Focus of the month - Distractions

 

Understanding the behaviour of collisions
About 20% of collisions can be attributed in some way to driver distractions.

In that case, we may ask the question ‘Why do so many people put themselves at increased risk of being involved in a collision if they already know the dangers?’ The answer is fairly simple – generally people are signed up to the “It won’t happen to me!” school of thought. Research has shown that most people grossly underestimate the increased risk of driving whilst distracted.

Phones
When we talk about ‘driver distractions’ many of us will automatically think about mobile phone use. A considerable amount of research has been carried out into the effects of mobile phones. Simply talking on a phone – whether it is handheld or not, has been shown to increase the likelihood of being involved in a collision that causes injury by up to 4 times. Furthermore, Brake state that the risk remains elevated for up to 10 minutes after the call has ended! According to research carried out by Ingenie a staggering 1 in 6 male drivers under 25 years of age has crashed as a direct result of mobile phone usage.

Speaking on the phone is a big enough increase in vulnerability but many drivers increase their risk further by using the phone to text, communicate via social media, take selfies and apparently even play games! Again there is an increasing library of scientific evidence into the effects of these trends – a number of longer term studies have concluded that texting and driving can increase the risk of a crash by up to 23 times!

Other Distractions
Distracted driving is a much larger concern than simply using mobile phones. Other major causes of distraction include: adjusting car settings (including radio etc), passengers, eating, drinking, smoking and external distractions.

Safety in numbers?
Passengers can have a huge impact on in car safety. Research has shown that risk of collision can vary dramatically depending on the number and type of passenger in the vehicle. The addition of a responsible adult can make the situation much safer, whereas having multiple friends on board (especially 2 or more young males) massively increases the chance of a crash.

Gary’s Story – Show this real life story to your students to really get the message home about the real dangers of using a mobile phone when driving.
Here are some basic reminders for your students::
Remind your students about the Parrot mobile phone message – the only way is off!
If you are caught using a mobile phone it’s £100 fine and three points – if it goes to court it could be a fine of up to £1000 and a driving disqualification.
Police will check mobile phone records when investigating a fatal collision or serious injury.

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Published by Teignbridge District Council, ©2015 Teignbridge District Council