This is a record number.

According to the 2022 Axa Prevention of behavior on the road barometer published on Tuesday, 80% of motorists use their telephone while driving.

Messages, calls, driving directions… The French are more and more addicted to their smartphones and it shows.

The increase is 11 points compared to 2021 (69%) and dizzying compared to the first barometer, in 2004 before the appearance of smartphones, where they were less than a quarter (22%).

In detail, 52% telephone (+8 pts), an action which quadruples the risk of an accident according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and 34% consult or send a message (+ 10 points).

According to an American study conducted in 2009 by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), the risk when writing a message is multiplied by 23.

Strong increase among cyclists

These 2022 figures, collected online from January 10 to 25 from 2,253 French people, are “worrying” underlines Eric Lemaire, president of the Axa Prévention association, to AFP.

He is also alarmed that the biggest increase concerns cyclists: they are now almost three out of four (72%) to use their phone while riding (+14 pts).

2021 was a dark year for cyclists in terms of road safety as the number of fatalities (226) jumped 21% compared to 2019 before the pandemic, in a context of changing travel habits.

However, their behavior varies greatly depending on whether they only use their own bike or those offered in self-service.

Owners vs tenants

While holding your phone in your hand and wearing earphones or headphones is prohibited, bicycle “owners” behave much less dangerously than “renters”: for example, only 17% of the former consult or send a message, compared to 73% for users of self-service bicycles.

The delta between the two categories is 50 to 60 points for all uses of the phone, such as setting up the GPS (20%/80%).

Cars that are too fast in town

Eric Lemaire attempts an explanation: “When you use your own bike, you generally know where you are going, for example to get from your home to your place of work.

When you take a self-service bike, you can look at the route, where the nearest station is…”

In addition, 72% of motorists (+9 pts) say they are driving at a speed of between 40 or 50 km/h in areas limited to 30 km/h in town, which are increasingly widespread, and 32% (+5 pts ) at more than 65 km/h in the city.

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