You have a death message…

The fines awarded for using a mobile phone while driving are to be increased by almost 50% to €100 by the end of the year; but whether this will be enough to stop the ever increasing casualties resulting from such mobile phone use remains to be seen.

Last year, the Police Traffic Section handed down 1,783 fines to people caught using a mobile phone while driving.

This figure grossly under-estimates the problem for two reasons: firstly it does not include fines distributed by wardens, and secondly there are many more drivers who make phone calls while in the car without getting caught.

Statistics for accidents occurring in Malta as a result of use of phones in the car are not available. But in an interview with MaltaToday last Sunday, Dr Jonathan Joslin, who is the Casualty Department Consultant at Mater Dei Hospital, said that this is increasingly becoming a cause for concern, explaining how many casualties he sees are the result of lack of concentration by drivers on the phone.

Mobile phone subscriptions are ever on the increase. At the end of last year an increase of 9.5 per cent in subscriptions was recorded when compared with the same time in 2008.

Are these new mobile phones being used in the car, and are they causing accidents? Last year 14,877 traffic accidents were recorded with 1,069 persons suffering injuries. How many of these can be blamed on mobile phone use?

‘Hands-free’ hazards
The use of mobile phones whilst driving increases the risk of collision by four times. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) in the UK claim that a driver using a mobile phone is much less likely to be aware of what is happening on the road around them, failing to see road signs, and being largely unable to maintain proper lane position. Reactions have been proved to be much slower and increased levels of stress and frustration cause drivers to be likelier to enter unsafe gaps in the traffic.

The ultimate result of this is more accidents, injuries and fatalities.

ROSPA also claims that the use of hands-free sets does not significantly reduce the probability of collision, as the main risks come from the distracted mental attention of taking part in a conversation while operating a vehicle. However, use of hands-free sets is legal and recommended if making a call while in the car is absolutely necessary.

Texting in traffic
Worse still than making voice calls on a mobile phone when driving is the practice of sending and receiving text messages.

A much larger proportion of the drivers’ attention is required to read the small text on the screen, think of an appropriate reply and type and send the message.

The risk factor is exacerbated by the numerous tiny keys on a Blackberry, or the ultra-sensitive touch-screens on modern mobile phones. Research shows the average message takes 63 seconds to compose and send, compared to the average 22 seconds it takes while sitting at a desk – that is 63 seconds of minimal attention to the road.

A report revealed that 45% of UK drivers admitted to reading or sending text messages whilst operating a vehicle. A study by the Transport Research Laboratory indicated that motorists who use their mobile phone to send or receive messages drastically increased the probability of collision.

The report compared using a mobile phone while driving to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A driver using a mobile phone scored reaction times of 35% less than the same driver not using the phone: much worse than the deterioration of reaction times resulting from driving over the legal limit of alcohol at 12% or even under the influence of cannabis at 21%.

Aside from this, there also seems to be a difference in awareness of impairment. While under the influence of alcohol drivers tended to be unaware of any impairment and recorded increases in speed, while drivers sending text messages were aware that their driving was impaired, though not the extent to which it worsened. Speed was reduced though driving was erratic.

Penalties increased
Under Maltese law, the use of mobile phones while operating a vehicle is prohibited in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Regulations of 1994. The law covers the operation of any hand held device, which includes text messaging. However, enforcement of the law with regards to text messaging is much more difficult, as it is easier to see a person holding the phone to his ear than looking down to send a message. Infraction of these laws will incur fines of between€23.29 and €58.23.

Article 47 of Act VII, passed by parliament on 22 June will increase this fine to €100 in an effort to make Malta’s roads safer. Though the Act has not yet come into force, a spokesperson from the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs said that it will be enforced before the end of the year.

The €100 fine, however, is still much lower than other European countries. Fines alone are not considered sufficient. In the UK, three points are allocated to drivers’ licences for every offence. If a driver obtains six points on his driving license it is suspended for a period of one year. Offences involving fatal accidents may even occur a prison sentence of up to five years.

Other European countries, particularly the UK, campaign strongly against mobile use in the car. One British video clip not for the faint-hearted, shows a group of teenage girls laughing in the car while the driver was texting something to a boyfriend. The car veers into the opposite lane resulting in a horrific crash involving a number of cars. The video is gruesome, showing a moment-by-moment account of the injuries and resulting deaths of not only the girls but other people in other cars involved.

Dr Joslin is an advocator of shocking campaigns as he believes that is the only way people seem to realise how terrible the results can be. However, in Malta there seems to be little awareness of the risks involved with sending a message.