IMPROVED access to bluetooth and hands-free technology may have led to a fall in the number of infringements issued for mobile phone use while driving, but highway patrol police say the problem is as big as ever on our roads.
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Distracted driving is a significant contributor to road accidents and fatalities and studies suggest that using a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of traffic accidents by up to four times.
At any moment, roughly one to two per cent of Australian drivers are using their mobile phone while driving, an offence which carries a $330 fine plus four points off your licence.
Infringement notices given out by officers in the Chifley Police District in the past four years show a declining trend: from 269 in 2014-15 to 208 in 2015-16, 137 in 2016-17 and 94 for the first 10 months of 2017-18.
Still, that’s 94 too many, according to Acting Inspector Ben Macfarlane, the acting Western Region traffic tactician.
Inspector Macfarlane said despite the decline in tickets being issued, detecting drivers using mobiles remains a top priority for police.
While improved technology has had a positive impact on the issue, he said people were getting better at hiding the offence.
”With bluetooth, drivers are less likely to break the law, but we still see a lot of people looking down at their phones [while driving],” he said.
He said people often tried to minimise or excuse their behaviour.
“People argue it’s no different to playing with the stereo or using a GPS, but the legislation says otherwise.”
Inspector Macfarlane said the use of mobile phones while driving comes in the top four in terms of fatalities.
“Along with fatigue, alcohol and restraints, distraction is one of the big four major killers on our roads,” he said.
“If someone is involved in a fatal crash, investigators now download the phones of the persons involved to see if they were using it at the time; that has been in for a couple of years.”
He said there was absolutely no excuse to break the law.
“Is it really that urgent? Is there a life-threatening issue that you have to answer that text or make the call? If it is that urgent, pull over.”
He said it is frustrating for police.
“You don’t always know the cause of a crash, but it’s not difficult to make a good assumption,” he said.
“Is it really that necessary to check Facebook while you’re driving?
“To me, it’s just baffling.”
