IT’S AGAINST the law, but we still see it everyday on Cyprus’ roads despite police crackdowns earlier this year. Almost all the motorists I’ve spoken to agree that talking on a hand-held mobile phone greatly diminishes a driver’s ability to control a vehicle, and many also admit that their focus moves from what’s happening on the road around them to what’s being said on the phone. Any way you look at it, it’s a dangerous thing to do, and yet still large numbers of drivers can be seen chatting as they drive.
We are, it seems, not alone in this. A survey by a motoring website has found UK drivers continue to use hand-held mobile phones despite 82 per cent recognising that it is a dangerous activity which increases the likelihood of crashing.
The survey, of over 18,000 drivers, uncovers a grossly hypocritical attitude amongst drivers, with 76 per cent of respondents admitting to be happy to use a mobile phone while at wheel of their car, despite acknowledging the associated danger.
Drivers are not prepared to stop using mobile phones unless they are forced to by government legislation and 68 per cent of UK drivers support government plans to ban hand-held mobile phones. The government receives further support from drivers who believe the penalty system of £30 fine rising to £1,000 and three penalty points is fair.
Despite this behaviour there is evidence, according to the research, that drivers are becoming more safety conscious in the way they use mobile phones. Of those drivers using mobiles, most prefer hands-free devices, which are perceived by 59 per cent of drivers to be safe. Any government plan to ban hands-free phones would be opposed by 79 per cent of drivers surveyed.
A spokesman for the Autotrader website said: “Our survey demonstrates that drivers are becoming more aware of the dangers associated with hand held mobile phones yet continue to use them in large numbers. The confused logic behind this decision making process seems to have parallels with consumer attitudes over the introduction of seat belt laws back in the 1980s. Whilst the ban of hand-held phones would probably meet near universal approval, it is likely that a ban on hands free kits would prove unpopular.”
Here in Cyprus, it seems that very few drivers use hands-free sets, so perhaps what’s needed is a concerted campaign to promote their use, since it seems that motorists will not agree to be totally separated from their mobiles. The distraction factor will still be there, but at least with two hands on the steering wheel there’s a significantly better chance of keeping control of the vehicle.
