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Illobiles present major hazard
Page 11
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iy Miles Brignall and Cliff Caswell ok drivers who use mobile phones 1st driving are putting their own and en drivers lives at risk, according to a Or driver training firm and latest earch.
DriveTech, which is based at the nsport Research Laboratory in *shire, describes mobiles as a major woe of distraction and a serious dan' for drivers of large vehicles.
This warning Is backed up by a study 'n the US which shows that using phones could be responsible for a third of accidents.
Gary Hyde, DriveTech's business manager and a former policeman, stresses that drivers should keep phone conversations to a minimum while they are behind the wheel. He says: You are eight times more likely to be involved in an accident if you are on the phone— and if you are driving a large vehicle, you are potentially more lethal.
"I am aware that truck drivers have been involved in accidents when they have been on the phone. You also sometimes see truck drivers involved in non-driver activity veering onto the hard shoulder when you are out on the motorway.
"We recommend that drivers do not get involved in a mobile conversation on the road, and if they are negotiating a round
about or Junction they should not speak at all."
American researchers have found that a mobile phone at the wheel distracts drivers more than any other activity, even when drivers are using a handsfree kit.
The study carried out at the University of Utah found drivers repeatedly overshot red lights and reacted dramatically slower to obstacles when they were on the phone. Response times were much slower when using a mobile than when listening to the radio or a book on tape.
David Strayer, one of the authors of the study, says it is the active engagement in conversation that distracts drivers more than any other activity.
Separate studies by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that up to 32% of crashes could be blamed on drivers using mobile phones.
In the UK the Magistrates' Association and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have already called for legislation to penalise anyone who uses a mobile phone while driving.