Mobile Phone Use While Driving Remains the Most Common Traffic Violation

The most common traffic violation on the road continues to be driving while holding a mobile phone in hand, despite the risks involved and the loss of 6 points on the driving license that it entails. This is revealed by a new special surveillance campaign carried out by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) this October, between the 7th and 13th.

Officers from the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard have checked a total of 553,651 vehicles on the road, conducting 8,283 checks in which they reported 8,548 drivers for actions that cause distraction while driving. Regarding mobile phones, compared to the previous campaign held in October 2023, the percentage of drivers reported for this dangerous violation has increased by almost 10%. Specifically, on this occasion, out of the 8,618 reports filed by the officers of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard during that week, 3,687 were for manually using a mobile phone while driving.

As is usually the case, after distracted driving due to mobile phone use, the most frequent violations continue to be fastening the seatbelt while driving, generally when spotted by officers, for which 524 drivers were reported, or using headphones connected to sound devices other than mobile phones, a behavior that is prohibited because it also causes distraction while driving, and for which 393 drivers were reported.

Other common actions that cause distraction while driving include reading (247), searching for objects (178), being distracted by other vehicle occupants (107), or eating while driving (90). In addition to all these specific actions, officers issued 1,644 reports for other violations that caused distraction while driving.

These preventive checks also allowed the detection and sanctioning of 785 drivers who, in addition to being reported for committing a distraction while driving, were driving with alcohol levels above the permitted limit and 793 who tested positive for other drugs.