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How Much Do You Use Your Cell Phone While Driving?
November 26 2024
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How Much Do You Use Your Cell Phone While Driving?
Road traffic safety is one of the important issues to be priorly considered in all countries.
Using cell phones is one of the behaviors to threaten the road traffic safety. The volume of its damage cannot but become greater as it leads negligence of looking forward and lack of concentration.
When you see the graph to show the driving response per behaviors, you would notice that the higher percentages show the slower driving response.
What brings your attention here is that the driving response while sending text messages or holding the cell phone in your hands and using it is far slower than the response under the hallucination after drinking alcohol or smoking pots.
That is the part to show how dangerous it is to use the cell phones in your hands while driving.
Drunken driving (13%) / Hallucinosis after smoking pots (21%) / Wireless communication (27%) / Text messaging (37%) / Holding cell phones in your hands to use (46%)
Then, shall we explore the legal system and crackdowns on using cellphone while driving in the UK and try to promote safe driving culture for the prevention of traffic incidents?
Using cell phones while driving is very highly regulated in the UK. Using cell phones, navigators, tablets or any types of data communication device while driving is strictly banned. It is applied to both online and offline. The behaviors including text messaging, telephone call, taking pictures or filming video, and web-browsing are all banned.
The law is still applied when you stop before the traffic lights or during the traffic jam.
In addition, it is also applicable to the cases where you monitor the trainee drivers, the vehicle stops for a while on the road with its engine off or even when you hold the device under offline or flight mode with your hands for use.
However, the following exceptions are allowed;
1. When it is unsafe or difficult to stop your vehicle while making an emergency call to 999 or 112.
2. When the vehicle is safely parked.
3. When making contactless payments from a stationary vehicle, such as at a drive-thru cafe or restaurant where mobile contactless payment is required.
4. When using a device to remotely park your vehicle.
You may use a hands-free device, but it must not be held in your hand, and it must not obstruct your view while driving.
Traffic Safety Rule in the UK
1. Police Crackdown
Police crack downs the use of cellphone by inspecting vehicles in driving on the road.
That is, police have the authority to stop drivers if they see the drivers are not paying attention to or distracting during driving.
More specifically, the police have the authority to stop your vehicle to determine whether to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for minor traffic offenses, including careless or inconsiderate driving, using a mobile phone while driving, failing to wear a seatbelt, or driving too close to another vehicle.
Besides, they may take additional actions such as issuing warning notice, offering driver education or making decisions on prosecuting a crime etc.
2. CCTV Surveillance Camera
CCTV cameras, installed on the road and intersections crack down the use of cell phones and record any violations
These cameras are in operation 24/7 and used for discriminating the person in violation by storing high-definition videos.
• Using a mobile phone, navigation device, tablet, or any other device capable of sending or receiving data while driving (including motorcycles): 6 penalty points and a £200 fine (£200 = 300,000 KRW).
• If you have held your driving license for less than 2 years: license cancellation.
• Failing to maintain proper control of the vehicle due to lack of attention: 3 penalty points.
• You may face prosecution in court, which could result in disqualification from driving (including motorcycles) and a fine of up to £1,000 (£1,000 = 1,490,000 KRW).
UK strictly regulates the use of cellphones while driving in order to strengthen the road traffic safety. Any violation is followed by penalty and black marks on driver’s license.
However, the amount of the penalty in Korea is tenuous compared to the UK. In particular, there's no applicable sanctions such as license revocation or court action for those who obtained the driver's license less than for 2 years.
This suggests that the Korean traffic act should become stricter. These efforts to reduce the risks on the road and to prevent traffic incidents will have positive influence on nation-wide road traffic safety.
In Korea, a law prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving was enacted in July 2001 to prevent traffic accidents caused by driver distraction. However, the number of traffic accidents related to mobile phone use while driving still averages over 700 cases annually, indicating a significant number of traffic violations in this regard.
To reduce traffic accidents related to mobile phone use while driving in South Korea, it is essential not only to enforce stricter monitoring and increase the severity of penalties but also to continuously raise awareness about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving. Efforts should focus on encouraging strict compliance with mobile phone usage regulations and promoting the development of safe driving habits.
* This card news is produced by modifying and supplementing the booklet ‘KOTI Zero Traffic Incidents Brief 2023 Vol.10_No.3’.