Poll Finds Canadian Drivers Continue To Use Cell Phones While Behind Wheel

A new Road Safety Monitor (RSM) poll by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) found that more than a third (36.3 percent) of Canadian drivers admitted to using their cell phones while behind the wheel in the last seven days, up from 20.5 percent in 2001. The report, based on a public opinion poll conducted in September 2011, investigates trends in cell phone use while driving over the last decade.

One explanation for the increase from 2001 to 2011 in the number of Canadians who admit to using their cell phones while driving is the increased accessibility and affordability of cell phones and the popularization of hands-free devices and accessories. However, any time spent focused on non-driving related tasks while behind the wheel puts drivers and other road users at risk.

"Available research generally estimates that driver distraction is a factor in twenty percent - thirty percent of road crashes," explains Robyn Robertson, TIRF President and CEO. "Self-reported data from our survey showed that over a quarter of all survey respondents had to brake or steer to avoid being in a collision because they were distracted by something inside or outside their vehicle in the last month. Taking your eyes and attention off the road for even a few seconds can increase crash risk."

Despite the increase in the number of Canadians in 2011 admitting to using their cell phones while driving compared to the number in 2001, more drivers are admitting to using their phones for shorter periods of time. A majority of drivers (65.2 percent) who reported using their cell phone while driving said that they used it for ten minutes or less in the past week. In 2001, only a little more than half (57.5 percent) of the 20.5 percent of those who used their cell phone while driving said they used their device for ten minutes or less in the past week. Consistent with this increase, there has been a decrease in those using their cell phones for more than thirty minutes in the past week.

"In 2001, almost twenty percent of respondents who said they had used their cell phone had used it for more than thirty minutes the previous week," explains Robertson. "It is encouraging to see this shift and that drivers are becoming more conscientious about restricting cell phone use. Now we need to see increases in the number of people not using their phone at all while driving."

About the poll: The results are based on the Road Safety Monitor (RSM), an annual public opinion poll developed and conducted by TIRF. A total of 1,208 Canadians completed the poll in September and October of 2011. Results can be considered accurate within plus or minus 2.8 percent, nineteen times out of twenty. This report was made possible by financial support from Transport Canada and the Brewers Association of Canada.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004