Texting, calling, tweeting and snapchatting while driving at ‘epidemic proportions’
The daughter of a Durham man killed by a distracted driver speaks out as figures show one in five think it's acceptable to snap, chat, text and tweet behind the wheel.
The daughter of a Durham man killed by a distracted driver wants people to think twice before checking their phone.
Kelly Pattinson's dad Brian was hit in 2012 when a car driving in the opposite direction on a 60mph road spun into his path.
The driver said he’d lost concentration at the wheel.
Today, new research from RAC shows one in five people think it’s acceptable to snap, chat, text and tweet behind the wheel, as long as they’re in stationary traffic.
More worryingly, one in seven admit to taking photos and videos while moving and almost a third admit they’ve used a handheld phone when driving in the past year.
Kelly said:
“Going into hospital, watching dad die, speaking to the police, going to court. It’s a horrible thing, you gradually come to terms with it but it’s not an easy thing to have to live with.
“You need to realise that there are more important things than taking a snapchat, or a video or a photo or checking a text. If you’re driving you really need to be concentrating on the road ahead of you. If you’re not concentrating, then that’s where things go wrong.”
RAC road safety spokesman, Pete Williams said:
"There is clear evidence that the illegal use of handheld phones by drivers to talk, text, tweet, post, browse and even video call is, if anything, on the increase. It is alarming to see that some drivers have clearly relaxed their attitudes to the risks associated with this behaviour but more worryingly is the increase in the percentage of motorists who actually admit to using a handheld device when driving.
“The fact that drivers have little or no confidence that they will be caught when breaking these laws is a likely contributor to the problem and it is sadly the case that every day most road users see other drivers brazenly using their handheld phones when in control of a vehicle, a sight which should be a thing of the past.
"The use of handheld mobile phones is the biggest road safety concern among motorists today, and while the Government is progressing the introduction of stiffer penalties, we call on all stakeholders to step up efforts to shift cultural attitudes and make the use of handheld mobiles phones as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.
"With compliance on some traffic laws including the use of handheld mobile phones seemingly getting worse, the RAC calls for an end to cuts to dedicated roads policing and urges the Government and chief constables to give greater priority to enforcement of road traffic laws.
"The RAC is also calling on the Government to invest in a high profile awareness campaign to highlight the danger of using a handheld phone at the wheel and to drive home the message that it simply won't be tolerated.”