Did you know that using a smartphone while driving is more dangerous than driving at the legal alcohol limit or when using cannabis? When using smartphones, drivers have much slower reaction times, difficulty staying in the same lane and are less able to adapt to even slowly changing circumstances.
A new research commissioned by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in the U.K reveals the shocking extent to which drivers use their phones and tablets to take selfies, make video calls and watch videos while driving. The study asked 500 drivers how they use their smartphones and tablets in the car.
Results show that 9% of drivers admitted to taking a selfie while driving ‘in the last month’. This increases to 15% of young drivers aged 18-24 and 19% of 25-35 year olds. Surprisingly, women are less selfie obsessed than men, with just 5% of women citing they have taken a selfie while driving compared to 12% of men.
Besides taking selfie, other findings found that 8% of drivers admitted to driving while using a video-calling application such as FaceTime and Skype to make and receive video calls, rising to 16% among 18 to 24 year olds.
The percentages are alarming…
7% of drivers admit to watching videos and stream catch-up television on the road, rising to 13% of drivers aged 18-24 and 15 per cent of 25-32 year olds.
18% of drivers have accessed the internet using their smartphone or tablet, rising to 27% of drivers aged 18-24 and 34% of drivers aged 25-34.
Despite this, the number of drivers given penalty points for using a smartphone at the wheel fell by more than 40% in 2014.
Although this study is done in the UK, such irresponsible behavior isn’t exclusive to the UK motorist only. Where there are cellphones, there are going to be distracted drivers including in Malaysia.
So remember guys and gals, using smartphones while driving is as bad as being intoxicated while driving so there is simply no excuse to this kind of behaviour. Check out the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Km2AxbaxDk
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