What stands out, market by market

While comparatively lower than some other surveyed markets, 29 percent of Australian drivers have had a critical moment behind the wheel while using a touchscreen (level with the UK), and 41 percent rate the general risk of distraction as high or very high. In-car technology has made distraction worse in recent years for 75 percent of Australian respondents, and 20 percent report causing or partly causing a crash in the past three years, with 67 percent of those citing distraction. Support for bringing back classic controls is strong at 67 percent, rising to 72 percent among 18-to-25-year-olds. Appetite for regulation is among the highest anywhere: 88 percent say cutting distraction is first and foremost drivers' own responsibility, 56 percent back higher fines and 41 percent support technical limits on complex controls while driving — level with Germany and second only to Brazil. The phone is less of a factor than elsewhere: 35 percent admit to texting on a handheld phone at least occasionally while driving, and 19 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, among the lowest shares of the nine markets.

Some 79 percent of Austrian drivers say in-car technology has made distraction worse, and 58 percent rate the general risk as high or very high — among the more safety-conscious markets. Eighteen percent report causing or partly causing a crash in the past three years, and 70 percent of those say distraction played a part; 31 percent have had a critical touchscreen moment. Two in three (66 percent) want classic controls back, and support is just as strong among 18-to-25-year-olds, at 67 percent. Austrians are the most reluctant of the nine markets to accept technical restrictions: while 85 percent see cutting distraction as mainly drivers' own responsibility and 59 percent back higher fines, only 34 percent support limits on complex controls while driving — the lowest of the nine. On the phone, 40 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving, and 26 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, rising to 59 percent among the heaviest users.

In comparison with the other surveyed markets, Brazil sits at the sharp end of almost every measure: 86 percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse, 26 percent report causing or partly causing a crash in the past three years — the most of any market — and 48 percent have had a critical moment while using a touchscreen, also the highest. Of those who caused a crash, 83 percent say distraction played a part. Brazilian drivers are the most likely to accept personal responsibility (92 percent) and the most supportive of tougher rules, with 64 percent backing higher fines and 44 percent limits on complex controls — the highest of the nine markets. Yet they are the least attached to physical controls: only 56 percent want classic controls back, and among 18-to-25-year-olds support is the lowest anywhere, at 61 percent. The phone tells the same story: 56 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving and 42 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, both the highest of the nine markets.

France reports the fewest self-involved crashes of the nine markets — just 12 percent over three years — and the lowest sense of personal responsibility, at 81 percent, though that is still four in five drivers. Eighty percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse, and 38 percent have had a critical touchscreen moment. Support for classic controls sits at 66 percent overall but jumps to 82 percent among 18-to-25-year-olds — the highest for any age group in any market, a clear sign that the appetite for physical controls is not about age. On measures, 53 percent back higher fines and 38 percent support limits on complex controls while driving. Phone use is also low: 32 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving, and 20 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, both among the lowest of the nine markets.

German drivers are the most attached to classic controls of the nine markets: 70 percent want key functions back on buttons and dials, rising to 79 percent among 18-to-25-year-olds. Seventy-seven percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse, yet only 53 percent rate the general risk as high or very high. Some 19 percent report causing or partly causing a crash in the past three years, and 72 percent of those say distraction played a part (about a third saying it definitely did); 39 percent have had a critical moment while using a touchscreen. Germans expect action while owning the problem: 87 percent say cutting distraction is first and foremost drivers' own responsibility, with 60 percent backing higher fines and 41 percent limits on complex controls while driving. The phone remains a problem: 42 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving, level with Switzerland and behind only Brazil, and 27 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, rising to 66 percent among the heaviest users.

Italians are the most likely of the nine markets to acknowledge distraction's part in a crash: of those who caused one, 87 percent say distraction played a role. Awareness is high across the board — 84 percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse and 65 percent rate the general risk as high or very high, the highest of the nine. Sixteen percent report a self-involved crash in the past three years, and 45 percent have had a critical touchscreen moment. Some 65 percent want classic controls back (70 percent among younger drivers). On enforcement Italians are the most cautious: 86 percent accept personal responsibility, but at 52 percent, support for higher fines is the lowest of the nine countries surveyed. On the phone, 39 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving, and 34 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, second only to Brazil.

Spanish drivers report the strongest everyday friction with touch interfaces: they are the most likely of the nine markets to blame lengthy scrolling (50 percent) and among the most likely to blame small or hard-to-hit touch areas (48 percent) for distraction. Risk-awareness is high — 79 percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse and 59 percent rate the general risk as high or very high, among the highest of the nine. Sixteen percent report causing or partly causing a crash in the past three years, with 72 percent of those citing distraction; 38 percent have had a critical touchscreen moment. Sixty-four percent want classic controls back, rising to 77 percent among 18-to-25-year-olds. And 86 percent see cutting distraction as mainly drivers' own responsibility, with 55 percent backing higher fines and 39 percent limits on complex controls while driving. On the phone, 38 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving, and 26 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, rising to 66 percent among the heaviest users.

Swiss drivers are the least likely of the nine markets to attribute a crash to distraction. Of those who caused one, 64 percent say distraction played a part, the lowest of the nine — and among the least alarmed generally, with only 52 percent rating the risk as high or very high. Even so, 77 percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse, 18 percent report a self-involved crash in the past three years and 34 percent have had a critical touchscreen moment. Support for classic controls is solid at 66 percent, though among 18-to-25-year-olds it is the lowest in Europe at 63 percent (only Brazil, at 61 percent, is lower). Eighty-two percent accept personal responsibility, 59 percent back higher fines and 36 percent support limits on complex controls while driving. Phone use is comparatively high: 42 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving, level with Germany and behind only Brazil, and 28 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years.

UK drivers report among the fewest problems at the wheel: at 29 percent, critical touchscreen moments are the lowest of the nine (level with Australia), and only 39 percent rate the general risk as high or very high, also the lowest. Yet 75 percent say in-car technology has made distraction worse, and of the 15 percent who caused a crash in the past three years, 75 percent cite distraction. Sixty-five percent want classic controls back, rising to 77 percent among 18-to-25-year-olds. Where the UK stands out is enforcement: support for higher fines is the highest of the nine markets at 67 percent, alongside 86 percent who see cutting distraction as drivers' own responsibility and 38 percent who back limits on complex controls while driving. The phone follows the same pattern: 31 percent admit to texting on a handheld at least occasionally while driving and 18 percent report a critical situation linked to handheld use in the past three years, both the lowest of the nine markets.