“Any task that involves holding a device, looking at it, and interacting with it during driving will adversely affect driving performance,” comments Shaun Helman, TRL’s head of transport psychology.
“Typical effects are drifting out of lane, erratic speed control and being less aware of what is around you – resulting in poor anticipation of hazards,” he continues.
“Recent research by TRL suggests that between 10—30% of road accidents in the EU are at least partly caused by distraction, and social media is an increasing risk in this area.”
Meanwhile, welcoming the changes, Peter Millichap, director of UK marketing at Teletrac Navman, adds: “This new law will inevitably impact fleet operators, so we advise fleet managers to invest in technology that can directly and indirectly impact on reducing the risk.”
Millichap asserts that telematics lessens the need for mobile communication, while also highlighting driver behaviour, particularly around harsh braking, acceleration and cornering events.
“This behaviour can then be addressed in training to ensure it doesn’t happen anymore,” states Millichap, who also advocates the use of in-cab cameras.
“We know that as mobile technology has advanced, more attention has been paid to distraction when driving,” says TRL’s Helman.
“However, we also know that attitudes and behaviours can change for the better. Drink-driving was socially acceptable in the 1960s and 1970s, but now it is seen as socially unacceptable by most people.
“The same could happen with distracted driving, although the development of new technologies may provide alternative solutions.”