The number of BC drivers that use their phones to talk or text while driving is on the rise.
That, according to ICBC after a recent Ipsos survey.
43 percent of drivers admit to using their phone at least once out of every 10 trips, that’s up from 33 percent in 2019.
The survey also showed that 21 percent of drivers think it’s highly likely that they would access their device while driving over the next week.
Overall 59 percent of drivers agree to some extent that it’s sometimes perfectly safe to talk on the phone while 42 percent agreed that it’s sometimes perfectly safe to text while driving.
Another result from the survey showed that within the last month, 21 percent of BC drivers admit to texting while driving and 19 percent admit to talking on their cell phones without the use of a hands-free device.
ICBC says distracted driving accounts for more than one in four fatal crashes and claiming the lives of 76 British Columbians each year.