Thoughts a bigger driver distraction than mobile phones
Using a mobile phone while driving is not the killer it’s claimed to be, new research suggests, and the most fatal risks are usually legal in SA.
Mobile phone use while driving kills less people than motorists telling off the kids or picking something up from the floor of the car, according to new research.
Adelaide University has studied 186 fatal and injury crashes in South Australia in which “in-depth” data was kept by investigators between 2014 and 2018.
Mobile phones could only be blamed for four of the 50 deaths and injuries in which “distraction or inattention” was a cause. Three of those cases included motorists using mobiles in “hands free mode”, which is legal.
Research author Lisa Wundersitz said many distractions are ignored because they are legal.
“A passenger can distract you, or you are reaching for your bag or something is on the ground. These are all small things which you think are no big deal,’’ she said.
The report also found seven crashes involved distracting thoughts like stress; three involved work or home tasks; and day dreaming accounted for one crash. Ms Wundersitz said 77 per cent of the distractions were caused by a conscious bad decision and could be prevented.
The findings come after police handed out almost 500 fines in just five days to distracted drivers, such as motorists using a mobile phone, during a statewide crackdown this month.
The RAA’s 2019 driver behaviour survey of 532 motorists also showed 96 per cent of respondents have seen a driver illegally using a mobile phone.
Fines for using a mobile phone behind the wheel increased from $200 to $534 on July 1.
Up to 74 people have died in 71 fatal crashes on SA roads this year alone.