Young drivers putting lives at risk with selfies and catch-up TV

One in five young drivers could be putting me, you, and themselves in danger by taking behind-the-wheel selfies.

That’s according to a new report by the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists, which polled 500 drivers across the country.

While one in ten drivers took road selfies, the figure rose to one in seven for those aged between 18 and 24, and one in five between 25 and 35.

Interestingly, the study – as reported by the Daily Mail – also found that just one in 20 women took road selfies, compared to a staggering one out of every eight men.

Pro tip: don’t do this… (Image credit: Alamy)

What’s perhaps more worrying is that one in twelve motorists admitted to driving while using video call software – we’re talking apps like FaceTime and Skype.

That’s about as bad as the 7 per cent of drivers that watched videos and used catch-up TV services like iPlayer at the wheel.

Related: Best Smartphones 2015

“Everyone knows how dangerous using a smartphone or tablet is while driving,” explains IAM chief executive Sarah Sillars. “That’s why it’s shocking to see new trends like taking selfies and making video calls becoming common practice.”

Sillars continued: “Safe driving is everyone’s responsibility and more must be done to catch drivers using these devices dangerously by increasing the fines and points for smartphone and tablet use at the wheel – there is simply no excuse.”

She added: “Campaigns must also be introduced that raise awareness of the prevalence of the issue in society and make this behaviour socially unacceptable as drink-driving.”

Road selfies: Harmless social venture or the beginning of the end for us all? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

If you’re in need of a new handset – that you shouldn’t take selfies while driving with – check out our smartphone group test video below: