ABSTRACT
The use of mobile phones is increasing in society and, hence, also during driving. The present study, which was sponsored by the Swedish National Road Administration, concerns how common the use of the mobile phone is while driving and which routines and behaviour the driver has when using it. The study started with discussions in two focus groups, one with younger drivers and one with older drivers. The younger drivers more often used their mobile phones for leisure purposes while driving, both for talking and text messages. The older drivers used their mobile phones mostly for professional reasons. All the participants reported that they were worse drivers while using the mobile phone. They found it necessary to use some type of hands-free equipment when talking and driving at the same time. When driving and using the mobile phone, they usually slowed down and the driving was erratic. The results from the focus group discussions were used for designing a questionnaire. It was sent to people aged between 18 and 74, and answered by 3,090 people, of which 2,128 were active drivers and who always or almost always had a mobile phone with them. Usually, the drivers made some precautionary measure when they wanted to make a call. For example, 30 per cent often stopped the car before calling. When receiving a call, almost 10 per cent never answered. When asked about incidents while driving and talking, 10 per cent reported that they had nearly come off the road on some occasions. It was quite common to be so focused on the mobile phone conversation that exits or change of traffic signal were sometimes missed.
