Drivers, who use mobile phones during driving, are likely to meet with accident four times more, as stated by World Health Organization. Using mobile phones on roads poses a much higher risk for all road-users. As per WHO, no conclusive evidences are there to show that hands-free devices are safer than hand-held phones indicating how distraction in any form increases manifold the chances of accidents.
Several studies across the globe suggest that drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. This means a driver would cover a football field without looking at the road while driving at a speed of 80-90kmph and texting. The WHO says the use of a mobile phone can impair the performance of several driving tasks, leading to longer reaction times to detect and respond to unexpected driving-related events, impaired ability to maintain correct lane position and slower braking reactions with more intensive braking and shorter stopping distances.
While developed countries identified the use of mobile phones as a major risk factor for road fatalities nearly 7-8 years ago, it was only in 2016 that the Indian government took note of this emerging crisis. According to the annual road accident data published by the road transport ministry, while 2,138 people were killed in 2016 in accidents caused due to use of mobile phones, 4,746 were injured. The deaths increased to 3,172 in 2017 and the number of people injured also rose to 7,830. “Still the actual number of people killed in such accidents is not properly captured. The government has made a good beginning and we hope there will be an improvement in the data,” said K K Kapila, chief of the International Road Federation.
