The rise of the cellphone has certainly brought some benefits, but it has also brought a downside. Chief among those must be the phenomenon of distracted driving.
In the US, it is estimated that cellphone use is now responsible for almost a third of crashes, with text messages being the main culprit. Although we don’t have figures in SA yet, it is safe to assume that they are similar. That puts cellphones just behind alcohol and speed as the biggest causes of fatal crashes.
Here’s the thing, we all know it’s just plain dom to be looking anywhere but at the road when hurtling along in a hunk of metal.
Anything could happen and if you’re not looking, you can’t react.
Here’s the other thing, when that phone beeps, can you actually resist picking it up? That’s an interesting question, because if you can’t say no, that sounds like you may be a phone addict. That takes this phone-while-driving problem to a whole new level.
If that’s the case, perhaps it’s better to put the phone on silent while driving, or stash it far out of reach, Can’t be too careful here. The change begins with you.