It seems Irish drivers agree with the recently introduced legislation on texting while driving, but a fifth say they often use their phones behind the wheel and there is still confusion over what the legislation actually covers.
The results of an online poll of Motorcheck.ie users show that 98 percent of respondents agree that motorist who text while driving should be fined, and a full 100 percent said that texting while driving poses a significant safety risk to road users.
However, a fifth admitted they 'often' use their phone for testing and calls when behind the wheel. So it seems there's a significant gap between people's acceptance of the law and their adherence to it.
Michael Rochford, MD at Motorcheck.ie says "In order to change driver attitudes to this practice, it is important that the Gardai consistently police this issue rather than just reforming blitzes every now and then. If not, it's very likely that most people won't change their behaviour."
Some 21 percent said that texting is not as dangerous as speeding or drinking while 7 percent said that they did not know.
