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Mobile phones and driving: not a good combination


In September 2011, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) where the population is 350,000, a total of 207 infringement notices were issued to people using their handheld mobile phone while driving. Although this is a decline on the August figure of 276 infringement notices, statistics show that the trend fluctuates annually. To date, the ACT has already reached the 2010 total statistics for infringements. Last year 1,776 people were booked for driving while using a handheld mobile phone. This year’s figure, to the end of September, is already 1,777.

In Australia, it is illegal to drive while using a handheld mobile phone. The penalty is a significant fine and three demerit points. Talking, sending or receiving text messages, playing games, or taking photos are all illegal if you are driving at the same time. It is also illegal if your vehicle is stopped, but not parked—for example, when you are waiting at traffic lights. The phone must be mounted in a commercially designed mount attached to the dashboard; alternatively a headset or earphone can be used while the phone is in the driver’s pocket or pouch—but the driver must be able to use the phone without touching, holding, or resting the phone on their body. However, no-one with a learner’s permit or P1 licence can use any type of mobile phone function of any kind while driving, not even mounted or through a headset or earpiece, or even through a loudspeaker operation.

Any lapse in concentration increases the risk of the vehicle being involved in a crash. Inattention is reported as a contributing factor for 33% of fatal crashes and 45% of serious injury crashes per year in Australia. Research shows that using a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of crashing by at least four times. The most common types of crashes associated with mobile usage are ‘run-off-the-road’ crashes and ‘rear end’ crashes. Research has found that novice drivers who use a mobile phone spend less time looking at the road ahead. They are also more likely to wander over the road (across traffic lanes) and take longer to notice driving hazards.

Using a mobile phone while driving can significantly impair a driver’s reaction time, visual search patterns, ability to maintain speed and position on the road, ability to judge safe gaps in the traffic, and general awareness of other road users.

Mobile phones were introduced into Australia in 1987. Today, the number of mobile phone connections exceeds the number of landlines, and more than 80% of Australians own or use a mobile phone. Despite the fact that it is illegal to use a handheld mobile while driving, an observational survey conducted in Melbourne found that, at any given time, about 2% of drivers were using a handheld phone while driving. These drivers were more likely to be male, young (18–30 years), in metropolitan areas, and more frequent drivers. Importantly, young drivers were almost five times more likely than older drivers to use a handheld phone while driving. Most drivers (97.8%) were aware of the ban on handheld mobile phone use while driving and agreed with it (93.6%). Half of all drivers (50.1%) did not agree with extending the ban to include hands-free phones. Most drivers felt that it was unlikely that they would be caught for using a handheld phone while driving in their local area (69.0%).
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