Hold the phone! Australians increasingly confident to use their mobiles while driving.

BRISBANE, Australia, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Australians are becoming increasingly confident to drive while using their mobile phones.

The shock findings are contained in a survey of 1,000 Australian drivers by car insurer Budget Direct^[1].

Exactly twenty-two per cent of drivers felt confident using their phone while driving.

The 5-year trend paints a worrying picture for road safety authorities, with confidence growing at a steady rate.

• 2020 – 12%
• 2023 – 19%
• 2025 – 22%

Almost half the survey respondents (45%) admitted using their phone while driving in the past two weeks.

The main way they used their phone while driving was to use a navigation app (23%), followed by checking the phone while stopped at traffic lights (8%).

Over six per cent of people who answered the survey changed songs on a playlist and another 3 per cent read or replied to a text message.

Nearly forty-four per cent of respondents said they used the phone because they felt safe and capable to do so. Exactly seventeen per cent admitted it was a habit, and 15 per cent claimed it was an emergency.

Budget Direct Chief Growth Officer Jonathan Kerr pointed out that modern phones serve so many purposes.

"They're your phone, your email, your internet, your social media, your diary, even your driver's licence and wallet," said Mr Kerr.

"That poses some unexpected grey areas. For example, in some states it may be illegal to use your phone to pay at the drive-through."

Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and recently South Australia have changed the rules to enable tap and go payments in drive-throughs.

Elsewhere, drivers need to ensure they put their car in park before picking up their phone.

"Our survey revealed nearly 54 per cent of respondents felt it should be legal," said Mr Kerr.

"Twenty-nine per cent said only if the car was turned off; and 18 per cent said it was never okay to pay with your phone in the drive-through."

Despite the increasing confidence in using a phone while driving, 30 per cent of drivers surveyed felt texting while driving was most likely to result in a road fatality, putting it as more dangerous than speeding (18%) and not wearing a seatbelt (5%).

Only drink driving (40%) was considered more likely to result in fatality.

Those results were reversed in older demographics, with 58-67 year olds (43%) and 68-75 year olds (39%) believing texting was more dangerous than drink driving.

So, what would discourage drivers from using their phones while driving?

Tougher penalties, according to 35 per cent of respondents. Mobile detection cameras came in second at 23 per cent, with 18 per cent preferring increased awareness of distracted driving.

Over twelve per cent of drivers we asked said nothing would be effective.

See Budget Direct's recent survey on Mobile Phone Use Whilst Driving^[2].

ENDS

DISCLAIMER

Insurance is arranged by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd (ABN 61 003 617 909, AFSL 241 411, Registered Office: 13/9 Sherwood Rd, Toowong 4066) on behalf of the insurer, Auto & General Insurance Company Limited ABN 42 111 5 86 353.

References

1. ^{^} car insurer Budget Direct (www.budgetdirect.com.au)
2. ^{^} Mobile Phone Use Whilst Driving (www.budgetdirect.com.au)