25 October 2023 | See disclaimer
Distracted driving contributes to 16% of road fatalities in Australia and is considered more dangerous than drunk driving. [1]
We surveyed 1,002 Australians aged 18 years and over to find out about Australians’ attitudes and beliefs towards distracted driving in our latest survey.
We also compared these results to our Distracted Driving Survey and Statistics 2022 to understand trends from 2021 and 2022 when similar surveys were conducted.
For insight into what Australians think about distracted driving, check out our survey results below.
Quick Stats
- More than 85% of Australian respondents don’t feel comfortable using their phone while driving.
- Nearly 70% of Australian respondents never set their phone to “do not disturb” while driving.
- More than 65% of Australians surveyed say that sending a text message distracted them the most while driving.
What is distracted driving?
Distracted driving is defined as “any circumstance where the driver is diverting attention away from critical activities for safe driving, towards another competing activity”. [1]
Distracted driving can be:
- Cognitive or mental - This includes talking to another passenger or thinking about personal, work or family-related issues.
- Visual - This includes texting or mobile messaging.
- Auditory - This includes listening to music or if a loud conversation is happening in the back seat while you’re driving.
- Manual -This includes applying makeup, styling hair, eating and drinking and smoking or vaping.
In our latest survey on car accidents, we found that respondents ranked distracted driving as the 6th leading cause of car accidents, and respondents from our survey in 2021 ranked distracted driving as the 2nd leading cause. [2]
With all the features of modern cars, technology, and life, it’s clear that Australians have been presented with more distractions than ever.
Any of these distractions can take a driver’s eyes off the road for several seconds, cause a slower reaction time, and increase the driver’s difficulty in maintaining speed and lane positions, which is more than enough for hazards or accidents to become unavoidable.
Legal Penalties Across Australia
Each state and territory has firm laws on distracted driving especially when mobile phones are used while driving. Below are the legal penalties for using a mobile phone while driving.
Fine |
Demerit points |
|
|---|---|---|
Australian Capital Territory [3] |
$514 -$632 |
3 - 4 |
New South Wales [4] |
$387 ($514 in school zones) |
5 |
Northern Territory [5] |
$500 |
3 |
Queensland [6] |
$1,161 |
4 |
South Australia [7] |
$639 |
3 |
Tasmania [8] |
$390 |
3 |
Victoria [9] |
$555 |
4 |
Western Australia [10] |
$500 -$1,000 |
3 - 4 |
Distracted Driving Survey Results^
Do you feel comfortable driving while using your phone?
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
More than 85% of Australian respondents don’t feel comfortable using their phone while driving.
More than 17% of male respondents (6.54% more than female respondents) feel comfortable using their phone while driving.
At least 1 in 5 Australians aged 18-27 feel comfortable driving while using their phone.
More than 15% of respondents from New South Wales feel comfortable using their mobile phone on the road – the most respondents out of all states surveyed.
When do you think it would be appropriate to use a mobile phone while driving?
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Nearly 60% of Australian respondents think it’s never appropriate to use a mobile phone while driving. However, there were a third of Australian respondents who would use their phone in an emergency.
Nearly 5% of 68-75 year olds surveyed said it was appropriate to use their mobile phone while moving (in the car) if it’s safe.
How often do you set your phone to “do not disturb” while driving?
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
Nearly 70% of Australian respondents never set their phone to “do not disturb” while driving.
More than 30% of 18-27 year olds surveyed sometimes set their phone to “do not disturb”.
Nearly 21% of respondents from Queensland set their phone to “do not disturb” every time they drove.
Which of these actions do you feel is the most distracting while driving?
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%
More than 65% of Australians surveyed say that sending a text message distracted them the most while driving. This trend has continued in 2023, increasing by 12.27% since 2022. [11]
Key Takeaways
1 in 5 young Australians are comfortable using their phone while driving
Just over 22% of 18-27 year olds surveyed feel comfortable driving while using their phone. Younger drivers are considered high risk due to having less driving experience and higher rates of car accidents historically.
A third of Australian respondents would use their phone in an emergency
There are more than 30% of Australian respondents who would use their phones in an emergency. All mobile phones sold must meet Australian standards including calling Triple Zero (000) without having to unlock the keypad or enter a PIN. [12]
Australians are most distracted by sending a text
More than 65% of Australians surveyed say that sending a text message distracted them the most while driving. While the intention behind “do not disturb” features is to prevent distracted driving, some applications still let drivers use their voice to send a text or make a phone call.
