different road types (major and minor roads with different speed limits) in urban and rural areas in different parts of the country, as noted above, the practicalities of data collection meant that it was not possible to survey as many sites as in previous surveys.  In particular, some types of site (in the middle of urban areas, or with low traffic flows) were excluded.  This is likely to impact on the extent to which results can be considered representative of the country as a whole.

Background information

Legislation on mobile phone use whilst driving

In December 2003, legislation was introduced making it illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving or riding a motor vehicle on the road. Drivers caught using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving may be issued with a fixed penalty notice with points on the driving licence and a fine.

In February 2007, the penalty for using a mobile phone whilst driving increased from a £30 fine to a £60 fine and three driving licence points. These fines increased to £100 in 2013 and then again to £200 and 6 penalty points in March 2017, with a maximum fine of £1,000 (£2,500 if driving a lorry or bus) if the case goes to court. If a case goes to court, the driver or rider may be disqualified from driving or riding.

Drivers or riders can use hands-free phones, sat navs and 2-way radios when driving or riding. However, if the police think the driver or rider is distracted and not in control of their vehicle they could still get stopped and penalised. Further information on the law on using a mobile phone whilst driving can be found in the legislation and on gov.uk.

About these statistics

These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

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Contact details

Road safety statistics

Email roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk