Van drivers were observed as having the highest usage of handheld devices while driving in a survey recently published by the Road Safety Authority, writes Brian Byrne.
The overall results of the 2023 survey also showed that motorists' use of the devices has increased by 50pc since the previous survey in 2022. Almost one in ten drivers at 145 sites nationwide were seen illegally using their devices while on the move. Some 15pc of drivers of light goods vehicles were seen using their phones illegally.
Overall, males were more likely to be observed using a handheld mobile device than females.
International data shows that drivers using a mobile phone are four times more likely to be involved in a collision.
