Drivers caught livestreaming as illegal phone use at the wheel rockets
Thu, 04 Jun 2026
It's official: more drivers now admit to picking up their phone to browse the internet, send messages or post on social media while on the road than at any point since 2018.
The figures come from an RAC survey of over 2200 motorists, which says that 15% of all drivers admit to using a handheld phone while driving – the highest since 2018.
Further phone-based foibles uncovered by the RAC include that one-in-five drivers has checked messages or notifications – the highest level since 2016 – and 12% say they have taken a photo or recorded a video with their phone while driving, jumping from 8% in 2024.
Video on the go a no-no
The percentage of drivers who say they have watched or recorded a video or livestreamed while at the wheel in the past year has climbed from from 5% in 2024 to almost one-in-10 (9%) this year.
Under-25s are most likely to watch or record video on the go, up from 23% in 2024 to 27% today. Among those aged between 25 and 44, there has also been a sharp increase in livestreaming, with those admitting this at 10% two years ago, but climbing to 17% this year.
More widely, younger drivers are by far the most likely use their phone illegally. Half – 49%, compared to 20% overall – admit to taking a call without using some sort of hands-free device, while 39% have posted on social media from behind the wheel, up from 27% in 2024 and 2025.
Making or receiving video calls while driving is at the highest level the RAC has ever recorded - 42% – while 30% have taken a photo or filmed a video. More than a fifth (22%) say they have played a game on their phone while driving, which is also a record high.
Ironically, the only type of task involving a handheld mobile that has dropped this year is drivers who admit to making or receiving voice calls. This year it's 20%, down from 27% in 2024.
What's behind the increase?
The RAC says the increase in phone use while driving may be down to motorists just not being as concerned with it as other issues like potholes or the cost of fuel, although support is out there for cameras that use AI technology to catch drivers on their phones.
This year, 19% of survey respondents said phone use while driving was a concern, dropping from a high of 41% a decade ago, when the RAC's report encouraged the government to double the fine and penalty points for using a phone while driving to £200 and six licence points early the next year.
The number of drivers in England and Wales convicted for using a handheld mobile phone while driving is at its highest level since 2016 – the figure has fallen from 57,850 in 2016 to a Covid-era low of 14,330 in 2020, before climbing to 40,723 in 2024.
"Our research shows there’s been a marked increase in the proportion of drivers – especially the young – admitting to using handheld mobile phones behind the wheel for all sorts of risky activities, including posting on social media and even livestreaming," says RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.
"The penalties if caught might be tougher now than they were in the past, but they clearly aren’t enough to stop a lot of drivers brazenly using their phones illegally."
