Young and the reckless
%26bull; ‘What could be so urgent?’
Women are more likely to use their cellphones behind the wheel than men, and Aucklanders are the biggest culprits, according to a new survey. Wellingtonians are the least likely to send a text message while driving.
About half of all drivers admit they have lost concentration while adjusting the stereo or looking at billboards.
The findings were made public yesterday by AA Insurance, which surveyed more than 2500 drivers aged 18 to 75 in February to learn more about their behaviour.
Chief executive Chris Curtin said the statistics were %26quot;quite staggering%26quot;. They backed up anecdotal evidence that up to 15 per cent of all road crash insurance claims related to driver distraction - most of which were cellphone-related.
%26quot;It was surprising and worrying, the trend among young people in particular,%26quot; Mr Curtin said. %26quot;Being behind the wheel is not the time to multi-task.
%26quot;The truth is that texting slows driver reaction times and increases the risk of an accident.
%26quot;There is far greater risk when texting while driving compared with talking on a mobile phone … because your eyes are focused on the screen instead of the road.%26quot;
Land Transport New Zealand figures show cellphone distraction has contributed to 446 vehicle crashes, claimed 34 lives and injured 587 people since 1995.
Retired couple Samuel and Beverley Keating were killed by a texting teen driver who failed to notice a stop sign and ploughed into their car in Canterbury in September.
Robert John Stonestreet, now 20, was given home detention and ordered to pay grieving relatives reparation when sentenced last month.
The case sparked calls from telecommunications companies for a driver cellphone ban. The Government has ruled out a ban, but says it is considering the wider question of driver distraction.
The AA Insurance survey showed young drivers were more than twice as likely to text while driving than those aged over 25.
More than 40 per cent of drivers had talked on cellphones without using a hands-free kit and two-thirds of respondents ate while driving.
%26quot;New Zealanders often do try to do other things while driving, such as talk or text on a mobile, eat, apply make-up or change music,%26quot; Mr Curtin said. %26quot;All of these actions reduce concentration on driving - and lack of concentration can and does lead to accidents.%26quot;
LTNZ spokesman Andy Knackstedt said drivers had a limited amount of concentration and needed to focus when behind the wheel. Cellphones, radios, food and scenery could distract people and impair their ability to notice hazards and react quickly. %26quot;Our advice is simple: when you get behind the wheel, turn the phone off.%26quot;
WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE
Key findings from an AA Insurance survey into driver behaviour and distraction on our roads:
* Two-thirds of drivers aged 18 to 24 text and drive.
* One in four women send text messages while behind the wheel, compared with one in five men.
* Aucklanders are more likely to use cellphones while driving.
* Wellingtonians are the least likely to send texts from behind the wheel.
* More than half of all drivers have lost concentration while adjusting the stereo.
* Nearly half of all drivers have been distracted by billboards or outdoor advertising.
