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18/11/2013
Call For Drivers To Tune In To Road Safety
A national campaign launched today by the charity Brake at the start of Road Safety Week calls on drivers to tune in to road safety, to prevent appalling crashes caused by multi-tasking at the wheel.
The campaign appeals to drivers to turn off their phones or put them in the boot, and urges everyone to refuse to speak on the phone to someone who's driving. It is being launched a decade after hand-held mobiles were banned at the wheel, and coincides with a week-long enforcement campaign.
Brake, and partners Specsavers and Romex, are revealing statistics confirming the extent of driver distraction on UK roads, and its impact on vulnerable road users:
• More than half a million UK drivers (575,000) have points on their licence for using their mobile phone at the wheel or being otherwise distracted (available by region and postcode). One in 15 (6.5%) of these drivers have six points or more for driving distracted and four in five (78%) are male;
• Six in ten children (62%) report being driven by a driver talking on a phone and nearly eight in 10 (79%) have spotted drivers on mobile phones outside their school or home – suggesting the majority of children are being endangered by drivers for the sake of a call or text.
The campaign is being supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers, who are coordinating a week-long campaign of heightened police enforcement across the country targeting drivers on hand-held phones.
Distraction reduces hazard perception and increases reaction times in a similar way to drink-driving, making drivers much more likely to cause deaths and injuries. Drivers who think they can multi-task are fooling themselves: research shows 98% are unable to divide their time without it affecting performance. Talking on a phone hand-held or hands free, texting, emailing, adjusting sat navs, eating, drinking and smoking are all proven to increase crash risk. More facts about driver distraction below.
New research by distraction expert Dr Amy Guo at Newcastle University highlights the increased risk of turning your car into an extension of the office. It shows the harder you have to concentrate on a task, such as dealing with work-related calls, the slower your reactions. This demonstrates why talking on hands-free is just as risky as hand-held, because it’s concentrating on the conversation that’s the main distraction.
Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, the road safety charity: "We're living in an age when being constantly connected is the norm; more and more of us have smartphones, and find it hard to switch off, even for a minute. While there are enormous benefits to this new technology, it's also posing dangerous temptations to drivers to divert their concentration away from the critical task at hand, often putting our most vulnerable road users in danger. Many people who wouldn't dream of drink-driving are succumbing to using their phone and other distractions while driving, oblivious that the effect can be similar and the consequences just as horrific. We're calling on UK drivers to tune into road safety: turn off your phone or put it in the boot, and never try to multi-task at the wheel. We’re also appealing to everyone to refuse to chat to someone on the phone who’s driving, to help them arrive safely.
"We are also calling on government to do more to tackle driver distraction, by extending the ban to hands-free phones at the wheel, and further upping fines for the potentially deadly offence of driving distracted."
(CD/IT)
The campaign appeals to drivers to turn off their phones or put them in the boot, and urges everyone to refuse to speak on the phone to someone who's driving. It is being launched a decade after hand-held mobiles were banned at the wheel, and coincides with a week-long enforcement campaign.
Brake, and partners Specsavers and Romex, are revealing statistics confirming the extent of driver distraction on UK roads, and its impact on vulnerable road users:
• More than half a million UK drivers (575,000) have points on their licence for using their mobile phone at the wheel or being otherwise distracted (available by region and postcode). One in 15 (6.5%) of these drivers have six points or more for driving distracted and four in five (78%) are male;
• Six in ten children (62%) report being driven by a driver talking on a phone and nearly eight in 10 (79%) have spotted drivers on mobile phones outside their school or home – suggesting the majority of children are being endangered by drivers for the sake of a call or text.
The campaign is being supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers, who are coordinating a week-long campaign of heightened police enforcement across the country targeting drivers on hand-held phones.
Distraction reduces hazard perception and increases reaction times in a similar way to drink-driving, making drivers much more likely to cause deaths and injuries. Drivers who think they can multi-task are fooling themselves: research shows 98% are unable to divide their time without it affecting performance. Talking on a phone hand-held or hands free, texting, emailing, adjusting sat navs, eating, drinking and smoking are all proven to increase crash risk. More facts about driver distraction below.
New research by distraction expert Dr Amy Guo at Newcastle University highlights the increased risk of turning your car into an extension of the office. It shows the harder you have to concentrate on a task, such as dealing with work-related calls, the slower your reactions. This demonstrates why talking on hands-free is just as risky as hand-held, because it’s concentrating on the conversation that’s the main distraction.
Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, the road safety charity: "We're living in an age when being constantly connected is the norm; more and more of us have smartphones, and find it hard to switch off, even for a minute. While there are enormous benefits to this new technology, it's also posing dangerous temptations to drivers to divert their concentration away from the critical task at hand, often putting our most vulnerable road users in danger. Many people who wouldn't dream of drink-driving are succumbing to using their phone and other distractions while driving, oblivious that the effect can be similar and the consequences just as horrific. We're calling on UK drivers to tune into road safety: turn off your phone or put it in the boot, and never try to multi-task at the wheel. We’re also appealing to everyone to refuse to chat to someone on the phone who’s driving, to help them arrive safely.
"We are also calling on government to do more to tackle driver distraction, by extending the ban to hands-free phones at the wheel, and further upping fines for the potentially deadly offence of driving distracted."
(CD/IT)
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28 August 2015
Young Drivers More Likely To Use Phones While Driving
Young drivers are more likely to use their mobile phones while driving, according to a recent survey. The study was conducted by Surveygoo on behalf of road safety charity Brake. The survey questioned 1,000 drivers from across the UK on whether they had spoken on the phone while driving, hands-held or hands-free.
Young Drivers More Likely To Use Phones While Driving
Young drivers are more likely to use their mobile phones while driving, according to a recent survey. The study was conducted by Surveygoo on behalf of road safety charity Brake. The survey questioned 1,000 drivers from across the UK on whether they had spoken on the phone while driving, hands-held or hands-free.
04 October 2005
‘Small minority’ of drivers still using mobiles
A small minority of drivers are continuing to use hand-held mobile phones while driving, the latest government figures have revealed. According to research conducted by the Department for Transport, 1.5% of car drivers and 2.4% of lorry and van drivers were spotted using hand-held phones while on the road.
‘Small minority’ of drivers still using mobiles
A small minority of drivers are continuing to use hand-held mobile phones while driving, the latest government figures have revealed. According to research conducted by the Department for Transport, 1.5% of car drivers and 2.4% of lorry and van drivers were spotted using hand-held phones while on the road.
30 May 2005
‘Tailgaters’ and mobile users ‘most dangerous drivers’, survey claims
Drivers who ‘tailgate’ other vehicles and those who use handheld phones while driving are the most dangerous threats on the road, according to a new survey. Research conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) found that half of the drivers surveyed regarded these two activities as “highly dangerous”.
‘Tailgaters’ and mobile users ‘most dangerous drivers’, survey claims
Drivers who ‘tailgate’ other vehicles and those who use handheld phones while driving are the most dangerous threats on the road, according to a new survey. Research conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) found that half of the drivers surveyed regarded these two activities as “highly dangerous”.
17 November 2003
Drivers using mobile phones set to face fines
Road users have been warned today that they could face a £30 fine if caught using a mobile phone. A new advertising campaign of nationwide radio and newspaper adverts will remind motorists that the new offence will come into force in two weeks time.
Drivers using mobile phones set to face fines
Road users have been warned today that they could face a £30 fine if caught using a mobile phone. A new advertising campaign of nationwide radio and newspaper adverts will remind motorists that the new offence will come into force in two weeks time.
24 September 2015
National Campaign Launched To Tackle Drivers Using Mobile Phones
A national crackdown on drivers using mobile phones will run between 24 – 30 September in an effort to improve safety and on the roads. During the operation police will use both marked and unmarked vehicles to catch motorists illegally using their mobiles to make calls or text or browse the internet while they are driving.
National Campaign Launched To Tackle Drivers Using Mobile Phones
A national crackdown on drivers using mobile phones will run between 24 – 30 September in an effort to improve safety and on the roads. During the operation police will use both marked and unmarked vehicles to catch motorists illegally using their mobiles to make calls or text or browse the internet while they are driving.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
