Most van drivers still breaking ‘hands-free’ mobile phone rule
Wed, 18 Sept 2024
Van drivers are being urged to go ‘hands-free’ after new research revealed nearly 6 in 10 of them are still physically checking their phones while driving.
This is an offence that carries a £200 fine and six penalty points.
The number has decreased slightly from 2023, where 64% of van drivers admitted to checking their phones – but a hardcore 1 in 10 not only admit to doing so while driving, but say they do so “often”.
A recent Department for Transport survey backs this up – it found that van drivers are more than twice as likely to use their mobile phone while driving than other motorists.
The cause, says Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, is unknown. It is not through lack of hands-free technology, with 98% of respondents to its survey saying their vans already have built-in technology to support hands-free use.
More than 9 in 10 van drivers say they already use such tech at least once a day. Indeed, 82% of van drivers are making up to 10 hands-free calls per day.
The trend could be instead down to the increasing hours van drivers spend in their vehicles. This has rocketed 27.9% in a single year, from 4.88 hours per day in 2022, to a hefty 6.24 hours in 2023 – that’s more than three quarters of the average working day.
Volkswagen bosses are now hoping the increasing prevalence of even more advanced in-van technology, such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice control and App-Connect, can finally help drive down the number of van drivers physically using their phones behind the wheel.
