The impossible texting and driving test
How do you convince young people to stop texting while driving? By making it obligatory. This is the rationale behind a movement initiated by Europen NGO, Responsible Young Drivers, that draws attention to mainly young drivers asking them to demonstrate responsible driving.
The premise is simple: how many drivers would pass their driving exam if their ability to successfully text while driving was one of the conditions tested?
As demonstrated in the following video – no one.
Recently, road safety related to the use of cellphones has entered into the spotlight in South Africa, with the City of Cape Town engaging in an awareness campaign in April 2012 whereby drivers caught using their mobiles behind the wheel would have their devices confiscated, and be fined.
Cape Town traffic officers nabbed 19 drivers using their cellphones within 90 minutes of the start of the campaign, while Johannesburg metro police spokeswoman, Superintendent Edna Mamonyane, said that cellphone use behind the wheel was becoming a serious problem as innocent people died due to drivers who were guilty of doing so.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation added its voice to the affair, saying that it believes that all mobile phone packages should be sold with a hands-free kit, calling on SA operators to actively endorse safe driving by not using a mobile phone when in front of the wheel.
RTMC spokesman, Ashref Ismail told BusinessTech that driving while distracted is of great concern, citing a number of statistics including the fact that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
The spokesperson also noted that distracted driving was up to six times more dangerous than driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.
Related articles
Loading ...
