‘LOOKS CAN KILL’ Driver distraction campaign on A9
Social media use concerns over road safety
A campaign to prevent motorists from being distracted by mobile phones while driving on the A9 is under way.
Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf launched the A9 Safety Group’s bid to raise awareness of the dangers of looking at or using a mobile phone while driving.
Using the strapline ‘Looks Can Kill’, motorists are being warned that you are four times more likely to crash if using a mobile phone while driving.
And police will be backing up the driver campaign throughout next month.
Research has pointed to driver distraction being a key issue in collisions, and the A9 Safety Group - which has been tasked with reducing the casualty rate on the route - is focusing on this as way to cut unnecessary incidents. Fatigue can also impact driver behaviour, but a greater emphasis is being placed on distraction because social media and ‘in car’ technology have been seen as part of the problem.
In some cases motorists have been known to broadcast their journeys live on social platforms, or even take selfies at the wheel, which can reduce their skills behind the wheel.
Mr Yousaf said: “The consequences of using mobile phones for either making calls or for social media are all too apparent. The work being carried out by the A9 Safety Group clearly indicates that drivers are putting both themselves and others at significant risk with this activity.
“The Scottish Government is committed, through Scotland’s Road Safety Framework, to achieving safer road travel in Scotland. I have said many times before that one death on Scotland’s roads is one too many and we will continue to try to make the roads as safe as they possibly can be for all road users.”
Figures show that 30 per cent of people have seen someone using social media while driving and one in five people have witnessed selfies being taken behind the wheel.
And 68 per cent of Scots have noticed someone texting behind the wheel - and a massive 89 per cent have seen drivers talking on a hand-held mobile phone.
Michael McDonnell of the A9 Safety Group and director of Road Safety Scotland said: “We hope the new campaign will encourage drivers to plan their journey on the A9 in advance and make sure they plan a sufficient number of stops to use their mobile phones if necessary, rather than risk being distracted at the wheel. Nowadays, most people travel the A9 without incident, and we need to try and make sure behaviours which threaten that are eradicated.”
Chief Inspector Louise Blakelock from Police Scotland said: “Mobile phone use continues to be a concern for Police Scotland and the wider use of phones for social media use is now being identified as a contributory factor in a number of collisions.
“In the last two years a high proportion of fatal and serious accidents on the A9 Trunk Road are likely to have been caused by driver fatigue or distraction.
“In addition to this initiative Police Scotland will be undertaking a national enforcement campaign in July to further raise awareness.
“The level of concern with this activity was recently reflected in the doubling of the penalties involved for hand held mobile phone use.”
Minister Humza Yousaf (left) is backing the safety campaign on the A9 (above) which is considered to be an accident blackspot in the area.