According to the Road Safety Authority in Ireland, drivers utilizing their mobile phones are 4 times more likely to be involved in a lethal or serious injury accident. Can any text message or phone call really be worth the risk? The risks of drink driving are very well known and Irish society has developed a strong stand against any person who takes such risks. The majority of us would never ever contemplate driving after having a few drinks. But with regards to our mindset towards making use of mobile phones whilst driving, we still have a long way to go.
Garda, supported by the Road Safety Authority now are specifically targeting motorists utilizing mobile phone devices. Unpublished RSA figures from a recent Irish Independent write-up show that over the past year 41,737 motorists received penalty points for unlawfully using their mobile phones whilst driving. This means Garda are catching on average 110 drivers each day, bringing the total number of motorists with penalty points for this offence to 96,391. This scary figure demonstrates the Garda are taking this offence extremely seriously.
In the United states of america, Oprah Winfrey is heading up a campaign, The No Phone Zone, to raise awareness of the hazards of driving whilst distracted by your phone. Numerous shows have focused entirely on telling the tales of families who’ve lost a loved one due to a driver who was too busy chatting or text messaging to pay attention to the road ahead.
In case you believe that chatting or text messaging on your mobile is harmless, take a look at these disturbing stats from one of Oprah’s programmes:
1. A motorist talking on a mobile phone is four times more likely to get into an accident
2. Should you text while you drive you’re eight times more likely to get into an accident
3. Seven in ten people aged between 17 and 49 years text or talk on the phone while driving a car
I don’t know about you, but it just does not seem worth the cost. So the next time you get into your automobile, put your mobile phone away. That text or phone call can wait.
If you are planning on using your mobile in your car then you better make sure that you have fully comprehensive car insurance. Get a cheap quote from AXA motor insurance in Ireland.