Motorists still texting on the roads, survey finds

One in 12 drivers still text on cellphones while driving, a survey found. Photo / Kenny Rodger

One in 12 drivers still text on cellphones while driving, despite the practice being banned four months ago, according to a new survey.

The 2010 AA Insurance Drivers Index, which surveyed 4336 drivers aged 18-65, found 8 per cent of drivers said they still often sent a text while driving, despite the law change.

A similar survey in 2009 found that 22 per cent of people said they often sent a text while driving.

Only 24 per cent of the drivers said they always used a hands-free kit or cradle when talking on a cellphone while driving. This trend was strongest in Auckland (30 per cent), ahead of Wellington (22 per cent) and Christchurch (20 per cent).

Younger drivers aged under 34 were less likely to have adopted such hands-free technology, and 36 per cent of them said they still hand-held a mobile when they used it while driving.

AA Insurance deputy general manager Martin Fox said such distracted drivers were more likely to crash and therefore were a hazard to others.

"He or she is likely to experience slower reaction times, compromised hazard detection, impaired judgment about gaps in traffic and is less able to maintain appropriate and predictable speed and lane position," he said.

"While the law change requiring hands-free kits is welcome, there is considerable research which shows that talking itself is the major distraction for drivers. Consequently we recommend that drivers keep all telephone conversations to a minimum."

The focus had recently been on cellphones, but survey respondents also identified a range of other distractions which continue to cause issues.

Half said they often ate while driving and almost as many said they had been distracted by other passengers or by fiddling with the stereo.

The researchers said catching up on personal grooming while on the move "appears to be something only other people do" as two-thirds of respondents said they often saw others applying makeup but just one in 10 admitted doing so themselves.


- NZPA