Only 23% of surveyed Latvian motorists claim that they do not use a mobile phone while behind the wheel. For comparison, last year 27% of drivers said that they do not use a smartphone while driving.
Most (58%) of the surveyed drivers use a smartphone for navigation. Meanwhile, 39% of drivers indicate that they only use the phone for hands-free calls.
"It is more important to use these technologies smartly and safely," said If Insurance's Ģirts Kubliņš. "For example, the navigation options most often mentioned by drivers are often excellent support - they help you find the necessary destinations faster, avoid traffic jams... However, it is still very important to emphasize that technology should be used in a way that does not distract attention from the main task – looking at the road and driving the vehicle."
12% of the respondents admitted that they would make phone calls even without a "hands free" system, while 14% said that tend to search for and play music while driving. Interestingly, there are more music searchers are among men (18%), while women sin in this area less frequently (10%).
Survey data reveals that the desire to find and play music on a smartphone is more often expressed by young drivers - 41% of surveyed motorists up to the age of 25 admitted that they tend to act like this.
7% admitted that they write text messages or "chat" on other communication sites while driving, and 9% - that they tend to record voice messages. 4% even admitted that they tend to take selfies while driving.
Survey data show that 11% of drivers admit that even though they have not experienced dangerous situations themselves on the road due to the use of a smartphone, they know of friends or relatives who have encountered it. Meanwhile, 6% stated that as a result of using a smartphone, they almost hit a pedestrian.
