A whopping 83 per cent of motorists in Jamaica admit to using their smartphones at times while they’re driving or when they stop at a red light or stop sign.

The startling revelation is contained in a survey conducted by Johnson Survey Research Limited, led by pollster Bill Johnson, and commissioned by Earl Jarrett, chairman of the Jamaica Automobile Association.According to the survey, conducted April 1 and 2 this year among 1,000 drivers in the country, smartphone usage is heaviest among drivers under 45 years of age.Usage is determined by reading or sending e-mail, or texts, or by making or receiving phone calls, the pollsters explained, adding that the amount of time spent on a smartphone while driving correlates inversely with age. “Men say they spend a greater percentage of their driving time on their smartphone than women,” the survey said.Yesterday, Jarrett told the

Jamaica Observer that he commissioned the survey to determine the factors contributing to distractions among people operating motor vehicles.“I have already shared the findings with the National Road Safety Council,” he said, adding that the entity intends to use the data to help influence road safety legislation.The survey also looked at the increasing practice of drivers checking e-mail or text messages while driving or when they are at a red light or stop sign, saying that it correlates inversely with age.“Women are more prone than men to send e-mails or texts while driving,” Johnson said. “The sending of these peaks with the millennials and Generation Y (the echo boomers) and then declines with age.”The use of alcohol, ganja and seat belts among drivers was also examined by the survey, which found that 77 per cent of those questioned said they never drive after having at least three alcoholic drinks.However, 30 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women surveyed said they sometimes drive after drinking, while 14 per cent of respondents said they sometimes drink while driving.“Men are five times more likely than women to drink while driving, and those 18 to 34 [years old] are more likely than others to imbibe behind the wheel,” the pollsters said.When the pollsters asked drivers how often they would drive after smoking ganja, 90 per cent of respondents answered “never”, nine per cent said “sometimes”, four per cent said they did so “often”, three per cent said “occasionally”, while two per cent said “once in a while”.Of those who admitted that they sometimes drive after smoking ganja, 20 per cent were men and four per cent were women. At the same time, the poll revealed seven per cent of respondents admitted that they sometimes smoke ganja while driving.The survey also sought to find out how often people eat food or drink soft drinks while driving. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents said “never”, 10 per cent said they do it “often”, 29 per cent said “occasionally”, 24 per cent said “once in a while”, while 63 per cent said they do so “sometimes”, with women accounting for the larger number.Said Johnson: “The propensity to eat or drink something while driving is slightly more prevalent among women than men and, although significant in all age groups, appears to be strongest among those 35 to 44 years old.”The survey comes as the Road Safety Unit yesterday appealed to motorists to exercise care as it pointed out that 120 people have been killed in road crashes since the start of the year.