Hands-free? No thanks! Over half of UK van drivers still check phones on the road

It turns out that UK van drivers are still glued to their phones like teenagers at a Taylor Swift concert. According to a recent survey by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, a whopping 57 per cent of van drivers in the UK are still sneaking peeks at their mobile phones while behind the wheel. This is despite the government's best efforts to curb this behaviour with stricter regulations and heftier fines.

For those keeping track, that's down a modest 7 per cent from last year’s 64 per cent, meaning that some drivers have apparently decided to cut back on their risky behaviour. But before we hand out any gold stars, let’s not forget that 1 in 10 of these drivers confess to checking their phones "often" while driving.

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It seems that no amount of legislative stick-waving is enough to deter these drivers, even with the £200 fine and six penalty points dangling over their heads. In fact, the Department for Transport found that van drivers are twice as likely to risk it all by using their phones on the road compared to other drivers. It’s almost as if they’ve turned it into a competitive sport.

But here’s where it gets really baffling: this rampant phone-checking isn’t due to a lack of hands-free technology. In fact, 98 per cent of the drivers surveyed admitted that their vans come equipped with hands-free systems. And yet, for reasons best left to psychologists, they still prefer the old-fashioned method of juggling a steering wheel and a smartphone.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is scratching its head over why these drivers aren't embracing the hands-free tech available to them. After all, it’s not just about avoiding fines – going hands-free could make those long hours on the road a bit less monotonous and a lot safer.

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Speaking of long hours, van drivers are spending even more time on the road than before, with an average of 6.24 hours behind the wheel each day. That’s nearly two hours more than in 2022. You’d think with all that time to kill, they’d appreciate the luxury of hands-free calls, but apparently, old habits die hard.

So, UK van drivers, here’s a novel idea: how about using that fancy hands-free tech you’ve got? You’ll avoid fines, keep your license, and – who knows? – you might even enjoy the drive.