A new campaign aims to tackle this dangerous trend and to reduce phone-related risks while driving.

Studies show that 60 percent of drivers use a mobile phone while driving, with 16 percent doing so frequently.

Although overall phone use behind the wheel is falling, the board stated that the frequent use category is once again on the rise.

To address this concern, the Transport Administration has launched an awareness campaign on distractions, focusing on the issue of driver attention loss in traffic.

The campaign, Kannatame ära! Roolis vaatame teed, mitte telefoni (English: "Let's tough it out! When driving, let's look at the road, not the phone") urges drivers to fully concentrate on traffic and avoid using their phone to make calls or even to answer them, to message or surf the internet, or to follow a navigation app.

This obviously significantly reduces reaction time and endangers all road users.

The goal of the campaign is to highlight that any distraction while driving – be it talking on the phone, setting up a GPS route, or eating – increases the risk of traffic accidents.

Last year, at least 11 serious traffic accidents occurred in which driver distraction was one of the main factors, the board said.

The most common reasons for phone use while driving, the board said, are: Answering calls (94 percent), calling family members (74 percent), and making work-related calls (61 percent).

Research finds that even hands-free systems are not risk-free from a traffic safety perspective – they still distract the driver's attention and reduce the ability to react quickly to unexpected situations.

Furthermore, over the past 12 months, 22 percent of drivers have encountered a hazardous traffic situation due to distractions, the board said.

Other than phone use, the main distracting activities here were talking with passengers, using navigation devices, and attending to children in the car.

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