Press release: Higher risk of distracted driving during Easter weekend getaway

Press release:

Higher risk of distracted driving during Easter weekend getaway 

Hastings Direct urges drivers to cut screen interactions as part of ‘Distracted Driving Month’
 

• Drivers spend more time on mobile phones while driving over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

• Peak hours of 7-9am across the weekend see the sharpest increase in mobile phone usage versus normal driving periods.

• Length of time spent on the phone while driving is increasing, rising to 68 seconds per hour.

[31 March 2026]: Ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, when Brits head off for day trips and long weekends away with friends and loved ones, new analysis from Hastings Direct shows that UK drivers are increasingly being distracted by their devices while driving.

Insights from Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the provider of Hastings Direct telematics solution, YouDrive, showed a 10% increase in the length of time that drivers are using their phone while driving on Good Friday last year. The level of phone distraction increased further during the big rush home on Easter Sunday, with a 12% increase in the length of driver mobile phone interactions in comparison to average driver interactions.

The analysis reveals a number of spikes for when levels of distraction increase the most from normal driver behaviour. Between 7 am and 9 am on Good Friday and the same time period on Easter Monday, see the largest increases in usage. These are the same time periods where we see the largest increase in the number of people speeding, with a 128% increase in the length of time speeding on Good Friday and 142% increase on
Easter Sunday.

Telematics data also shows that motorists driving in the middle of the night use their phone for extended periods, from midnight to 4 am on Easter Sunday, showing an average phone use of 68 seconds per hour while driving.

CMT’s analysis for Hastings Direct covered 1.3million individual drivers covering over 40 million miles across 5.3 million journeys during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend in 2025. The data was compared to driving interactions in the two weeks before and after the bank holiday weekend.

Looking more broadly at driving distractions, while the number of trips that involve screen interaction has decreased marginally from 35.7% to 34.6% over the last three years, the length of time that people are using their phones while driving has increased. The average screen interaction time per hour has increased from 44 seconds in 2023 to 48 seconds in 2025 – an 8% rise. The length of time that drivers are making a call on their phone while in their hand has increased by a third, from 10 seconds to 16 seconds per hour.

Improving road safety

Hastings Direct is urging drivers to stay focused and cut screen interactions. In 2024, over 29,460 people were killed or seriously injured on the UK roads, with 34% of fatal collisions noting distraction as the main contributing factor. Across all ages, young drivers are at the highest risk of being involved in fatal collisions.

Motorists are also reminded that handheld phone use is illegal and comes with the risk of a £200 fine and six points on your driving licence.

To help road users stay safe this Easter and beyond, Hastings Direct shares the following advice:

• Turn off phone notifications or switch to do not disturb mode before starting your journey.
• Plan ahead, map routes, confirm destinations and arrange parking in advance where possible.
• Allow extra time for travel to avoid stress and temptation to multitask.
• For longer journeys, build in regular stops to rest and check your phone safely.
• Be vigilant and encourage children to take extra care when around cars and crossing roads.

Toby van der Meer, CEO, Hastings Direct commented: "The Easter Bank Holiday is often a special time where families and friends travel to spend time together. It can also mean that the roads become significantly busier, especially in the mornings. It’s important that drivers plan their routes in advance, avoid multitasking at the wheel and to stay fully focused while driving.

 “With people juggling more apps and receiving more notifications than ever, the potential for distraction continues to rise. Our telematics data shows a worrying increase in the amount of time drivers spend interacting with their phones while driving. At Hastings Direct, millions of our customers use our telematics tools to understand their driving behaviours. This real-time feedback encourages safer habits and plays an important role in improving safety for
all road users.

“With Distracted Driving Awareness Month taking place this April, the upcoming bank holiday weekend is the ideal time for drivers to take their time, focus on developing good, safe driving habits to protect themselves and other road users.” 

William V. Powers, Co-Founder and CEO of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, said: “Distracted driving is one of the defining challenges of modern mobility. It only takes a moment to change everything. Telematics and AI give us unprecedented visibility into the patterns of distracted driving, so we can predict risk and reduce it before a crash happens.”

Ross Moorlock, CEO of road safety charity Brake, added: "At 30 miles per hour, a car travels roughly three car lengths every second. Any moment a driver looks away from the road, no matter how brief, means covering a significant distance without awareness of potential hazards. The consequences of distracted driving are horrific, devastating and entirely preventable. Choosing to use a mobile phone at the wheel is one of the most dangerous decisions a driver can make. We see, far too often, the unbearable impact on the families and friends of those killed because another driver chose to look at their phone instead of the road. Every distraction carries a risk, and every life lost is one too many."

ENDS

For further information, please contact pr@hastingsdirect.com 

 

Notes to Editors

Road and fatality figures sourced from Reported road casualties Great Britain, annual report: 2024 - GOV.UK.

Methodology

The findings are based on driving data collected through the DriveWell Fusion® platform, an AI-powered telematics system designed to measure and improve driving risk. The analysis covers trips that took place in England, Scotland and Wales during 2025.

All drivers included in the study chose to enrol in a connected insurance programme and consented to share their driving data to improve road safety and potentially lower their insurance premiums. 

The platform captures key risk indicators linked to crash likelihood, including screen interaction, phone motion, handheld and hands-free calls, speeding and hard braking. These behaviours are widely recognised as strong predictors of collisions, serious injuries and fatalities.

For each distraction type, two measures are used. Distraction time reflects the total time drivers spend distracted relative to overall driving time, capturing cumulative exposure rather than individual events. Share of trips measures how often distraction occurs, defined as the proportion of trips with at least one instance of the behaviour, regardless of how many times it happens within a single trip.

 

About Hastings Direct

Hastings Direct is an agile, data and digitally focused general insurance provider to the UK market, offering car, bike, van and home insurance as well as a range of additional products including breakdown cover and home legal expenses.

Hastings Direct is passionate about playing an active role in improving road safety and supporting safer driving and road use. Through innovative use of telematics, proactive customer communications, and data-led insights the company is dedicated to encouraging safer driving habits, especially among young drivers, and tackling key risks such as distracted driving caused by mobile phone use.

Working hard to help avoid accidents through encouraging better driving behaviours, Hastings Direct is there for customers when there is an accident and recognises the devastating consequences these can have on all involved. 

For more information, go to https://www.hastingsdirect.com/

 

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics and AI company for safer mobility. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell Fusion®, proactively identifies and reduces driving risk, leading to fewer crashes and injuries. To date, CMT’s technology has helped prevent over 100,000 crashes worldwide. CMT enables partners to measure risk, detect crashes, provide life-saving assistance, and streamline claims. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, CMT operates globally with offices in Budapest, Hungary; Chennai, India; Seattle, Washington; Tokyo, Japan; and Zagreb, Croatia. Learn more at www.cmt.ai