Driving Dangers: Mobile phone problem areas revealed 

The worst locations in England for drivers using their mobile phones behind the wheel have been revealed. 

Car insurance comparison site Quotezone has gathered data from police forces across the country, to determine which areas dished out the most fixed penalty notices to dangerous drivers who use their handheld devices.

Drivers in the City of London were the worst offenders, thanks to their much smaller population size compared to other areas, with 2095 fines per 100,000 people in 2024.

The stats, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, showed that drivers in Durham (222), Cumbria (196), Suffolk (176) and Merseyside (171) were some of the other hotspots where Brits were caught using their phones.

At the other end of the scale, Bedfordshire drivers were the most well-behaved when it comes to staying off their phones, with just 23 offences for every 100,000 people.

In terms of regions, the North West topped the list (118), followed closely by the North East (109). Meanwhile, Yorkshire had the lowest number of fines relative to the population last year (52).

Harsher penalties for drivers were introduced in 2022, making it illegal to use a phone while driving for any reason, there are only three exemptions to this rule, emergency calls, using a phone for navigation and for payment purposes.  Note, when using for navigation, the phone must be held in a cradle and not in the driver’s hand and when using a phone for payment, the vehicle must be stationary and the goods received immediately.*

Any driver caught breaking this law can expect to be hit with a £200 fine and six penalty points – if the case goes to court, drivers could be looking at a maximum fine of £1000.**

Incredibly, a staggering 92% of people admitted they have seen another driver using a mobile phone behind the wheel, according to a new Quotezone survey.

A Government report published last year highlighted that in 2022, 22 people were killed and 652 injured in road traffic collisions in Great Britain where the driver was assigned the contributory factor of using a mobile phone. It also showed that in 2023, there were 15,300 prosecutions for ‘using or causing others to use a handheld mobile phone whilst driving’.***

With mobile phones play a significant factor when it comes to road traffic collisions in the UK, there have been some calls to ban mobile phones from cars completely, in a bid to boost road safety.

Greg Wilson, CEO and car insurance expert at Quotezone has warned drivers that picking up a fine for using a mobile phone can also impact the cost of their insurance premiums.

He said: “The statistics gathered by our team show that, across England in 2024, a total of 46,749 fines were handed out, 8% more than in 2023, which shows that many drivers are continuing to ignore the rules, putting themselves and other road users at risk.

“Not only that, but drivers who pick up a fine for using a mobile phone will likely end up facing higher car insurance premiums. Penalty points can have a direct impact on the insurance and the cost of renewal, as drivers are then considered as a convicted driver and will therefore be viewed by insurers as a higher risk.

“Research suggests that the insurance costs could go up by as much as 25% if you receive six penalty points, which is worth remembering the next time drivers reach for their phone when driving.

“It can be difficult for drivers who have convictions against their name to get car insurance, but there are ways for drivers to lower their perceived risk in the eyes of providers.

“Opting for a telematics or black box insurance policy will provide the insurer with more information about their driving habits and adherence to the rules of the road. Drivers could also take an advanced driving course to demonstrate their willingness to improve driving habits, or increase the voluntary excess on the policy, which could potentially lower the premium.

“Ultimately, the best way that drivers can keep the cost of their premiums down is by sticking to the rules and keeping their mobile phones out of reach, it’s even sensible to store the phone in the boot or the backseat to reduce the temptation.”  

Quotezone helps over 4 million people in the UK compare and find savings on all sorts of car insurance products, including van, motorbike and convicted driver insurance.

References:
*https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/changes-in-the-law-on-driving-while-using-a-mobile-phone/
**https://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law#:~:text=You%20can%20get%206%20penalty,in%20the%20last%202%20years.
***https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seatbelt-and-mobile-phone-use-surveys-2023/mobile-phone-use-by-drivers-england-2023

Methodology
The stats for fixed penalty fines for 2023 and 2024 were obtained through Freedom of Information requests from all 39 police forces in England.
Nottinghamshire Police did not provide a response within the time limit, while Lancashire Police declined to disclose the information, stating the data would be made available to the public at a later date.
To standardise the results across police forces and regions, the number of fines were weighted per 100,000 people.
The population in each area was determined using data from the Office of National Statistics https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/estimatesofthepopulationforenglandandwales

Survey
Quotezone.co.uk’s findings are based on a randomised survey of 1,000 respondents across the UK during April 2025, which represents a margin of error of approximately 5% at a 95% confidence level.