Driven to distraction

Shocking study reveals extent of bad driving on our roads

“Some of the violations we’ve seen have been passive, like drinking coffee, but reading a book at the wheel is far more dangerous” PETER RODGER Head of driving advice, IAM Roadsmart

BARELY a month goes by without a new report highlighting the growing scale of distracted driving in the UK. The RAC estimates a record high of 11 million drivers – that’s nearly a quarter of the 45 million licence holders – in the UK now use a phone behind the wheel, while the most recent Department for Transport (DFT) figures show distracted drivers (by phones and other means) caused over 4,800 accidents last year.

But these figures may just be the tip of the iceberg, because a recent report by the University of the West of England found that distracted driving is far more prevalent on UK roads, with four out of five collision investigators agreeing driver distraction causes far more accidents than the latest figures show.

To gauge what motorists are getting up to on our roads, Auto Express hit the streets with IAM Roadsmart’s head of driving advice, Peter Rodger, in the morning rush hour. Rodger, an ex-police officer with 30 years of service under his belt, pointed out motorists misbehaving at various junctions, while Auto Express kept a tally. We were shocked at what we found...

LOCATION ONE Clapham Common South London

OUR first location was Clapham Common in Lambeth, next to the busy A3 going into Central London. The area is both a residential hub and a commuter gateway to the city, with five sets of lights punctuating the busy intersections.

With the morning traffic piling up, it was just minutes before we spotted our first offender. Approaching a red light, a young woman in a Volkswagen Golf took out her phone after coming to a standstill, but then failed to spot the light changing to green and the traffic pulling away in front. To make up for lost time, she sped away without looking in her mirrors for cyclists who could have pulled alongside.

“You can easily spot this kind of behaviour if you know what to look out for,” explained former Metropolitan Police traffic officer Rodger. “Cars that meander, varying their speeds, braking late or holding up traffic at green lights

are an easy telltale.” In just 30 minutes we spotted motorists getting up to a host of activities. We caught two putting on make-up while driving, six stopping on cyclists’ boxes (which Rodger points out is a red light violation) and at least eight using their mobile phones.

At almost every red light, we encountered at least one driver doing something they shouldn’t.

According to Rodger, the way we behave in cars has changed considerably over the past few years. He told us: “The use of mobile phones in cars has dramatically increased over the years, and what’s also changed is the way we use phones. Now drivers are more likely to be sending texts or using apps instead of holding the phone to the ear and making a call.”

But drivers distracted by phones weren’t the worst offenders we observed at the roadside. After an hour, we spotted a cab driver pulling away from a set of traffic lights while reading a book. His right hand was holding the pages of the book, while his left hand attempted to steer. Worryingly, he was paying more attention to the book than where he was going.

Rodger wasn’t impressed, saying: “Some of the violations we’ve seen so far have been passive ones, like drinking a cup of coffee, but this was different and far more dangerous.”

At Clapham Common we recorded 38 traffic violations of various calibres in just over an hour.

“At every red light, we felt we were bound to see at least one driver doing something they shouldn’t”

LOCATION TWO

THE next stop was King’s Cross St Pancras. At 9.30am, the worst of the morning rush hour was over, but it still didn’t take us long to spot careless drivers. We were soon passed by one motorist eating a sandwich with both his hands off the steering wheel. Traffic was moving slowly at the time, but there’s no way he could have reacted quickly enough had something unexpected happened.

At King’s Cross we spotted nine motorists using headphones while driving. This, Rodger, pointed out, is dangerous as it means they are less likely to hear their surroundings, and more easily distracted by the music. The headphones were often connected to a mobile phone that made an appearance as soon as the traffic slowed down.

For most drivers this seems almost intuitive – the moment traffic slows down to a crawl, the phone comes out of a pocket. And this isn’t limited to Clapham Common or King’s Cross; according to the RAC, the number of motorists who find phone use while driving acceptable has doubled from seven to 14 per cent in just two years.

To reverse the trend, the DFT recently announced it was doubling the penalty for mobile phone use from £100 to £200 and from three penalty points to six. It’s also considering extending the penalty for those causing death while driving distracted from 14 years to a life sentence.

But Rodger isn’t entirely convinced by this tactic. “Increasing penalties isn’t necessarily the answer,” he said. “Yes, the penalties have to be credible, but a more significant deterrent is to change the mentality.

“There needs to be a climate of social unacceptability towards using a mobile phone while driving. Drinkdriving is now socially unacceptable; the same should apply to driver distractions.”

And he sees this all starting in the classroom, not courtrooms. Rodger added: “Education plays a huge role. You can’t solve the problem without it. The Government should focus on getting the message to schools, so when students take the wheel they know the hazards of using a phone while driving and the dangers of being distracted.”

Old habits die hard, so educating the next generation early on is a great way to address the problem. However, common sense still has its place. When autonomous cars finally arrive, you can text, eat and read your heart out – but until then, stick to paying attention on the road.

King’s Cross St Pancras Central London

“The Government should focus on getting the message into schools, so when students get behind the wheel they know the hazards” PETER RODGER Head of driving advice, IAM Roadsmart

TAKING A CALL Drivers using their mobile phones to make calls were spotted frequently at red light junctions on Clapham Common

EXPERT OBSERVERS IAM Roadsmart’s head of driving advice, ex-traffic cop Peter Rodger (left), joined our man Saarinen to watch what drivers were up to on London roads

FLOUTING RULES Drivers were caught stopping in boxes reserved for bike riders, and even opening their car doors in traffic

DUE CARE Distracted motorists were often unaware of their surroundings and signs, again edging into bays reserved for cyclists

SITTING PRETTY Two drivers were spotted completing their daily beauty regime, with both hands off the steering wheel

Rodger and our man on the look-out for driving violations

DIGITAL DISTRACTION Most common offence we spotted was motorists using their mobiles and devices while behind the wheel

ON THE JOB A bus driver takes his attention from the road and hands off the wheel while stationary in traffic to write something down

QUICK BITE We frequently saw drivers taking one, or both, their hands off the steering wheel to eat or drink

DROWNED OUT Several motorists were caught driving while wearing headphones, which can distract them from hazards