Seatbelt and mobile phone use surveys: 2021

This publication presents information about the proportion of drivers observed using a hand-held mobile phone and the proportion of drivers and passengers wearing seatbelts whilst driving in Great Britain from a roadside observation survey commissioned jointly between Transport Scotland and Department for Transport.

In Great Britain in 2021, 1.0% of drivers were observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving on weekdays, of which:

• 0.6% were observed holding the phone to their ear
• 0.4% holding the phone in their hand

For seatbelts, on weekdays in Great Britain:

• 94.8% of drivers were observed using a seatbelt
• 94.6% of front seat passengers were observed using a seatbelt
• 91.5% of rear seat passengers were observed using a seatbelt

While seatbelt wearing rates remain high overall, the latest road casualty statistics for 2020 show that 23% of car occupant fatalities in reported road collisions were not wearing a seatbelt. This indicates that car occupants who do not wear a seatbelt are disproportionately likely to be killed in road collisions.