Road Safety

Will you help make using ANY mobile phone when driving

SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE?

The Road Safety Partnership is seeking everyone’s help with this brand new road safety campaign.

Its aim is to change people’s attitudes about mobile phones and driving.

The national campaign will run between 14th and 20th November, but this is a life-saving matter for ever. Drivers must take responsibility for their behaviour behind the wheel.

We need your help to exert some social pressure on family and friends and anyone who might be risking YOUR life along with others.

Here are some ways you could help your community:

Promote the ‘My Red Thumb’ campaign to your local school or youth group http://www.myredthumb.com/
Display the campaign posters available through the RSP website www.roadsafety-gloucestershire.org.uk
Promote the mobile phone policy to your local business community

http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/distraction/mobile-phones/

4. If you have a group newsletter or magazine perhaps you too could include an article -see http://think.direct.gov.uk/mobile-phones.html

The tragic deaths of four members of the same family on the A34, killed by a driver who was using his mobile phone and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, illustrates how vital this campaign is.

Using mobile phones is one of the most dangerous behaviours for motorists, putting drivers, passengers and others on the road at risk of death and serious harm. And it is a behaviour seen too frequently on our roads but together we can help to make it socially unacceptable.

Some Facts:

Using a mobile phone, sat nav or any similar device whilst driving means that the driver’s attention is distracted from the road. Research shows using a mobile phone while driving can make you four times more likely to have a crash.
Reaction times for drivers using a hand-held phone are 50% worse than when driving normally
Using a hands-free phone while driving does not significantly reduce the risks because the problems are caused mainly by the mental distraction and divided attention.
Studies show that drivers using a hands-free or handheld mobile phone are slower at recognising and reacting to hazards. Even careful drivers can be distracted by a call or text – and a split-second lapse in concentration could result in a crash.
Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. In 4.6 seconds a car travelling at 30 mph would have travelled 61.7 metres (202.4 feet) that’s about the wingspan of a 747 Jumbo Jet! Think about it.