Link: icBerkshire – Mobile phone road smashes on the up
Despite now being illegal to use your mobile whilst driving in the UK, one police force in England has shown that phone-related crashes have increased.
ACCIDENTS involving drivers using mobile phones behind the wheel have rocketed, according to the latest statistics.
The Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership figures show casualties where the driver was on a mobile rose by almost 44 per cent compared to 2005.
My views on this subject are well known. I believe that the new legislation has had absolutely no impact on driver behaviour.
Tonight on the way home form work I had to stop at a roundabout because the driver of the Co-op delivery truck was traveling at such a speed at the approach to the roundabout it was obvious he had no intention of stopping. Imagine my disbelief as he passed me that he had a mobile glued to his ear and was driving with one hand on the wheel. If I hadn’t stopped then I think he would have gone right into me.
A year or so ago, MX Alliance and the RAC foundation tried to get an industry backed campaign underway to try and educate people on the risks. We started with the UK mobile operators and frankly they were not in the slightest bit interested. Must be something to do with ARPU I reckon – wouldn’t want to loose those vital voice minutes after all.
It’s hard to imagine what it will take to get people to act responsibly all for the sake of spending £20 on a BT headset.
My own view is that if drivers don’t change their behaviour we could see other organisations joining ROSPA’s call for an outright ban on mobiles in cars.
Sorry for the rant!
Jim