Negligent driving and distractions are major causes of road crashes around the world; and it is no different on the N3 Toll Route between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), the company managing the N3 Toll Route, has noticed that numerous drivers continue to use their mobile devices while traveling at high speed on this national route.
“Although legislation is in place to deter the use of mobile devices while driving, it is extremely difficult to enforce.
The only real solution, to successfully address these safety risks, is self-regulation – people taking individual responsibility to defer from using cellphones while being in the driver seat,” states Andy Visser, Marketing Manager at N3TC.
In Canada the risks were highlighted through driving simulators. The simulators showed clearly how smartphones impede driving, reported Canadian publication, Mobile Enforcement. “Tests have shown that you are four times more likely to crash when talking on a handheld, and 23 times more likely to crash when you text while driving. Using a device while driving is considered as dangerous as driving drunk,” concluded the article.
It is with this reality in mind that N3TC, in partnership with the Arrive Alive digital team, have embarked on an awareness campaign to encourage drivers to #bootyourmobile. “We hope to contribute to a mindset change in society,” says Visser.
Boot your mobile – Being distracted by mobile devices while driving poses serious risks
“In recent years we have found the desire to be online and connected at all times significantly contributes to road crashes. Drivers not only talk, but perform a wide range of activities – texting, social networking, browsing on the internet and inputting navigational data – while at the wheel. These activities cause severe distraction which not only threaten drivers, but all road users, including passengers, cyclists, bikers and pedestrians. We strongly encourage you to end your conversations, before it ends a life,” says Johan Jonck of the Arrive Alive digital team.
N3TC appeals to every driver to speak out and take responsibility to stop this scourge. “Ignoring the obvious dangers constitutes nothing less than willful blindness. You do so at your peril,” ends Visser.
N3TC is responsible for a 415km stretch of the N3 between Heidelberg in Gauteng and Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal, known as the N3 Toll Route. The N3 Toll Route traverses four of South Africa’s provinces – Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
Interesting Facts
- According to Mobile Enforcement 1.5 seconds is the minimum amount of attention that a driver who texts takes away from the road. If traveling at an average of 62 km per hour (55mph) it equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road.
- AT&T's Teen Driver Survey determined that 97% of teens agree that texting while driving is dangerous, yet 43% do it anyway.
- Teens who text while driving, spend 10% of the time outside their lane.
- 40% of teens say that they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone.
- According to 77% of teens, adults tell them not to text or email while driving, yet adults do it themselves ‘all the time.’
- The majority of teens expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less, which puts pressure on them to respond while driving.
- 19% of drivers of all ages admit to surfing the web while driving.
- Engaging in visual-manual subtasks (such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting) associated with the use of hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of a crash by three times. (VTTI)
- Some drivers are still unaware that talking on a hands-free kit is distracting from driving, believing it's holding the phone that is a distraction rather than the call itself. Research shows the call is the main distraction, and hands-free calls cause almost the same level of risk.
- Drivers using phones have slowed reaction times and difficulty controlling speed and lane positions. Tests have found drivers speaking on phones, whether hands-free or hand-held, four times more likely to be in a crash that causes injury. Their crash risk remains higher than normal for up to 10 minutes after the call has ended.
- The effect of talking on a phone while driving has been shown to be equal to, and in some cases even worse than, drunk driving. Driver reaction times have been found to be 30% slower while using a hands-free phone than driving with a blood alcohol level of 80mg alcohol per 100ml blood (the current UK limit) and nearly 50% slower than driving under normal conditions.
- Many people have questioned whether it is rational to ban hand-held phones when it is impossible to ban conversations with passengers. However, research comparing drivers on phones and drivers with chatty passengers found drivers on phones had much longer reaction times and worse speed control. Drivers with chatty passengers performed nearly as safely as drivers studied with silent passengers. However, it is also sensible for drivers not to engage in detailed or stressful conversations or, worse, arguments with passengers. Reading and writing messages while driving is even more impairing as it takes your mind, hands and eyes off the road.
Also View:
Avoiding Distractions whilst Driving
Texting and Distracted Driving
N3TC And Road Safety
Hands Free Distracted Driving and Road Safety