The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified a "marked increase" around the world in the use of mobile phones by drivers that is becoming a growing concern for road safety.
The distraction caused by mobile phones can impair driving performance, the WHO said, listing slower reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), impaired ability to keep in the correct lane, and shorter following distances as some of the dangers.
Text messaging, popular with younger drivers, also results in "considerably reduced driving performance", the WHO said.
Drivers using a mobile phone are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than when a driver does not use a phone. Worse, hands-free phones are not much safer than handheld phone sets.
While there is little concrete evidence on how to reduce mobile phone use while driving, the WHO recommends that governments be proactive. Actions that can be taken include:
Adopting legislative measures,
Launching public awareness campaigns, and
Regularly collecting data on distracted driving to better understand the nature of this problem.
The distraction caused by mobile phones can impair driving performance, the WHO said, listing slower reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), impaired ability to keep in the correct lane, and shorter following distances as some of the dangers.
Text messaging, popular with younger drivers, also results in "considerably reduced driving performance", the WHO said.
Drivers using a mobile phone are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than when a driver does not use a phone. Worse, hands-free phones are not much safer than handheld phone sets.
While there is little concrete evidence on how to reduce mobile phone use while driving, the WHO recommends that governments be proactive. Actions that can be taken include:
Adopting legislative measures,
Launching public awareness campaigns, and
Regularly collecting data on distracted driving to better understand the nature of this problem.
posted from Bloggeroid
