It will hardly come as a surprise, but recent research by the Allianz Center for Technology has revealed that mobile phone use is the top distraction for drivers behind the wheel.
The research also uncovered that driver distraction is the most underestimated risk on the roads as drivers are found to be distracted by anything from their mobile phones, GPS and listening to music, to conversations with their passengers, the buildings they have passed by and even just simply daydreaming.
Findings that the mobile phone is still such a prominent distraction will cause concern for authorities in the UK, considering that using your mobile phone while driving has been banned in this country for a decade.
Just last week the Telegraph revealed in a survey carried out by the road safety charity, ‘Brake’, that almost half of motorists on UK roads admit to talking on the phone whilst behind the wheel.
These figures have led the charity to call for a full scale ban on mobile use in the car, which they believe should also be extended to hands free users. This comes off the back of studies that suggest that the reaction time for users of phones either in hand or hands free is four times longer than without and a staggering 30% slower than the drink drive limit.
Julie Townsend, who is the deputy chief executive of Brake told the Telegraph: “It is shocking that, ten years after the ban, one in eight drivers, continues to flout the law and put lives in danger by using a hand-held mobile at the wheel. Just as worrying is the widespread belief that using a hands-free kit is a safe alternative. Don’t kid yourself, it is not.
“Using a hands-free phone while driving can end and ruin lives just as surely as using a phone hand-held, and no phone call or text is worth a life.”
All of this comes in spite of the revelation that mobile phone use behind the wheel is the most despised road habit in the UK, as revealed by a survey carried out by Kwik Fit.
Speaking about their findings, Allianz SE board member, Manuel Bauer, who is responsible for insurance growth markets for the firm, said: “Far too little attention is paid to traffic accidents. Globally, road deaths or injuries occur every six seconds and fatal road accidents are on the rise. Distraction plays a major role in traffic accidents.”
Image source(s)
1. Pexels; https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-woman-smartphone-car-3056/