SA Police research reveals Spotify, Snapchat as most distracting apps for fined drivers

Apps like Snapchat and Spotify are causing a dangerous disconnect in some drivers, says new police research that shows the activities most likely to take South Australian eyes off the road.

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Spotify and Snapchat, along with navigational aids, are the apps most used by drivers while behind the wheel, new SA Police research has revealed.

And police figures show driver distraction has been a factor in 34 of the 64 road deaths recorded so far this year.

The numbers are on track to overtake last year, when 46 out of the 113 fatal crashes were attributed to distraction.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said the SA Police study of 1000 drivers found those aged 20-29 were most likely to become distracted while on the road.

Assistant Comissioner Ian Parrott said increasing fines would not solve the problem. Picture: Stephen Laffer

“I think it’s one of those things that (phones have) become almost like an extension of our bodies in some cases, particularly for younger people, because they’ve grown up with mobile devices,” Assistant Commissioner Parrott said.

“It’s really quite disturbing in terms of the lack of awareness that people are starting to display … in allowing themselves to be distracted, particularly in such a dangerous environment.”

Apps most commonly used while driving were Spotify, Snapchat and navigational maps, the research revealed.

As well as their phones, drivers reported they were most frequently distracted by eating, grooming and attending to children.

Assistant Comissioner Parrott said raising the expiation for distracted driving from $600 and the loss of three demerit points would not eliminate the problem.

“I don’t think the enforcement side of things by itself is ever going to fix this situation; it does need to be about educating people on the dangers associated with it,” he said

The research said drivers were motivated to use their phones because they had a desire to engage socially, and thought time spent in the car was “down time” to catch up on incoming calls.

It also revealed drivers believed full attention was not always required on the roads.

In 2019, police handed out 5669 expiation notices to drivers caught using their phones.

So far this year, 3522 notices had been issued. In the latest statewide police crackdown, from August 24-30, more than 450 drivers were detected using a mobile phone.

Richard Blackwell, the manager of SA Police’s Media Road Safety Unit and a former head of the Motor Accident Commission, said the issue of driver distraction was about more than just mobile phone use.

“We’ve broadened the argument beyond just talking about mobile phones,” Mr Blackwell said.