Unfortunately we are a few weeks late on this news but we believe it important non-the-less so we’ve decided to do a quick write up about it and continue to spread the good word.
Brake is a charity that is committed to the promotion of safety on our roads – one which Russell Worth Solicitors and our warm hearted employees actually donate to regularly in fact.
In November each year they run a campaign called Road Safety Week to encourage drivers to avoid the distraction of their mobile phones by turning them off and putting them in the boot.
Far too many accidents are caused by the distraction of a mobile phone being used by the person at the helm of a vehicle but it does not stop here: there are a whole host of distractions that we see people experiencing while they are supposed to be concentrating on driving:
• Eating
• Smoking
• Playing with their Sat Nav / Stereo
• Emailing
• Texting
• Calling on a handset / hands free
As agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers, these distractions affect 98% of people’s reaction times. So while you may not FEEL like it’s affecting your concentration or reaction times, the reality is that this is probably because you’ve never been tested to find out. Well it’s a good job that other people have and the results are conclusive. These distractions all have a similar impact to those that have drank and driven and the facts are plain – if you are distracted in any way, the chances of a crash resulting in a fatalities is raised.
If you are in the driving seat just ask yourself do I really need to send this text, smoke this cigarette or eat this snack…or can it wait until you’re parked up?
For further reading please visit Brakes page entitled “driver distraction – the facts” .
