More drivers admit to using a handheld mobile phone to browse the internet, text or use social media than at any point since 2018, detailed new RAC research shows.
The proportion of drivers who admit to these dangerous and illegal activities while behind the wheel has now increased every year since the Covid pandemic to reach 15%, having last been that high in 2018 (15%) and then falling to a low of 7% in 2021.
One-in-five drivers (20%) also admit to checking messages or notifications, the highest level since 2016, and 12% say they have taken a photo or recorded a video with their phone while driving, up from 8% in 2024 and the highest rate since 2019.
The RAC’s detailed research on the problem also found an increase in the percentage of drivers who say they have watched or recorded a video or livestreamed while at the wheel in the past 12 months, up from 5% in 2024 to almost one-in-10 (9%) this year. The rate is highest among the under-25s, rising to 27% from 23% in 2024. Among those aged between 25 and 44, there has also been a sharp increase in admitted livestreaming, from 10% two years ago to 17% this year.
The only type of activity involving a handheld mobile that has seen a reduction this year is the proportion of drivers who admit to making or receiving voice calls – the figure now stands at 20%, down from 27% in 2024 and 23% in 2019.
Younger drivers are by far the most likely age group to engage in illegal mobile phone use. Half – 49%, compared to 20% overall – say they have made or received a call without a hands-free kit, and 39% have typed a message or social media post while behind the wheel, up from 27% in 2024 and 2025. Four-in-10 (42%) admit to making or receiving video calls while driving – the highest level the RAC has ever recorded – while 30% have taken a photo or filmed a video. More than a fifth (22%) say they have played a game on their phone while driving, which is again a record high proportion.
All these increases coincide with motorists’ general concern about handheld mobile phone use actually diminishing. In the RAC’s 2026 research, concern about the problem – compared to other common motoring issues like potholes and fuel prices – is down to 19%, having peaked at 41% in 2016 when it was drivers’ top motoring worry. When these figures were published in the RAC Report on Motoring 2016, they prompted the Government to take action, doubling the fine and penalty points for the offence to £200 and six licence points early the next year.
Worryingly, the latest government road casualty data covering 2024 shows that a driver using a mobile device was a factor in 340 road collisions in 2024, of which 20 were fatal.** In addition, the number of drivers in England and Wales convicted for using a handheld mobile phone while driving is at its highest level since 2016 – the figure now stands at 40,723 for 2024, up from 36,660 in 2017 and 36,813 in 2023.***
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said:
“Our research shows there’s been a marked increase in the proportion of drivers – especially the young – admitting to using handheld mobile phones behind the wheel for all sorts of risky activities, including posting on social media and even livestreaming. The penalties if caught might be tougher now than they were in the past, but they clearly aren’t enough to stop a lot of drivers brazenly using their phones illegally.
“The fact fewer people admit to making and receiving voice calls should be a good thing, but in reality, all that’s happened is that this activity has been replaced by ones that are equally, if not more dangerous. So, in many ways some drivers’ use of handheld phones while in the car is simply mirroring the ever-increasing range of tasks they’re using them for when they’re not driving.
“Worse still, more motorists than ever are admitting to illegally watching or recording a video or livestreaming on their phones, including more than a quarter of young drivers and almost a fifth of those aged 25 to 44.
“The dangers associated with this are frightening, but our findings also indicate that surprisingly, drivers as a whole aren’t as concerned about other motorists using their phones illegally as they’ve been in the past. It seems this has reduced consistently in the years since the Government increased the penalty for the offence, perhaps because other issues like the state of the roads and high fuel prices have been most on drivers’ minds.
“Despite pole-mounted cameras now being used to look down into vehicles to catch drivers using handheld phones and not wearing seatbelts, our figures suggest there isn’t much concern about being caught. Effective enforcement is as vital as a deterrent, so we hope more police forces will start using the latest technology to remind drivers that this behaviour is illegal.
“The Government’s recently published Road Safety Strategy states the proportion of drivers using a mobile phone will be tracked every three years as one of 17 new Safety Performance Indicators. But our figures already confirm how big an issue this is, so we urge policymakers to consider what needs to be done now to tackle this very serious problem.”
Chief Constable and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing Jo Shiner said:
“The rise in illegal handheld mobile phone use to a seven-year high is deeply concerning, particularly among younger drivers where usage is significantly above average. Whether checking messages, filming or using apps, these behaviours take attention away from the road at critical moments. This is not a minor lapse in judgement, it is dangerous, reckless behaviour that puts everyone at risk and must be challenged through education and enforcement.”
(Picture: National Highways)
