BYOD may be cool but not on the wheel

NEW DELHI, INDIA: About three in ten Indian drivers indicate they text, email, or use social media while driving, according a survey released yesterday.

According to the survey by opinion research firm Ipsos, Indian male drivers (31 per cent) are more likely to use their smartphone while driving compared to females (26 per cent).

As for demographics, age is among the most important variable in determining a driver's likelihood to message from behind the wheel.

"Those under the age of 35 years (34 per cent) are most likely to say "yes" they engage in the behaviour, compared with those 35-49 years (25 per cent) and those 50-64 years (14 per cent)," the survey said.

"Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of accidental death in India, and using a phone while driving significantly increases the risk of accidents," said Biswarup Banerjee, head marketing communications, Ipsos.

Communicating digitally while in the car appears to be highly related to a person's work life as those who are employed are more likely than those unemployed agree to do it.

The study was done on 851 drivers from India.