One in two 15 to 19-year-olds in Finland have admitted to using their mobile phones while driving their car or riding their motorcycle, according to a Traffic Safety Authority survey.
Many young people are talking without a hands-free device, sending and reading messages, and replying to web messages while driving their car or riding their motorbike or moped.
The survey, which questioned 15 to 19-year-olds, showed that texting while driving is more common than talking on a hands-free device.
Around half of those surveyed admitted to reading their messages while behind the wheel, while fifty per cent of females said they would send texts while driving.
The Traffic Safety Authority said that Finnish youths are using their mobile phones more than ever before while driving. The authority carried out a similar survey in 2011 in which only one in five youths admitted to reading texts while behind the wheel and one in 10 said they sent texts while driving.
The Road Traffic Act states that using a communication device while behind the wheel is against the law. Talking on a phone without a hands-free device is also outlawed.
This year’s survey questioned 749 young drivers between January and February.
Tags: talking on phone while driving, road safety, traffic safety authority, young drivers