'Almost every driver' breaks this important law every day

Shock research reveals the truth about the extent of rule-breaking on our roads

The overwhelming majority of drivers break a crucial safety law on our roads, shock research has suggested.

It comes after laws were tightened in recent years - something many drivers may not be aware of.

Nine in 10 motorists have admitted they are unable to complete a journey without touching their phone.

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Touching your phone in almost any way while behind the wheel is now illegal following the recent tightening of laws.

But flouting of these laws is widespread on our roads.

Survey results from 500,000 drivers over the past year from IMS, shared with This is Money, found only 10% could complete a journey without touching their phone.

This is despite the threat of £200 fines, six penalty points and safety risks.

Police have also stepped up the use of advanced roadside cameras which are able to detect mobile phone usage.

Motoring experts now want police forces to make more use of emerging camera technology and roll out more on our roads.

IMS CEO Paul Stacy said: “Our latest findings show the scale of the issue distracted driving has become on British roads and makes clear that the vast majority of us are guilty of it.

“The insurance industry is increasingly using smartphone technology to monitor and manage the road risk of policyholders that buy a usage-based insurance product, and from this data, we can see that smartphone distraction remains a significant contributor to road collisions and insurance claims.”

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “We saw a reduction in motorists admitting to illegal handheld phone use after the penalties were toughened in 2017 following pressure from the RAC, but numbers are on the rise again now.

“In fact, our research shows the proportion of young drivers making and receiving calls illegally hit its highest rate in eight years in 2024.

“Enforcement of the law is critical, so we encourage police forces to roll out more roadside cameras to catch people in the act and get them to change their ways.”