Mobile phone use contributes to a 1/3 of fatal crashes in QLD

[Jim Goose]

Nothing new really, the amount of times I have seen idiots on phones running red lights, not indicating, changing direction suddenly, etc is quite common..

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226479833655

New figures show mobile phone use responsible for third of fatal car crashes in Queensland

by: Brooke Baskin
From: The Courier-Mail
September 24, 2012 12:00AM

SENIOR police have revealed officers are arriving at fatal crashes to find mobile phones in wrecked vehicles with loved ones still waiting on the other end of the line.

Other officers have reported having phones in crashed cars ringing with family members of road trauma victims on the line, calling back after being cut off when the accidents happened.

The tragic insights have emerged as new figures show mobile phone calls, texting and other distractions were responsible for more than a third of the 270 fatal car accidents in Queensland last financial year.

Fed-up authorities have now moved to intensify their crackdown on distracted motorists.

The Courier-Mail first highlighted the growing danger earlier this year.

But the problem has now reached such a level that the Newman Government will meet senior police to discuss including it in official road statistics and the road safety campaign as an addition to the "Fatal Four" - joining speeding, drink-driving, fatigue and not wearing seat belts.

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Police Minister Jack Dempsey is backing the push to add driver inattention to the road safety campaign.

"Nowadays, with so many distractions in a vehicle, particularly smart phones, people are being involved in crashes through inattention," he said.

"You only have to take your eyes off the road for a split second and it could end a life or change one forever."

State Traffic Support Branch acting Superintendent Ray Rohweder said: "Police will come across people who are deceased who have clearly been speaking on their phone.

"As a matter of course now at serious traffic incidents we do checks with communications carriers to see whether a person was using their phone at the time of the crash and, a lot of the time, that's unfortunately the case."

Queensland's fatal four were identified to help educate drivers on the main causes of fatal crashes - speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts and fatigue.

Despite significant reductions through public awareness campaigns, the "fatal four" continue to feature heavily in road toll figures every year.

Official statistics from QPS showed of 270 fatal crashes in 2011-12, 60 were the result of speeding; 40 due to fatigue; 26 because passengers or drivers weren't wearing a seatbelt; and 49 the result of drink driving.

CARRS-Q senior researcher Mark King said police should consider retiring one of the old "fatal four" in order to make way for any new education thrust.

Queensland's road toll has been pushed to more than 200 fatalities so far this year after three horrific crashes over the weekend.

The road toll now sits at 201, 13 higher than it was at this time last year.

On Saturday, a 32-year-old cyclist from Surfers Paradise died after colliding with a sedan at Mermaid Waters and a pedestrian died at the scene after being hit by a utility in Cairns.

The third fatality of the weekend happened early Sunday morning when a 31-year-old motorcyclist drove into the back of a ute at Parkwood.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

[mik]

not surprising, i was amazed yesterday while driving down through the local shopping centre, there was a pedestrian stopped in the middle of the road(where the cars drive) with head down talking on the mobile, reminds me of the dopey bird in the shopping centre car park, hit my bloody mirror drifting towards me ......again head down talking looking at the carpet while on the bloody phone, what`s the matter with these people.

[Grunter]

Police Minister Jack Dempsey is backing the push to add driver inattention to the road safety campaign.....

"You only have to take your eyes off the road for a split second and it could end a life or change one forever."

Doesn't it take a split second to look at the speedo to ensure your not exceeding the speed limit?

[EDManual]

and the true statistics of speeding over the speed limit CONTRIBUTING is between 2% and 3%!
They should spend time on something other than enforcing speeding!

Doesnt take an expert to say the distraction and innatention is the main cause, but makes no money for the govt.

[2011G6E]

Don't ask me...I've always said that they should give you a $250 on the spot fine, then take your phone, remove the sim card and any memory card and hand the cards back, then stomp the stuffing out of the phone on the bitumen in front of you, saying "Have you learned, anything, derp brain?".

[big_landau]

i think texting on the phone is one of the most dangerous things anyone can do on the road,this dosnt supprise me at all.

[DJM83]

I havnt crashed yet....

[jpd80]

Going up Ipswich Motorway, scary how many drivers are either texting or on a hand held phone while driving

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by Grunter

Doesn't it take a split second to look at the speedo to ensure your not exceeding the speed limit?

Well yes, exactly. I find when I'm driving at 130-160 in Europe I don't even look at the GPS, you listen to the voice instructions. You really can't take your eyes off the road at that speed.

The prevalence of mobile phone use while driving is scary. Even worse, you hear of people texting while driving. They need to come down real hard on this one, far more significant to road safety than exceeding posted speed limits.

[MAD]

I used to roll my own smokes while driving. I did this for 3 years driving into the Melbourne CBD and never once had an 'incident'.
It's all about watching your surroundings and timing the task. I'm not saying it's a good thing to do, but it can be done safely.

[T4ME]

Even on hands free its a distraction.

[Franco Cozzo]

I struggle to breathe and do something else at the same time so I don't bother with the phone when I'm driving, if its important generally the phone keeps ringing and I pull over after 3 or 4 times or you leave a message and I check when I get to where I'm going.

[aussiblue]

I am not the least bit surprised. I have been in (only) 6 accidents in the last 18 years and all have involved people using mobile phone running into the back of my car while I was stopped at traffic lights or intersections. I have also had one near miss as a pedestrian when I was crossing on the green walk sign and a young female P plater missed me by inches as she sailed through the red light at 60 km/hr with her head down texting; she didn't even look up while she was still in view so I doubt she had realised she was running a red light and very nearly hit me and several other pedestrians.

[MFP508]

i drive a truck for a living and i can honestly say 3 in 5 people drive whilst texting

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I struggle to breathe and do something else at the same time

Great to meet somebody else who stops breathing when they're doing something else lol, I thought I was the only non-multi tasker.

(Between you and me, do you also stick your tongue out when you're concentrating on something?)

[flappist]

It was so great back in the good old days before mobile phones. Not one single accident ever.........

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by flappist

It was so great back in the good old days before mobile phones. Not one single accident ever.........

The point probably being that we don't need one more thing to add to the existing list of causes of accidents. Texting being a particularly nasty addition to the list.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by new2ford

The point probably being that we don't need one more thing to add to the existing list of causes of accidents. Texting being a particularly nasty addition to the list.

i get that part, but if 33% of fatal accidents are due to mobile phones then there must be many more fatal accidents than there was 20+ years ago

it ain't mobile phones, it is driver attitude

[Nova 8]

A lot of Darwin awards...

It takes me a fair bit of time and attention to type out a text, so I just dont do it. Its not that imprtant to send a text, you dont 'miss' a text, its still there when you pull over. On a similar note I was in a friends car getting driven to the adelaide show the other week and she whipped out her phone to update her status on facebook to 'driving to the show' -.- I made her pull over and change it to 'being driven to the show'

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

i get that part, but if 33% of fatal accidents are due to mobile phones then there must be 25% more fatal accidents than there was 20+ years ago

it ain't mobile phones, it is driver attitude

Yes attitude is a problem, so is inattension and a mobile phone sadly grabs peoples attension to the point they almost stop "driving" and just become a passenger.

Id like to how many accidents (not just fatal) include people talking on a phone.

Just last week a young female driver managed to jump a gutter and run over a large mailbox and roll her car... all on a straight road in suburbia.

The amount of times you see people distracted on a phone is pretty stupid.
I have even seen people on scooters, motorbikes and push bikes actually texting while riding.. the whole time their heads were down.

Yes attitude is a problem.... they now simply dont give a toss when talking on their phone.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by new2ford

The point probably being that we don't need one more thing to add to the existing list of causes of accidents. Texting being a particularly nasty addition to the list.

Whereas a satnav, doof doof stereo with 10,000 songs, 20 engine gauges that have no real relevance to normal operation of the vehicle, dual zone climate control and the umpty dozen adjustable widgets that everyone craves have no contribution.

Strangely I can be doing 400km/h talking on the radio, scanning 6 different attitude gauges as well as 10 engine gauges (on two engines) AND several navigation instruments while reading complicated charts and writing notes.

Maybe it is something to do with training........

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by new2ford

Great to meet somebody else who stops breathing when they're doing something else lol, I thought I was the only non-multi tasker.

(Between you and me, do you also stick your tongue out when you're concentrating on something?)

Haha, I just pull odd looking faces when I'm concentrating.

The worst thing is being distracted while in the middle of doing something or someone hands me something to hold for them as I lose everything.

I don't get why it isn't OK to talk on the phone while driving, but its OK to use a CB radio, or talk to your passengers.

Or why Police can talk on the phone while driving, they're humans like everyone else.

I can't drive and phone at the same time, I doubt I could drive and CB radio at the same time and I have to be careful when talking to passengers.

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by flappist

Maybe it is something to do with training........

Yes of course. But maybe you have more time for corrective action in a plane. In a car at speed you can take your eyes off the road for a split second and that's it.

The actual act of talking on a mobile isn't in my view a big deal. But (if not handsfree) the act of setting up a call, dialling, searching a number etc. And texting is beyond the pale in any terms.

There was a terrible bus accident in Europe not long ago in which many schoolkids were killed. The driver was getting the DVD going for them to watch a movie. Distractions need to be handled carefully.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by new2ford

Yes of course. But maybe you have more time for corrective action in a plane. In a car at speed you can take your eyes off the road for a split second and that's it.

The actual act of talking on a mobile isn't in my view a big deal. But (if not handsfree) the act of setting up a call, dialling, searching a number etc. And texting is beyond the pale in any terms.

Actually no... you can get into trouble in an aircraft very quickly. Worse still is that if your in cloud your brain tells you (inner ear) one thing and your instruments tell you something else.

In a car you have a reference point all the time (unless your driving in thick fog).

Training does have a lot to do with it, but is everyone willing to spends $10 of thousands of dollars to equal the training a pilot receives?

While learning to fly many many years ago it was drilled into me, do it this way... or your going to die. Dont do this... or you will die.

It also boils down to some people shouldnt be driving at all due to a lack of IQ... let alone breeding.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

let alone breeding.

Might as well as excise that, then slap GST on top of it and make it you need a license like everything else.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by new2ford

The actual act of talking on a mobile isn't in my view a big deal. But (if not handsfree) the act of setting up a call, dialling, searching a number etc. And texting is beyond the pale in any terms.

Unless you have a phone that does not need to be looked at or touched to operate.

Have you not seen all the iphone vs android threads?

I can call a number or contact, send and email or sms verbally on my FG2 just by pressing the button on the steering wheel and then holding it until Siri answers.

Lots of other cars can do the same and one of the Ford bubble cars, Fiesta I think, actually advertises that it can do SMS safely.

http://www.ford.com.au/sync/using-sy...59900848&v=101

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by flappist

Unless you have a phone that does not need to be looked at or touched to operate.

Have you not seen all the iphone vs android threads?

I can call a number or contact, send and email or sms verbally on my FG2 just by pressing the button on the steering wheel and then holding it until Siri answers.

Lots of other cars can do the same and one of the Ford bubble cars, Fiesta I think, actually advertises that it can do SMS safely.

http://www.ford.com.au/sync/using-sy...59900848&v=101

Yes I know all of that, reminds me I must look into it when I get back. I was referring to non hands-free use of mobiles. I don't think the "lawmakers" have any problem with any sort of handsfree use (or do they?!).

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Yes attitude is a problem, so is inattension and a mobile phone sadly grabs peoples attension to the point they almost stop "driving" and just become a passenger

i am not suggesting that mobile phone usage while driving is not a problem, but if they do not have mobile phones, they will find something else to take their attention away

personally i cannot believe that 33% of all fatal accidents are due solely to mobile phone use, because there were many more fatal accidents in years before mobile phones were introduced. they way the article is written it is like fatal accidents due to inattention is a new phenomenon

[superyob]

Let's organise a mobile phone burning. That would be very satisfying. Then we could perhaps incinerate post modernist individualism and all the excessive self worship that has resulted. Computers and twitbook next. Then mp3 files and CDs and androids and blueteeth and galaxies and gigabytes and megalumps…

[vanman_75]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

i am not suggesting that mobile phone usage while driving is not a problem, but if they do not have mobile phones, they will find something else to take their attention away

personally i cannot believe that 33% of all fatal accidents are due solely to mobile phone use, because there were many more fatal accidents in years before mobile phones were introduced. they way the article is written it is like fatal accidents due to inattention is a new phenomenon

Like Getting the cassette out and trying to wind it back in cause its stuck in the player