Support for Mobile Phone Driving Ban
October 30 2002
More than nine out of ten people in Britain (93 per cent) 'completely support' or 'tend to support' Government proposals to make the use of mobile telephones illegal whilst driving, according to research findings published recently by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).
The study - carried out by TNS Telecoms - found that more women than men supported a ban on the use of mobile phones whilst driving - 84 per cent of women 'completely supported' the ban, compared with 72 per cent of men.
Yet despite widespread support for the Government proposals, more than a quarter (26 per cent) of mobile phone owners admitted to using their phones whilst driving. Men were more likely to use a mobile phone whilst driving - 32 per cent compared to just 19 per cent of women.
Of those who admitted to driving while on the phone, more than twice the proportion of men (44 per cent) use their phone 'every day or most days' compared with women
(21 per cent).
Other key findings include the following:
- Older people in Britain were more likely to support a ban on the use of mobile phones while driving - 91 per cent of people aged 55-64 'completely supported' such a ban compared to just 67 per cent among those aged 16-24.
- Nine out of ten people thought that activities such as 'putting on make-up' (88 per cent), 'shaving' (90 per cent) or 'changing clothes' (92 per cent) while driving should be made illegal. Yet only around one quarter (27 per cent) believed that 'changing a tape or tuning a stereo' while driving should be made illegal.
- Almost half (49 per cent) of people in Britain 'completely supported' the idea to prosecute employers whose staff use their mobile phones while driving
- Only a third of mobile phone owners in Britain say they have used their phone whilst travelling on the train and a similar proportion (31 per cent) while on a bus.
According to Ruth Betts, Managing Director of Taylor Nelson Sofres' UK IT and Telecoms Division, 'The overwhelming support demonstrated for the Government's proposals suggests that people in Britain are concerned about the risks associated with mobile phone use while driving and widely support measures to reduce those risks. What is surprising is that such a significant proportion of those who support the ban admit to using a mobile phone themselves while driving. If legislation is introduced, it will be interesting to see how this impacts on people's behaviour. With the pace of life constantly increasing, people are becoming more and more reliant on their mobiles to balance the demands of family, work and social life. Because of these demands it may be extremely difficult to encourage people to stop using their mobile phones while driving. If legislation is to succeed, the Government will need to generate support from motoring organisations, such as the AA and RAC, as well as from businesses with mobile workers who need to stay in touch with colleagues and customers.'
She added 'Clearly network providers stand to lose from a ban if mobile calls made by drivers decline, or if call volumes shift from mobiles to land lines as a result. The opportunity for the networks is to take the moral high ground and strengthen their standing on the broader 'social responsibility' platform by actively encouraging responsible use among their customers.'
This survey was undertaken on behalf of TNS Telecoms. A total of 1,119 adults, aged 16+ were interviewed between 20th - 24th September 2002 using Omnimas - Taylor Nelson Sofres' face-to-face omnibus.
All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.
