WA drivers ‘addicted’ to phones: New research reveals many would rather give up car than lose phone

WA motorists are becoming increasingly selfish and reliant on staying constantly socially connected, with research revealing more than 40 per cent of drivers would rather give up their car than lose their phone. Data released by the Australian Road Safety Foundation showed more than 50 per cent of drivers surveyed openly admitted breaking road laws. Alarmingly, 42 per cent said they would find it harder to give up their phone for a year than their car, while 19 per cent admitted they would rather give up coffee than stop using their phone behind the wheel. A staggering 39 per cent of drivers said they would rather give up social media than give up speeding. ARSF chair Russell White said drivers had become less respectful of authority and road rules. “Before mobile phones, vehicles were our connection piece, but what’s changed is that phones are a key part of people’s social network,” he told The West Australian. “(The statistics) indicate an apathy around the level of perception of risk . . . they’ve got a view that they’d rather retain (their social media) than change their driving behaviour. “We’ve also seen people becoming less respectful of authority and less compliant of road rules. “Clearly, the cars haven’t become less safe . . . and we have more levels of enforcement, so you look around and the only thing that has changed is the human factor.” Already this year, 72 people have died on the roads in WA. That is three more than the same time last year, and 14 more than the five-year average. Last year was a particularly horrific year on the road, with 188 people dying in crashes. Perth woman Madison Dalziell admitted she was “addicted” to social media and said she would rather give up driving than give up her phone. “I’d honestly rather give up my car because my phone is my main form of communication with other people,” she said. “I can take public transport so I will have other means of getting where I need to be, but if I don’t have my phone, then I don’t have any form of instantaneous communication.” The 21-year-old described herself as a “cautious” driver and said she did not speed or look at her phone while driving. She said she believed young drivers were more likely to follow the road rules because they were less experienced. “Perhaps the longer a driver has their licence, the more relaxed they get . . . I think people around my parents’ age would probably admit to dangerous driving because they’re so much more comfortable behind the wheel,” she said. “Whereas I’m younger and am a lot more cautious on the road.” Billy Hayes, 20, said he was alarmed by the statistics but said he was not surprised. “I don’t need to touch my phone while driving because I have voice activation in my car and the maps are on my screen,” he said. “I’ve been rear-ended twice because other people were not paying attention, so I have a bit of a soft spot (for driving safely). “On the way to uni I even see people doing their makeup while they’re driving . . . they’re not even stopped at the traffic lights, which is really worrying.” The ARSF released the research ahead of its Fatality Free Friday campaign, which was launched in 2007 because the day is notorious for fatal and serious road crashes. “Every single Friday around the country, between five and six people lose their lives,” Mr White said. “Friday is the end of the week and people have mentally switched off . . . they’re possibly going to go to parties and other events. “The idea was to see if we could have a Friday that was free of fatalities, it would be a small step (towards) long term change. “It’s about trying to make a community impact and keep pushing that message that individuals are responsible for their actions, and therefore, ultimately responsible for reducing the road toll.” Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said speeding and mobile phone usage were major factors contributing to the State’s horror road toll. “Speed is the biggest factor underpinning our road toll and too many people make excuses for speeding,” he told The West. “Distraction is another major factor in serious crashes and mobile phones by their very design are made to distract us. “The figures released by the Australian Road Safety Foundation are consistent with WA research that tells us about 50 per cent of people have admitted to using their mobile phone while driving at some point and that too many people think a little bit of speeding is OK.” Mr Warner pleaded with drivers to stop using their mobile phones and warned, “your luck might run out.” “The need to reach for our phones can be a hard habit to break — but don’t be fooled, using a mobile phone while driving significantly increases your risk of a crash,” he said. “You might get away with it today but that’s more luck than skill and tomorrow your luck might run out.” The ARSF data comes less than a month after shocking examples of bad-driver behaviour was caught on new WA safety cameras. More than 60,000 drivers were sprung in illegal acts such as not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone, or driving with unrestrained children and babies on four mobile safety cameras and one fixed camera on the Kwinana Freeway since January. Of those detections, 20,000 people were caught not wearing seatbelts correctly, 6000 had no seatbelt on at all and — alarmingly — 22,000 had their phone in their hands. Another 12,000 people were caught with their phones resting on their body, which is a fineable offence. It is illegal while driving to touch a mobile phone to take a call or end a call unless the phone is secured in a mount. Mr White said fatal crashes were often a byproduct of driver behaviour and said he was “concerned” for the next generation of drivers. “For a long time, we’ve outsourced the problem as a road or vehicle problem . . . but now we’re really facing the hard question of how do we change human behaviour, and how do we change social norms around road use and personal responsibility?” he said. “If drivers continue this attitude, our road toll is going to escalate very quickly. “I’m very concerned for the next generation of road users and I’m concerned that increasing road tolls are going to be the norm.”

WA drivers ‘addicted’ to phones: New research reveals many would rather give up car than lose phone

Everyday Digital

$8 per week

Everyday Digital & Weekend Papers

$10 per week