UTTER MADNESS! THE DRIVERS WHO CHECK FACEBOOK BEHIND THE WHEEL
Shocking report says ONE IN FOUR use social media while they drive
ONE in four motorists admit to scrolling through social media platforms such as Facebook while driving, a shocking new survey has revealed. As many as 25% of drivers have used the internet or social media while driving, with people admitting to browsing Facebook, snapchatting and even videoing themselves while behind the wheel, according to a poll by insurer Allianz Ireland.
Road safety chiefs warned that people are four times more likely to crash if on their smartphone while driving.
Founder of the Irish Road Victims’
Association, Donna Price, who lost her son in a road crash, said she was shocked by the amount of motorists using smartphones to check Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and other platforms while behind the wheel.
Ms Price, speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, said: ‘It is frightening to see the amount of people using our roads while on their phones, talking, scrolling and texting.
‘It takes just a moment’s carelessness to wipe out a precious life or leave somebody seriously injured so that their quality of life is ruined.’
The Allianz poll found that as many as 28% people found smartphones interfered with their concentration when driving.
The same number of adults admitted driving under the influence of social media – with this trend most prevalent among 18to 34-year-olds, according to the Allianz survey, conducted by Coyne Research of 1,000 adults
The other litany of offences that drivers confessed to include: one in ten googled something while driving; 8% browsed Facebook; 5% took a Snapchat, 5% browsed Snapchat and 5% filmed themselves.
There were 14,219 people caught using a phone while driving, according to the most recent Garda Road Policing statistics from the start of the year to the end of June.
The offence of holding a mobile phone while driving results in three penalty points and a €60 fine. But fines can be far higher for those who are caught texting or emailing while driving.
Under the Restrictions on Use of Mobile Phones Regulations 2014 Act, introduced by then transport minister Leo Varadkar, drivers caught texting or emailing while driving would face a mandatory court appearance and a fine on conviction of up to €1,000 for the first offence. This rises to a maximum of €2,000 for a second offence with a possible three-month jail sentence.
However, enforcement of the legislation remains an issue as it was revealed in March that just nine drivers were prosecuted and three convicted since the law was introduced four years ago.
Donna Price, whose son Darren, 18, died in a car crash with a lorry in 2006, said: ‘We need to see the gardaí properly resourced and much more visible out there on the roads, so that road users can expect to be stopped when they are driving while so distracted that they are a real danger to themselves and others.
‘To lose a child is the worst pain that a parent can ever experience. If that loss is due to another road user breaking the road traffic law, it is simply unforgivable.’
The Irish Road Victims’ Association has appealed to all road users to put their phones away and ensure they aren’t distracted when using the roads.
‘Please play your part in keeping our roads safe for all road users and let’s all get home safely to our families,’ said Ms Price.
Echoing this sentiment, Allianz
‘Puts other road users in danger’
CEO Seán McGrath said: ‘It is tempting to take your eyes off the road and give in to distractions. However, we must remember last year the Road Safety Authority highlighted that driver distraction plays a role in 20% to 30% of all road collisions and is a significant contributory factor in over 1,400 fatal and injury collisions annually here in Ireland.
‘Drivers need to prioritise road safety when behind the wheel.
‘Please put the phone away and keep distractions to a minimum.’ The research also found that 37% of people surveyed claimed passengers are responsible for distracting them while driving – with 21% blaming it on children on board with them.
As many as 37% of drivers also said that they were distracted from the road because their mind wanders or they daydream.
Some 27% said that it was pedestrians who distract them while driving, while 26% said that it was surrounding scenery, and 20% blamed the car stereo for breaking their concentration.
Barry Aldworth, of AA Ireland, said: ‘Allowing yourself to be distracted or taking your eyes off the road to use your phone for any reason puts both yourself and other road users in serious danger.’
THAT a survey of 1,000 drivers has revealed that 25% of them use social media while they are actually behind the wheel of their car is beyond alarming – particularly when you consider that that 25% figure is reflective only of the drivers who found themselves able to admit to their appalling behaviour. In all likelihood, that figure could well be significantly higher.
Scrolling Facebook, using Snapchat, texting, videoing themselves and googling on their smartphones – to be engaging in any one of these reported activities is utterly unacceptable when it comes to taking responsibility for safety on the road.
Anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car has a duty of care in relation to themselves and, most pertinently, in relation to other people, be they fellow drivers, passengers, or, indeed, pedestrians.
When it comes to road safety in this country major strides have been made in recent times, most notably in the areas of alcohol abuse and speeding. On occasion those two behaviours are linked. On others, they are separate abuses.
Understandably, both drink driving and speeding have been the focus of attention when it comes to improving road safety and minimising loss of life. And the increased penalties for such recklessness are beginning to have positive effects. That and the relentless campaigning from the various victim groups whose members have, tragically, suffered their own heartbreak as the result of irresponsible drivers.
But this survey illustrates only too clearly that serious social media infringements must also be tackled in a more aggressive manner. Drivers must be forced to realise that involving themselves in any kind of social media activity while driving is completely insupportable. For how on earth can any driver be deemed to be fully engaged with the task in hand, and with paying all due attention to the rules of the road?
That is utterly reckless behaviour and must be stamped out by Garda vigilance and much harsher penalties.