With your phone while driving, we frequently read about different causes of accidents, but what we think that is really alarming is to read that 90% of these accidents are caused by the drivers themselves (26% occurred with the use of a mobile phone).
Millions of motorists die each year by not paying attention and by using mobile phone, laptops or the hands-free kit system while driving, laptops or the hands-free kit system.
It seems that 24 million French have a mobile phone and more than one-third is using it while driving. And it twice as much when it comes to less than 35 years old.
The road safety in France published in a press release that we are all responsible. A survey is confirming that 61% of drivers aged less than 35 years read their text and 32% text while driving.
Finally, in the United States, the phone while driving became the leading cause of death among teenagers. A study conducted by the Medical Center Cohen for childhood in New York shows there are 3 000 young people death each year due to texting while driving.
The phone or even the hands-free kit can distract a driver and especially of a young driver who has not yet all the reflexes and the driving experience. The phone collects four sources of distraction to its driver.
• Hearing (attention is diverted by what we hear),.
• Visual (attention is diverted by what we see),.
• Physics (attention is diverted by what you are doing),.
• Cognitive (attention is diverted by our thoughts.)
Texting while driving increases the risk of accidents by 23. The driver’s eyes turn away in a fraction of 5 seconds by forcing him to fix his phone to use one hand on the keyboard and we all know that a single second of inattention is enough to get into an accident.
Please be aware that when you look at your phone, no one watching the road. You will then be asked: who is watching the road?
Most drivers can’t help reading their phone as soon as it sounds like a text, that it has even become a reflex.
And yet many testimonies admit that they got really scared by consulting their phones while driving.
There are a lot of campaign against using your phone while driving and every day we can read the tips: turn it off, put it out of reach, pass it to your passenger, tell your contacts that you are not available or plan to take a break to read your missing calls, texts messages etc…
And to not forget about it you can download wallpapers with reminders which can save your life: «I am driving, so I am leaving my phone”, “likes while driving, I don’t like”.
What happen when we are texting behind the wheel?
When we are texting we are holding our phone while driving. The four stages emitted by our brain are collect, treat, decide, execute and slow down.
Whenever we are in one of these stages, we lose attention which increases the risk of accidents. While driving, the brevity of the time for reaction and the flow of information are often unpredictable. And if you are emotional on top of it then the risk of accident is higher.
Laws in Europe and foreign countries In 26 countries in the European Union only the phone in the hand is forbidden. The hands-free kit is still allowed. In Sweden, there is no law that regulates the use of the phone while driving. Spain prohibits the headset while driving and we are still seeing young drivers in the United States using their phone while driving.
Many countries are aware of this problem:
Several campaigns are denouncing the use of your phone while driving. Some videos made by the road safety shows “five seconds of text and an entire family destroyed,”
What are you still doing on your phone while driving?
Sources: National safety council et sécurité routière (France.)