Driving is a complex task. When you're distracted or your attention is divided, you're more likely to make mistakes. Wireless device records are usually only accessed in cases of death or serious injury, drivers may not admit fault and police may not always be able to discern the role of distraction. We pay our respects to the First Nations ancestors of this land and their legacy. SeeLicence restrictionsfor Provisional P1 drivers aged under 25. Amphetamines. One thing that does not work is an appeal to common sense. They should travel in an appropriate area of your vehicle. The table below shows how far you travel at different speeds when you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds: Travel Speed. PDF Driver Distractions - Wa Scoping Study of Mobile Phone Use While Driving. It can be activated when your iPhone senses driving motion, through in-car Bluetooth, or Siri. The iPhone 'Do Not Disturb' feature has a range of unique capabilities. Start a conversation with SG Fleet/LeasePlan today to see if your motor vehicle policies need a review. Locations A review of an officer's accident notes revealed that 1% of accidents involved . When the first cars hit the roads they were as much (or more) a novelty, as they were the first step in mechanized transportation for the masses. Given this kind of data, its little wonder that law enforcement in every state and territory of Australia makes little apology for coming down hard on mobile phone use while driving. What is the first step to avoid becoming an aggressive driver? Suppose you are driving 60 miles/hour. Research shows that using a mobile phone while driving means you are four times more likely to crash your car, with mobile phones being the primary culprit behind that distraction. 5 Haque, MM and Washington S. Effects of mobile phone distraction on drivers reaction times. . ), Reading or writing text messages, emails, message threads or viewing websites, Watching movies, TV, video games or other moving images. Human factors. At 50kmh you will travel 28m in 2 seconds, that's about the length of a cricket pitch; The penalty for using your mobile device while driving is a $555 fine and 4 demerit points. Numerous research studies, however, conclude that hands-free cell phones offer no significant safety benefits over handheld phones hands-free is not risk-free. Vehicles were lighter, slower, and there wasnt a constant sense of urgency to get from Point A to Point B. What happens if you take your eyes off the road? The Government of Western Australia acknowledges the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community. PDF Mobile phones and distraction Many believe that hands-free phones are safer than handheld phones. Bytaking your eyes off the road for even 2 seconds, your stopping distance is significantly longer thannormal, which increases your crash risk.11, Making or receiving an audio call on the phone while driving8. Taking your eyes off the road for ____ seconds at 60 miles per hour Primary: Males and females aged 17-39 years. Sadly, several of these have resulted in fatalities. Mobile phones can distract a driver in three ways: visually (what you see), cognitively (what youre thinking about), and physically (what youre doing).2 3, When you look at or use your mobile phone while driving you may take your eyes and/or mind off the road, or your hands off the steering wheel.2 3 Even using your phone hands-free (and this includes accessing phone functions with technology such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) still contributes to cognitive distraction while driving.2, Delays your responses to different traffic light signals.2 3, You pay less attention to the road in front of you, other cars around you, and obstacles on the road.1 3, You miss important activity on the road in your periphery e.g. In fact, 3.7% of drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 held their phones to their ears while driving in 2021 compared with 2.5% of people aged 25 to 69 and 0.7% of motorists 70 and older. With around 1,200 people killed on roads annually, National Road Safety Week is one of the most important events on the calendar. L and P platers when driving cars or riding motorbikes cannot: A limited number of interactions are allowed with mounted and inbuilt devices. Mobile phones can be a dangerous distraction that takes your attention away from tasks critical to safe driving. Toggle Widget, Help us find these Missing Persons At 60 km/h if you look at your phone while driving for just two seconds, you travel 33 metres blind. If a passenger, you must not use the device if it is likely to distract the driver. How far do you travel in two seconds while looking at your phone Read the latestFoundation researchon mental distraction and its role as a key risk factor when using a cell phone behind the wheel. Set your GPS or music playlist prior to starting your car and ensure the device is in an approved holder. Distracted driving claims countless lives each year. Distracted Driving Dangers and Statistics | NHTSA With one out of every 20 driversusinga handheld cell phone at any given time, safety for all road users is a key concern. Mobile phone use & distraction. Make it hard to maintain a consistent speed leading to slowing down or speeding up at inappropriate times. Personalise your do not disturb message and set it up so that calls can still come through from favourites, in case theres an emergency. But even that may not be enough. You must not use your phones GPS where the phone is unmounted or by touching the phone. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow drivers to use some of their familiar smartphone apps on a vehicles built-in display. For example, when driving at 50km/h, if you take your eyes off the road for 2 seconds, you'll travel 28m. A distraction is anything that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, or your mind off driving. At 50kmh you will travel 28m in 2 seconds, thats about the length of a cricket pitch. You must not use your phone to read or write text messages, video messages, emails, etc., even if it is mounted and/or can be used without touching. Research shows that males and females aged 17-39 years have the highest rate of claimed use while driving, and the greatest involvement in crashes where hand-held mobile phone use is a factor. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.