Distraction while driving causes almost half of SA road deaths
The deadly hazard of SA motorists’ distracted driving has been revealed in horrific new road death data released by the RAA.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Driver distraction has contributed to almost half the deaths and serious injuries on South Australian roads in the past five years, latest police figures show.
And 24 lives have already been lost on SA roads this year from driver distraction, according to the RAA.
Despite this, a third of drivers admit to regularly using their phones illegally in handheld mode – one of the most common distractions – a new national survey involving 750 SA drivers reveals.
The RAA has now joined with other interstate motoring groups to launch a campaign highlighting the dangers of illegally using mobile phones while driving in an effort to reduce road trauma.
RAA senior manager safety and infrastructure Charles Mountain said SA police figures showed 43 per cent of fatalities and 48 per cent of serious injuries were attributed to distraction between 2015 and 2019.
“Tragically, in 2020, we have already lost 24 lives due to distraction,’’ he said. He said the national Drive in the Moment campaign featured research commissioned by the Australian Automobile Association, the peak organisation representing Australia’s motoring clubs and their eight million members. This included the revelation that 33.7 per cent of Australian drivers surveyed acknowledged using their phones in handheld mode in a typical week.
“At 50km/h, just a two-second glance at your phone means you’ll travel around 28m but be blind to what’s around you,’’ Mr Mountain said. He said every year there were more temptations to use phones and more ways to be distracted from driving.
The Australian Road Safety Foundation’s road safety month started this week, with a focus in 2020 on rural road-rule breaking.
Chief executive Russell White said an ARSF survey of 1000 Australian drivers found 79 per cent admitted general risky behaviour. One in five confessed to being more likely to break a road rule in rural areas. “We will continue to see an unnecessary loss of life in rural communities until all road users take personal responsibility,” he said.