High percentage of students in Europe use mobile phones to talk, text and swipe at the wheel

According to the findings of a survey conducted by Ford, a good number of students at university in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain are bottom of the class when it comes to road safety with many admitting to using mobile phones, drink driving and speeding.

Many university students drive while using their mobile phones, most break the speed limit, and a significant number also drink drive. 

The research findings are based on a survey of a total of 6,500 young Europeans fielded in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain in June 2016. The research was carried out by Lightspeed GMI, a globally integrated research organisation.

Research shows that worldwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death among young people, and in Europe, young people are almost twice as likely to be killed on roads compared with the average person.

Of those surveyed, 43 percent admitted sending texts, 38 percent swipe through apps, and 36 percent take calls. Also, 60 percent speed and 13 percent drink drive. By comparison, of those who left school at 18, 45 percent admitted speeding, 9 percent drink driving, and 41 percent using their mobile phones while driving.

The findings of the survey of 2,313 young people, who either study at university or left school at 18, were published as students across Europe prepare for Freshers’ Week, when new undergraduates traditionally begin a heady round of partying to mark the start of their university life. Through its Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) programme, Ford offers free training for young drivers. By the end of 2016, this programme will have trained more than 20,000 drivers across 13 countries in Europe.

Related: Hands-free phones in vehicles as dangerous as hand-held mobiles

“Getting to university is an incredible achievement and it is also where many of us make some of our strongest friendships. But we want to make sure these are lifelong friendships and help to ensure that these young people can one day look back with pride on a successful graduation,” said Jim Graham, manager, Ford DSFL. “It is crucial students, and all young people, understand the terrible consequences, both for themselves and for others, that taking risks behind the wheel can lead to.”

University can be a demanding time socially as well as academically and the survey revealed that many students were also tempted to take further risks when driving. Of those surveyed:

- 48 percent said they would be tempted to drive a car overloaded with friends

- 75 percent would be tempted to drive after little or no sleep

- 28 percent would be tempted to get into a car driven by someone they knew had been drinking

- Overall, 30 percent of university students admitted they had been in an accident, compared with 25 percent of those who left school at 18.

First launched in the U.S. 13 years ago, Ford DSFL now offers hands-on training in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.  Classes cover hazard recognition, vehicle handling, and speed and space management; as well as the risks posed by drinking and driving, driving after taking drugs, and taking selfies – after a previous survey, commissioned by Ford in 2014, showed that then 1 in 4 young drivers had taken a “selfie” at the wheel.

Recommended:

- Distractions and alcohol pose danger to young drivers

- IAM study details the risks of multi-tasking while driving