Study shows 1 in 3 motorists text when driving

Date: 4/4/2012

New research has revealed many people text when they are driving, despite the dangers.

A study commissioned by Ford found 33 per cent of motorists type messages on their phone when they are behind the wheel.

This is despite 95 per cent of respondents admitting that texting negatively affects their safety and their ability to control their vehicle.

Around half of those questioned said their driver responses were 50 per cent slower when they were checking messages.

To try and tackle the problem, Ford is launching an in-car connectivity system called SYNC that reads incoming text messages out loud.

Christof Kellerwessel, Chief Engineer of Electronic and Electrical Systems Engineering at Ford of Europe, said: "Text messages can be a distraction for drivers, so the benefit of a system that can read messages aloud from compatible smartphones is obvious."

This comes just after research conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists discovered eight per cent of motorists send emails or access social networking sites when on the roads.

Posted by Sarah Bailey