How Many European Drivers Use Phones at the Wheel?

Quick answer: 28.6% of European drivers admit talking on a handheld phone while driving, and 24.2% admit reading texts or checking social media at the wheel, according to ESRA survey figures published by the European Commission. The European Transport Safety Council estimates distraction plays a role in 10–30% of road collisions, and a driver using a handheld phone is about four times more likely to crash. Police across Europe are targeting this behaviour this week — 5 to 11 October 2026 — in ROADPOL's "Focus on the Road" operation.

How many drivers use phones at the wheel?

Phone use behind the wheel is widespread in Europe, according to the ESRA survey reported by the Commission's European Road Safety Observatory:

• 47.7% of European drivers say they use hands-free devices while driving.
• 28.6% admit talking on a handheld phone — illegal in every EU country.
• 24.2% admit reading texts or checking social media while driving.
• One in three European drivers admits using a handheld phone, and one in four admits checking notifications or social media.
• Drivers are engaged in distracting activities for around 50% of all driving time, with the mobile phone among the most common sources.

These are self-reported figures, so the true numbers are likely higher — drivers tend to under-report illegal behaviour in surveys.

What a phone does to your crash risk

• Using a handheld phone increases crash risk by a factor of 3.6, according to the European Road Safety Observatory's 2022 thematic report on driver distraction.
• The risk multiplies with the task: dialling a number raises it around 12 times, texting around 6 times.
• ETSC's simpler version: drivers using a mobile phone are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a collision.
• Experts estimate distraction plays a role in 10–30% of road collisions, according to ETSC's PIN Flash 31 report on traffic law enforcement.

This week's crackdown: "Focus on the Road"

• ROADPOL, Europe's road-policing network, is running "Operation Focus on the Road" from 5 to 11 October 2026, targeting driver distraction — especially mobile phone and electronic device use at the wheel.
• The operation follows the 2025 edition, which ran from 6 to 12 October 2025.
• Expect visibly increased roadside monitoring across participating countries this week. Phones in hand at the wheel are the explicit target.

Why enforcement still lags behind the problem

• ETSC's PIN Flash 31 report found that across 19 European countries reporting data for 2010–2015, mobile-phone tickets increased in only 8 countries and decreased in 11.
• Poland was the exception at the top: phone-use tickets there rose 22% per year.
• In the Netherlands, tickets fell 22% per year over the same period.

How to keep your attention on the road

• Put the phone out of reach before you start the engine — in the glove box or a bag, not in a cup holder.
• Set navigation and music before moving; keep calls to essentials only.
• If a message cannot wait, pull over somewhere safe and stop first.
• Ask passengers to handle messages while you drive.

How these numbers were counted

Phone-use figures come from the ESRA survey as reported in the European Commission's European Road Safety Observatory thematic report "Driver Distraction" (2022). The 10–30% collision estimate, the four-times risk figure and the enforcement data come from ETSC's PIN Flash 31 report on traffic law enforcement. Operation dates come from ROADPOL's official 2026 operations plan.