The increasing functionality of mobile phone technology and growing addiction to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are driving motorists to distraction now more than ever before, with motorists openly admitting to breaking the law by 'tweeting' behind the wheel and potentially putting lives at risk. According to research by esure car insurance, nearly one in ten (nine per cent) motorists questioned are using mobile internet services and social networks whilst driving – to tweet, text and update their Facebook profiles. Analysis of Twitter from esure found that an average of 52 motorists per day are even flaunting their dangerous use of social media behind the wheel with one person even stating, "(I'm) driving with my knees and peeling an orange…Probably not the safest thing to be doing." The use of any mobile internet services and social networks whilst driving can have potentially fatal consequences as drivers are distracted from the road ahead. A selection of driving 'Tweets': 1. "Driving with my knees and peeling an orange…Probably not the safest thing to be doing." 2. "Driving school bus" 3. "Irresponsible twitter driving woo!" 4. "Driving up to Newcastle while we Tweet!" 5. "Driving home in the rain…almost crashed!" 6. "Trying my best to stay awake while driving" 7. "Awake, hungover, and driving" 8. "Is it wise to use Twitter while driving? Probably not" 9. "Intoxicated driving. Let’s hope this works out" 10. "Twittering and driving…" Whilst the research shows 92 per cent of UK motorists know it is illegal to use their hand-held phone while driving, 45 per cent of motorists openly admit to breaking the law by texting and making calls while driving and, with tens of thousands of mobile phone applications widely available, it seems that motorists are finding it increasingly difficult to resist the urge to reach for their mobile devices whilst driving. Findings from the research also revealed that: * Almost half of all motorists (48 per cent) surveyed believe that any form of alert or light emitted from a device such as a mobile phone or Blackberry is very distracting while driving; * Over a third of drivers (37 per cent) polled find mobile alerts too difficult to ignore while driving; * Nearly a fifth (19 per cent) of motorists questioned have rummaged through a handbag, glove box or pocket to locate a mobile phone while driving; * Over half (51 per cent) of drivers asked fail to put their phones on silent when driving; * Just 19 per cent of Brits admit that when driving they completely turn off all mobile technology (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting