Road Safety and Mobile Phone Behaviors

Mobile phone use while driving is one of the major road safety risks. In surveys from different settings, the rate of mobile phone use while driving ranged from 1 to 11%. Literature from observational and experimental studies show that driving capacities such as reacting to traffic hazards, maintaining a central lane position, maintaining a safe distance and speed are negatively affected when using a mobile phone while driving. Several epidemiological studies suggest that motor vehicle collision risks increase by two to nine times when using a mobile phone (handheld or hands-free) compared to not using the phone while driving. Considering these findings, almost three-quarters of the countries have adopted legislation banning the use of handheld mobile phone devices while driving. These interventions, however, are insufficient to deal with the use of hands-free mobile phones while driving and texting which are challenging to ascertain and prevent. Currently, “in-vehicle” and collision avoidance technologies are being evaluated to further reduce the impact of these road menaces in our society.