ADAC Study: Mobile Phone Use in Traffic Remains Widespread – Auto Club Calls for More Controls

In Cologne, it was found that 2.4 percent of car drivers had a smartphone in their hand while they themselves were at the wheel. Among cyclists and e-scooter riders, the figure was 1.5 percent. As was also the case nationwide, the Cologne road users in most violations did not use the smartphone to make phone calls held to the ear, but held it in their hand to read or write messages or to use other functions.

The Risk of Distraction

The ADAC draws a clear conclusion from its observations: that mobile phone violations at the wheel remain an everyday phenomenon. Even if the absolute figures vary between the individual cities, the basic pattern remains similar: a significant share of road users allow themselves to be distracted by the device, even though this is prohibited under the Road Traffic Regulations.

The ADAC warns of the concrete consequences: when car drivers traveling at 50 km/h look at their phone for just two seconds, they drive almost 30 meters essentially blind. ADAC traffic expert Roman Suthold summed up the danger: „Wer auch nur wenige Sekunden auf das Display schaut, ist im Stadtverkehr praktisch blind unterwegs". Even a brief glance can be enough to fail to react to a dangerous situation at all, or to react too late.

Data in Comparison

Suthold also explained: „Wer während der Fahrt Nachrichten liest oder tippt, reagiert gar nicht oder zu spät auf Gefahrensituationen". This is why accidents attributable to distraction often have such devastating consequences. Reaction time drops drastically when attention is focused on the screen rather than on the road.

The ADAC's observations broadly align with data collected in 2024. According to that observational data, also gathered in 2024, 4.5 percent of passenger car drivers (2022: 4.9 percent) were actively engaged with their smartphone or another technical device. Among cyclists, the Federal Agency's observations recorded active smartphone use in 2.4 percent of cases (2022: 3.6 percent) and potential smartphone use in 8.8 percent of cases (2022: 7.9 percent). The Federal Agency observed 80,000 passenger car drivers, 47,000 cyclists (in urban areas), and 50,000 pedestrians (in urban areas) across 14 survey regions.

ADAC's Demands

The ADAC derives a clear demand from the results: the auto club is therefore calling for more controls and the use of so-called phone-detection cameras. Suthold said: „Neben Aufklärung brauchen wir eine konsequente Überwachung bestehender Regeln". The expert also stressed: „Nur wenn die Gefahr der Entdeckung steigt, wird sich das Verhalten vieler Verkehrsteilnehmer nachhaltig ändern". With this, the club is tying into a debate that has been discussed for years regarding stricter surveillance and new technical means for penalizing distraction in road traffic.

The results were broadcast on 09.06.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program. The report was also aired on 9 June 2026 at 06:31 on WDR 2 radio in the program Lokalzeit from Cologne. The ADAC Nordrhein evaluated the Cologne data as part of a nationwide random sample. Information on the precise methodology of the observations – such as the times of day, weather conditions, or the distribution of locations – was not given in detail in the available sources.