Cars and the roads are safer than they used to be, so a majority of drivers say. But according to an RAC report on motoring 2016, phone use while in control of a moving vehicle is particularly alarming.
According to the study, 26 per cent admit they have checked messages while driving in the last 12 months, while 19pc have written and sent texts, emails or social media updates, despite the distractions at the wheel. And one in seven motorists (14pc) say that they have actually used their phones to take pictures or record videos behind the wheel. Tiredness is also commonly reported by drivers as a distraction, but such distractions rarely appear in casualty statistics, the report points out.
Comment
The NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council) Lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport said: “We share RAC’s concerns about the level of mobile phone use by drivers, particularly as phones are becoming ‘smarter’. Our approach is a blend of education and enforcement.
“We run national operations and forces take action locally. We will continue to stress the dangerous consequences, and arrest offenders but we also need people to take responsibility for their behaviour behind the wheel and exert some social pressure on family and friends who take this risk.”
For the RAC report visit http://www.rac.co.uk/pdfs/report-on-motoring/rac-report-on-motoring-2016.pdf.
Mode
Most smart phone owners are familiar with flight-safe mode on their devices which restricts communications that could potentially interfere with a plane’s systems. Yet many of Britain’s 38.5 million drivers risk being distracted by an almost limitless range of applications on their phones which are accessible whether they are at the wheel or not, according to the RAC Foundation, a charity. Each year at least 70 fatal accidents on Britain’s roads have ‘distraction in vehicle’ as a contributory factor. ‘Driver using mobile phone’ is a factor in some 20 fatal accidents a year.
As for drink- (and drug-) driving, it remains a significant issue of concern for motorists in the UK, according to the RAC; but this year has seen a surprising fall in the number that cite it as one of their top four biggest concerns, from 29 per cent in 2015 to 22pc. Similarly, 12 months ago 9pc of motorists said drink-driving was their top concern but this has dropped to 5pc. This fall may be due to less press coverage of accidents arising from drink-driving and a targeted approach by the THINK! campaign that restricts advertising to those times of the year, mainly December, when the risk is perceived to be greatest. The report does show a small rise in the number of people who admit to having driven while over the limit over the past year: 6pc say they have done so shortly after drinking. People under the age of 45 are most likely to admit to drink-driving.
