ingenie Distraction Survey Finds Most Young Drivers Regularly Text and Use Smartphone Apps While Driving

ingenie Distraction Survey Finds Mostingenie Distraction Survey Finds Most Young Drivers Regularly Text and Use Smartphone Apps While Driving PR Newswire LONDON, November 19, 2013 A new survey conducted for young driver insurance firm ingenie found that over half of young people admit to using their phone handset while driving - and most are reading text messages or using apps. The findings come as Road Safety Week begins and the black box insurance brand, which is fast becoming the go-to choice for young drivers, is campaigning to raise awareness about the dangers of being distracted behind the wheel. OnePoll surveyed 1,000 young drivers on behalf of ingenie. The survey found that, while 89 percent of young people get annoyed when they see someone else using the phone behind the wheel, 50 percent admit to using their own phone to read text messages while driving and 37 percent admitted to sending text messages when behind the wheel. Meanwhile, nearly 75 percent admitted they often or occasionally use the Maps app on their smartphone to get directions while driving, as a substitute for a sat-nav. And it's not just navigation. Significant numbers of young drivers admitted to using mobile apps while on the move, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. Around 25 percent of those surveyed admitted to using music ID app Shazam to identify songs on the radio. And 17 percent even admitted to occasionally playing Angry Birds while driving (*see full table).