Certain behaviors on the road are very dangerous and drastically increase the risk of causing an accident.
Distracted driving is a phenomenon that is of great concern to road safety. It is the cause of many traffic accidents, with figures on the rise, whether minor or serious. It must be said that the development of electronic devices, primarily smartphones over the past fifteen years, often disrupts users’ attention in a whole host of everyday tasks. Who today is able to watch a film or series, attend a concert, have a drink in a bar or simply walk in a park without touching their phone once?
These new behaviors can be very dangerous in certain situations, such as when you find yourself behind the wheel of a car. For a large number of motorists, it is sometimes difficult to completely “unplug” during a journey, as if responding immediately to a text message, on a WhatsApp chat thread, or connecting to your favorite social network, had become something vital. A recent road safety study indicates that using a phone while driving a vehicle triples the risk of accidents. The number increases to… 23 if an SMS is read.
We learn that reading a text message lasts on average five seconds. A time that is ultimately quite short, but during which the driver partially or even completely takes his eyes off the road. In addition to this visual distraction, the user loses concentration since he then focuses on what he is reading and no longer on what surrounds him. Not to mention that you have to take at least one hand off the steering wheel to be able to operate your smartphone.
This dependence on screens, even while driving, tends to become widespread: road safety informs that 69% of French people use their smartphone while driving and that one in four drivers have already been scared by it on the road.
The use of a mobile phone while driving is strongly reprimanded by the Highway Code with a fixed fine of 135 euros accompanied by a withdrawal of 3 points on the driving license. The fact of handling your phone or consulting it, therefore without making a call or tapping on it, is punishable by the same sanctions. These can increase in the case of an offense committed (burned light, failure to respect a priority, overtaking a white line, etc.) with the telephone in the hands. Law enforcement then has the option of repossessing the driver’s license for 72 hours, a retention that can be followed by a six-month license suspension.
