AA driving home message on texting

Film tells how one single moment at the wheel can have tragic consequences
Eyes off the road: some 98 per cent of drivers polled say they have seen other motorists using a hand-held mobile at the wheel
Getty Images

Driving in London is a challenge for even the best drivers, which makes it all the more shocking when you see motorists concentrating not on what’s going on around them but on their mobile phones.

Now the AA has decided to do something about it, with a year-long campaign aimed at shifting people’s attitudes to how they deal with driver distraction. It is launching it with a powerful new film graphically demonstrating how one simple act — texting while driving — can wreck lives.

A survey of 23,141 motorists found a quarter of those in London witnessed other drivers using hand-held mobile phones on every single journey.

Despite this, more than two million car passengers admitted they would do nothing if their driver used a hand-held phone while driving. Nearly six in 10 would ask the driver to stop using their phone if they were a passenger at the time, and half said they would offer to take the call for them. Only 12 per cent would take the phone away, and one per cent would report them to the police. Five per cent would be annoyed yet “do nothing” and one per cent said it “wouldn’t bother them”.

Now — as the Government intends to increase the penalties for using a mobile at the wheel to six penalty points and a £200 fine — the AA Trust says it’s clear that changing drivers’ behaviour is vital, too.

Why? Latest Government figures show a 35 per cent increase in fatalities on built-up roads, revealing 200 fatalities on roads with a maximum of 40mph between April and June 2016, compared to 148 deaths for the same period in 2015. A total of 24,620 people were killed or seriously injured in the year ending June 2016, up three per cent compared to the previous year. Deaths of car occupants rose by nine per cent and pedestrians by three per cent. “The hike in fatalities on built-up roads by more than a third is staggering and may be due to driver inattention,” says AA Trust director Edmund King.

According to the AA Trust, 13 per cent of drivers aged 18 to 24 find it difficult to ignore a message on their phones while driving. Overall, six per cent of drivers find it difficult. Little surprise, then, that 98 per cent had witnessed other drivers using hand-held phones when driving.

The AA says that statistics for deaths and injuries caused by distracted drivers are probably underestimated as it can be difficult for police to pinpoint the specific cause. However, using phones at the wheel last year is attributed to 22 deaths and 440 crashes. Other in-vehicle distractions accounted for 61 deaths and 2,920 crashes. Driver distraction was probably a cause in some of the 400 deaths attributed to “driver/rider failed to look properly”.

The AA’s year-long campaign kicks off with the launch of a film, Cadence, funded by the AA Charitable Trust. Emmeline Kellie, who wrote, starred in and produced the film, says: “It only takes one moment to glance at a text and it can all go wrong.”

The film also features London-based musician Luke Pickett, who wrote the score. It’s now being targeted at social media users, schools, colleges and talks have begun with the Department for Transport Think! Campaign, while copies have been sent to police forces for use on educational courses.

King says: “Hand-held mobile phone use while driving has already cost lives. Our campaign aims to change attitudes but it must be supported by tougher penalties and more cops in cars.”

To view the film, visit youtube.com

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